House of D

I had been wanting to see this film since I had the chance to see the preview. I must say I enjoyed it. The pacing may have been a bit off, but for what it was, it did an excellent job.

I think my biggest problem with this film is David. Not that it was a bad performance, just that he had a tough job competing with the kid who played the younger version of himself. Everyone gave great performances, even his wife whom I usually don't care for. The movies first half was great, but lacked in the last twenty minutes. Honestly, it felt like it could have gone longer, perhaps a little more in-depth.

Still, good job.

In his feature debut as both writer and director, Duchovny offers up a heartfelt film filled with well anchored elements of character, humor, ethical dilemmas and choices that pave the roads of our lives.

Strong, well chosen casting with inspiring performances by Anton Yelchin (Tommy), Robin Williams (Pappass) and Erykah Badu (Lady) add to a meaningful story that Duchovny rooted in his childhood neighborhood of New York.

In a world today where the baptism of manhood is often forged with sex, gangs and violence, Duchovny takes us back into an inner battlefield where the true merit of a hero's journey is fought. Within one's self.

I saw it in a screening preview and would be happy to pay to see it again. And this time, I'd bring the teens.

We struggle to grow up all our lives. Many grow old without doing the work involved in truly growing up. We mistakenly think that growing up just happens to us, when in fact that very passivity is what causes us to grow old without ever actually maturing. Growing up requires conscious personal effort. House Of D is about such a man, who in middle age, with a 13 year old son, realizes he is beginning to grow old without having grown up. As his son crosses the threshold to manhood, Tom (Duchovny) makes the decision to confront & resolve the issues that caused him to retreat into himself at 13 rather than advancing into real manhood.

I enjoy Duchovny's acting, and he handled his on screen time capably in the second part of the film. However, the establishing scenes were slightly awkward & stilted. The film only begins to show its spirit when we flash back to New York City 1973.

Anton Yelchin portrays the young Tommy, and has a staggering amount of potential to grow into as an artist. Duchovny has a great feel for directing young people, a task known to be notoriously difficult. There are also some embarrassingly terrible performances, from Robin Williams & Tea Leoni. Williams falls off the horse right at the outset of his portrayal of the 'retarded' Pappass and never manages to get back on again. It seems to be partly poor definition in the writing of the character, and partly the actor's failure to connect with & breathe life into him. This despite a clear on screen rapport between himself & Yelchin. It mars what would have otherwise been a better film. Tea Leoni's performance adds nothing to her career or to the film. It isn't a portrayal, rather a thumbnail sketch. Leoni is an actress of limited ability, who needs strong direction to deliver a capable performance. It was a mistake to have her in the film, as she too succeeds in diminishing it, delivering what comes across as a deliberately bad performance. Leoni's appearance also embarrasses because she is Duchovny's wife and one or both of them should've known better than to allow this.

I was disappointed Frank Langella, undoubtedly the best actor in the movie, had so little to do. His few scenes are wonderful. A pleasure to see Orlando Jones, albeit briefly. Erykah Badu's singing is sublime, and she delivers a strong, warm performance.

Other performances ranged from adequate to forgettable.

Most of the music in the film is decent and well placed.

Duchovny has the potential to be a fine director. This was already known to those who enjoyed the episodes of X-Files he directed. Does he expand his directing skills in House of D? Yes. He shows a real flair for directing young actors, which I had never previously suspected. Duchovny scored high with inexperienced young actors, evoking clean, impressive performances, from Yelchin in particular; but low with veterans Williams & Leoni.

The writing is wildly uneven. Inventive, clever, inspired, insightful & touching in places. At other times it fails to ring true, and some of the plot devices are frankly ludicrous. It's almost as though 2 completely different people worked on the screenplay without ever meeting or actually engaging in a collaboration. I found this a little disconcerting at times. I know Duchovny is a better than average writer, so the unevenness of the script, and the bizarre disjointed quality, had me scratching my head more than once. I wonder what the screenplay originally looked like. Did some heavy-duty editing compromise the coherence of the script?

