Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

I was hoping for so much more. There was the blueprint for a unique story that gets dissolved in so much schmaltz and allegory. I get that things are going to be left unfinished, but it seems this story wasn't finished and had to utilize cinematography and last-minute story-writing to finish what I would consider to be a lofty, yet noble, project of a motion picture.What I got was a laissez-faire attitude towards the commodification of teenage sexuality, family structure and all together communion of the soul. There are about 6 mini-stories at play, loosely connected to the main one, that warrant so much attention, but ultimately dissolve in hack endings and illusion to contentment. I can argue the vapidity of dipping in to these themes as a soft touch of narrative, but I can't argue for taking subject matter that is unique for John Q. Public, and ultimately giving it the brush off. Kevin Kline, Hayden Christiansen and Kristen Scott-Thomas carry the weight of this awkwardly shaped, yet airily light movie.Powerful performances still didn't distract me from the fact that Sam is painted in the most dismal light possible, and yet father-son bonding is supposed to be an all-healing experience for him! A great actor (and here we do see a young actor in GREAT form) still can't sell a measly product, especially one that doesn't ultimately give him a resolution rooted in reality. You don't take a paint-huffing, trick-turning, auto-erotic asphyxiating teenage boy and turn him into a strapping blue-collar vision of adjustment without some SERIOUS character changes.Even George's character could've been used to more effect, and he's the main story, the hero if you will. I see less resolution for Sam in George's parts, than I see a complexity in George's character that ultimately unwinds (to great effect, I'll admit) towards death. We see a man of great intimacy, yet commitment-phobic. Someone learning compassion bereft of social expectation. Ultimately all I see is potential dialogue that could benefit both characters, but prefers to lean on one.Then we're left with all the unanswered questions that lead me to wonder what's in the water this characters are drinking. The kind of isolation within individualism that gives this movie it's initium, again somehow becomes magicallydissipated into community. The magic of a house is wondrous, to be sure, but I can't help but feel the writer's wanted to stay away from the gritty soul-searching that this film hints at, and fails to deliver.

While I'm not one to easily give out accolades towards films, this little talked about film is however an exception. Kevin Kline gave one of the best performances I've seen from him as the father who is secretly dying while simultaneously trying to reconnect with his troubled teenage son as the two embark on the task of building his dream house, which itself serves as reconciliation, or better yet a new beginning. Kristen Scott Thomas forever type cast as the cheating/conflicted wife was tolerable as the ex-wife to Kline character. Having experienced what it was like to grow up without my own father I had firsthand experience as to what it felt like to keep that resentment and anger in during those crucial teen years. I saw this movie for the first time late one night while my wife and kids were all asleep and I got drawn back into what it was like all over again. I have absolutely no shame to admit that this movie had me in tears in several key scenes. I place this film as one of my all time favorites as well as making my list of films that make you cry and think at the same time.

Life as a House is an inspirational movie that revolves around the relationship of a terminally ill father(George Monroe) and his troubled son(Sam Monroe). Both of them struggle to enjoy the true value of life and are emotionally hurt. Although everything changes once George is diagnosed with an incurable form of cancer and this movie depicts the transformation of their lives together. Despite being sick, George manages to keep his condition covert and he chooses to make the most of his time while he still has a chance. Sam is a misunderstood teenager who has just never received the necessary guidance to move forward in life, and looks to narcotics as an escape from the the hardships of the real world. Realizing his time is fading, George calls his son over for the summer to share what precious time he has left and to make a lasting impact that will hopefully steer Sam in the right direction. Regardless of the great story line and good performances from Kevin Kline and Hayden Christensen, the movie is below par in a few categories. The supporting actors were poorly cast and their acting seemed to be completely fake in several scenes. The focus on unnecessary side stories also adds time to the film which disengages viewers due to its dullness and uninteresting themes. The soundtrack and filming was also lackluster and failed to serve this movie justice. Despite the weak performances and substandard technical aspects, Life as a House is a breathtaking film. The shortcomings of this movie pale in comparison to the overall plot and acting from the father-son duo. This movie is very deep and emotional, and touches on a lot of sensitive subjects. Exemplifying the true importance of life, Life as a House is a very strong movie that deserves to be recognized as one.

just beautiful. for performance. for profound - game of reflections -story. and for the art to discover root of basic things. tale of a family. crisis, frustrations, lost of patience. and a house. as axis, silhouette, mirror. river of tensions. search of sense. a war out of limits. or sense. in fact, a secret battle. and the fragile, magnificent victory. victory of each character. against it. result - touching-subtle picture of every day. a lesson. and more. because this film is only echo of ordinaries situations. nothing more. its real virtue - to be an universal image. not inspiration for solutions. not sad. just meditation about root. root of small events. and build of a house into the heart of others soul.