Our House

What a heartwarming movie. It's been a long time since a movie touched me enough to make me cry, and this one did. I've always loved Doris Roberts. She sent me her autographed photo last year after I wrote her to compliment her biography and ask for confirmation for a recipe in her book. She really makes this movie. I didn't see how the plot could possibly overcome the conflict but in a little twist, everything was set right in a bittersweet ending. A bit of a fairy tale in having someone take in all these warm and wonderful homeless people but don't we need a fairy tale sometimes to carry us through? You can't miss with this one if you crave something beyond the usual murder and crime scene analysis. This has none of that overworked theme. I wish there was a book but eureka, it seems to be an original screenplay. Bravo to Michael Lach.

Heart-broken widower Ruth (Doris Roberts) lives alone in her big Beverly Hills house. She rejects help from her adult kids. She almost ODs and stumbles into the street. Homeless Billy (Judy Reyes) saves her but she gets arrested instead. Ruth refuses to file charges and starts insinuating into her life. Soon, her home is full of the homeless. Her daughter and neighbors are not so happy.

The problem starts with Billy running away from the cops. It would be more compelling for Billy to not run away. There are lots of little flaws which take away the power of this feel-good drama. Dallas' drug problem could be done with a darker edge. Her problem could be tied more closely with the son's problem. Once the legal issue arises, the lawyer daughter would be the obvious choice. Even if Ruth rejects her help, she should be muscling in on the case. Quite frankly, this movie is too nice and easy about the homeless problem. This is a white savior movie. In order to alleviate that, it has dwell more on her initial suicidal problem. In the end, this movie is too nice to dwell on that.

This movie was so amazing on so many levels, the chemistry, the story, the love, the message. I have not enjoyed a movie in a very long time as much as this one. Unfortunately, there was no splashy advertising for it, everyone should see this. Doris Roberts just shines!