The cinematography was awesome, whether we were looking at Paris at night or a toilet bowl full of cigarette butts. No surprises there when you realize it's the work of Michael Chapman, who has worked with Scorsese, Allen, and many others. He also worked on Duchovny's film "Evolution."

We're at an interesting stage in our psychological evolution. A quiet revolution is taking place as more & more individuals are learning to embrace a new understanding of personal responsibility. People ARE learning to "see the world a little differently" to refer to the tag line. Some have made the hurtle and are seeing, and living in a new way. A larger number of people are resisting making that leap right now. Change is rarely easy. Letting go of old, outmoded ways of seeing & doing things is hard. House Of D is the story of one human being who makes that leap. Achieving personal sovereignty is a crowning experience that many have deprived themselves of. As more of us step forward to claim this privilege of genuine personal autonomy, and society begins to noticeably shift as a result, films like House Of D will be regarded with more understanding & affection.

Duchovny could've traded on his established image & popularity, played it safe, manufactured a piece of typical Hollywood junk, and have everyone pat him on the back. He didn't and I like that about his attitude.

That's part of what's admirable about him. He's willing to take chances and make an ass of himself. He has made mistakes which would finish other actors. Yet he also has courage, intelligence, daring, originality, humor, and most of all, genuine talent, which keeps bringing us back to consider his work, and finding merit in it. Duchovny has cut his directorial teeth on an unconventional, rewarding first film.

I perceive an iconoclastic, Almodovarian streak lurking in Duchovny both as writer and director. It's there, as a delicious undercurrent running through House Of D. I'd love to see him have the confidence to express that side of himself more in the future. To thine own self be true, David.

I was fortunate enough to happen upon two free tickets to a sneak preview here in La Jolla. I enjoyed the movie thoroughly. The audience I was a part of was audibly drawn into the film. The plot is completely character-driven, revolving around a very honest 13-year-old. The honesty of this character--a unique portrayal of any boy this age--was portrayed sincerely, and as such the film read as very heartfelt. The sincerity is most profoundly seen in his relationship with a developmentally disabled adult, Pappass (Robin Williams), purely for the sake of companionship and not out of sympathy or having been forced into the friendship. In a time when the phrase "that's so retarded" is so ubiquitously used as a put-down, it was refreshing to see a character created who is not at all fazed by the stigma of befriending someone who is disabled or 30 years older than himself (let alone both). Each character seemed to be written with such empathy that you could be drawn into any one of their stories, if the movie so followed those stories. To those who call this film trite, I argue that this heartfelt empathy makes it unique among mainstream films whose screenplays contain characters so generalized that the actors must create any depth for their characters.

All in all, I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend it to my friends. And to those looking for an excuse to dismiss my 9/10 vote, no I am not a David Duchovny fan. I hardly even saw 3 episodes of the X-Files. I just liked the film. :-)

I went in wanting to like it, but y'know a movie is in trouble when it tries too hard to be sentimental. During a screening here in L.A., I began fidgeting in my seat fifteen minutes into it thinking, "Okay, already, something has got to HAPPEN." I found myself looking at background extras to see how many black people with afros I'd see to remind the audience that this was the '70's. I love coming of age stories where I see characters showing me their world with fresh eyes, and sadly, I didn't care in this one.

Tea Leoni always annoys me in any movie she's in. Every scene with her dragged the story, and there's only so many forced "funny antics" I can watch with Robin Williams and the lead kid until I'm ready to walk out. I only stayed to see how bad it got. Of course, there were some scenes where I felt an emotional pull. This was toward the end where Erykah Badu the "Rapunzel with an afro"--to quote DD--tells the boy to run away from his problems. But the build up to that moment was too long, and by then you already knew his life turns out fine. Too bad. As soon as it was over, and DD stepped on stage for a Q&A, I turned to my partner and said, "This is not going to make money. It would better be marketed for television where a huge audience would watch it to get away from Reality TV".

It helps to be DD and have friends to connect you with folks to get this made. I'm sure there's some poor schmuck out there with a better story who will never get a chance to get a movie made. Too bad. DD told the audience that he lost funding several times, up until the moment it came to do principal photography. But believe me, he had it easier than most. At least he got in a room with someone to convince them to fund this poor thing.