The House of Tomorrow

The trailer made this movie look like a whole lot more fun than it actually is. The trailer makes it look like a comedy but it's a fairly heavy drama and the few humorous bits are chuckle worthy at best.

It's a decent movie for what it is, perhaps even a good one, but I rated it low because how misrepresented it was. I was NOT in the mood for something so serious.

If you were saved by Punk Rock as a teenager, this one is for you. It's not only an inspiration for the misfit kids of today but for the burnt out adults who gave up on their dreams to grow up. The dialog is well written, the soundtrack is excellent, and the acting is on point as well. I've seen Alex Wolff in a few movies now and believe he's going to be a huge star. From this role and a previous one, it's easy to see he's a fan of the same bands I've been inspired by over the years. Perhaps he'll start a band and we'll share the stage one day. The House of Tomorrow will go down as one of those coming of age cult classics such as Angus. -Rapid Randy

THE HOUSE Of TOMORROW (2017) 9 out of 10 Albert Stars

Worth seeing! This movie gets your attention and holds it via strengths of good acting and directing, rounded character development, an excellent script, and a fine story arc. It is not really about Buckminster Fuller's architecture, although that figures symbolically as the geodesic dome house-museum in which Ellen Burstyn and her charge live.

Instead, this tale is about two adolescents, one sheltered and played with great restraint and sensitivity by Asa Butterfield; and the other a rebellious, aspiring punk rocker played by Alex Wolff. The sheltered teen is zealously guarded by his granny, played superbly by Ellen Burstyn.

There is a good deal more to the story and many amusements and hijinx. But the main theme is caring - and is it is finely interpreted by the teens and the parental figures. Well done! Only available in selected theaters and via DVD

This film is very under-rated. It is one of the most enjoyable coming of age films I have ever seen. The kids are beyond lovable, the acting is out of this world, and the dead pan satire is spot on. Do people just not understand the complexities of this gem? Sad. Very sad. I loved it. Perhaps that is because I was a child of the 70's who spent summers in MN as a kid, and was a nerd whose brother was in a punk rock band and who took me to various shows in the big city without parental permission. Thus, it was very relatable to me. I got it completely, and it felt like home. For those who say the characters were cliché, unrealistic or one dimensional, I guess you just had to live it. I actually knew someone that was similar to every character in the movie. It was a special place, and a special time. This movie allowed me to re-live it one more time. And for those that thought it wasn't funny, I am guessing you didn't find Nebraska funny either. Midwest humor and its people are often subtle and wholesome, with hints of underlying darkness. I guess not everyone gets it but to me it was perfection.

I really like the casting for this movie. Both Asa Butterfield and Alex Wolff are great choices for the rebellious teens with unique situations that they attempt to overcome. Ellen Burstyn makes an authentic hippie grown old who maintains her antiquated ideals from the 70's. Nick Offerman as the single father of 2 teens who both have been scarred by his son's transplant. It is a tragic comedy that touches a number of age old teen angst topics. Another example of how a modest film with a limited budget can tell a marvelous story and develop characters we can feel real empathy for. The first film I have seen to capture the well intended but misguided Minnesota utopian world I once lived in.