Review of Life as a House (2001) by Catherine D — 23 Jul 2009

Blame it on all the time I'm spending on the oncology wards right now, but something inspired me to dig up this cancer-themed weepy. It certainly lives up to the expectations.

George Monroe (Kevin Kline) is an architect who is fired from a job he hates, then promptly collapses on the sidewalk outside the building. He is given a diagnosis of terminal cancer, with mere months to live, and decides to use his remaining time to tear down the shack he's been living in and build a proper house. In the course of this, he also rebuilds his relationship with his drug-addicted, rebellious son Sam (Hayden Christensen) and rekindles the romance with his ex-wife Robin (Kristen Scott Thomas). His neighbors are at first stunned, then appreciative, and eventually they even pitch in a hand to help with the work. As his months run out and he lies dying in a hospital bed, the house starts to take on a life of its own.

This film is at times a very sentimental tearjerker. But the best parts are entirely due to the remarkable performance of Kevin Kline, which produces some wonderfully moving scenes. The supporting cast isn't bad either, and includes Jena Malone, Mary Steenbergen, and Scott Bakula. The plot and writing rarely rise above soap opera mediocrity and neither the characters nor the development are all that interesting to watch, but somehow that still doesn't result in a bad film.

Overall, a predictable but palatable tearjerker film about a man dying from cancer but learning how to live in the process.