Tuesday, May 1, 2001
Hey folks, Harry here... Well most of us haven't seen the future Darth
Vader.... Our new Anakin Skywalker perform in any films yet. We look at the
docile images of his face thus far in publicity photos and wonder.... Is he
just a pretty boy without a pinch of talent? Will Hayden sink Episode 2
before you can say, "Yousa means peoples gonna diiiiiiieeeee?" Well, this has
been one of the question marks that I've been hoping to various ancient
demons and tentacled creations that this would not be the case. That Hayden
Christensen would be a fountain of talent to give us all the Anakin and Vader
we know he needs to become on screen. So.... Let's all read this review of
LIFE AS A HOUSE, a movie you probably wouldn't care two shakes of a stick
about, and see... Can Hayden Christensen act his way out of a wet paper sack?
Hey there Harry. You might remember me from a review I sent in a couple of
weeks ago for "A Knight's Tale" . Well, I am back with another review.
Tonight I attended a screening of "Life as a House". It was a rough cut with
a temporary soundtrack, but overall felt like a complete film. It was
directed by Irwin Winkler ("At First Sight", "The Net"), written by Mark
Andrus ("As Good as it Gets") and starred Kevin Kline and Kristin Scott
Thomas. But the real news here is the third star, none other then the future
Sith Lord himself Hayden Christensen in what will be his first major role
before he dons the Jedi robes. To see his performance, to find out whether or
not the future of Star Wars was in jeopardy, to find out if Jake Loyd grows
up to be a better actor, was the only reason I went to see this movie. And
after a brief breakdown of the film, I will let you know.
George (Kevin Kline) finds out he only has months to live and decides to
spend his remaining time building his dream house by the ocean with his
estranged son Sam (Hayden Christensen). As they tear down the old house and
build a new one in its place, the relationship between father and son grows
stronger. Along the way other characters, like George's ex-wife (Kristin
Scott Thomas) and mother and daughter neighbors (Mary Steenburgen, Jena
Malone) join in to help as different plot threads all begin to intersect at
the construction of this house. The end result is an insightful cross-section
of American Family Life. All in all this is an excellent film. Mark Andrus
has delivered another first rate screenplay and the performances are strong
all around. Although the symbolism is a little heavy-handed, as the title
implies, it is still very effective. As a whole the movie plays like a
combination of the softer, gentler cousin of "American Beauty" with a touch
of "Terms of Endearment" thrown in. In fact many small details of this film
bear a striking resemblance to "American Beauty". Both have a middle-aged man
dissatisfied with his life. Both have a dark, brooding teenage boy. Both have
a Lolita-esque teenage girl. Both feature an adult lusting after a minor.
Both have an "ejaculation in the shower" scene. And most disturbing of all,
both feature Scott Bakula and Sam Robards in small roles, although in "Life
as a House" they are not a gay couple (or are they?). Thematically both films
deal with regret, repressed desire and unfulfilled dreams, but "Life as a
House" is more about redemption, and in the end, although slightly
predictable, is very touching and poignant. I don't know what New Line's
plans are for this film, but I think they should consider a 2001 fall release
for potential Oscar consideration.
And now on to the real news....Star Wars fans across the world join hands,
cast your faces Heavenward and make a Joyous Sound! Rejoice my brothers and
sisters! Rejoice! Hayden Christensen is the real deal! This kid is going kick
ass as Anakin! For the 5-6 billion people who might have missed "Lost in a
Purple Haze" and blinked during his appearance in "The Virgin Suicides", this
film is the first real test of the future Dark Lord. And he passes with
flying colors! His performance runs the gamut from heartbreaking
vulnerability to brooding sullenness to tempestuous anger with nimbleness and
aplomb. He displayed all the qualities that Anakin is going to need in
Episodes II and III, and even despite George Lucas's infamously minimalist
direction of actors ("faster, more intense"), Hayden will deliver the goods.
He is guaranteed to wash those stubborn Jake Loyd stains right out of your
brain and I predict that between this role and Episode II, Hayden Christensen
will be the breakout star of 2002.
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