The Architect

I saw The Architect at the Tribeca Film festival earlier this year, and it has really stuck with me. It's one of those movies that asks tough questions about difficult issues like race, sexual identity and economic justice, and leaves room for the viewer to form their own opinions. Unlike the movie Crash, which deals with many of the same themes, there are no spoon fed answers in this film. Instead of one dimensional characters the Architect brings to life some complex and flawed individuals, and shows us their struggles to find the right path. Some really strong performances here, especially from Viola Davis. If you get a chance to see it, I highly recommend it.

I just saw this film last night at the Denver Film Festival and didn't think it was very good. From what I have read about the original play, that sounds like it would have been the better version to see. The dialog in this film did not sound real to me. The characters were not developed. I didn't understand why the mother was so unhappy. I couldn't believe, or have sympathy for, the daughter's choices. I didn't buy the relationship between the black boy and the white boy at all. The part of the story about black woman's family was more believable but still not explored enough. Also, I think most Chicagoans will have trouble with the veracity of some of the scenes. I lived all my life in Chicago until two years ago and, I'm sorry, white teenagers do not hang out in the projects. Nor do their white fathers go there at night and hang around on roof tops smoking cigarettes.

Given the themes of this movie, it is particularly sad that it is such a boring and plodding exercise in poor film-making. The cast seems either drugged or not drugged enough, with the exceptions of Paul James as Shawn and Walton Goggins as Joe, who seemed to be breathing at least. The staging and lighting were horrific. The make-up and wardrobe were worse. The writing was stilted and paced for a depressed tortoise. Anthony LaPaglia did not seem the same actor who has done so many good roles. Isabella Rossellini appeared to have been injected with Botox and walked/talked like a robot. The soundtrack was the most annoying thing about the film. It was like Philip Glass on downers at the piano. Fingernails on a chalk board. Perhaps the portrayal of a really broken down housing project in a big city was accurate. But it seems quite pathetic that that element was the redeeming part of the movie, doesn't it? Glancing references are made to insanity, incest, child molestation, and homophobic rape. As in "Oh, by the way...." The DVD I watched had an interview with the writer/director who proudly spoke of the embellishments he made to the original play. It's scary to think he thought the movie was better than the original play.

I initially saw this movie for Sebastian Stan but after watching it, it felt like it was more than that. All characters have deep struggles, and some try to help themselves, while some don't and in real life, that's how it works. Some people just sit their on the couch and waste their life while the other would try to help them self and others. I would highly recommend this movie.

Depressing and meaningless pap. It is like one of those French movies where you are supposed to just know that life is meaningless, hopeless and futile without having to say why. I mean, we all just know that it is all hopeless, right?

The whole concept of an architect of some buildings being responsible for how the people there act later was also very weak.

All of the characters are unlikeable except the daughter, who is also a very depressing character as well. As we join them, all is lost emotionally for everyone, and we are never really told why. The characters just do not come across as being real, no one is that totally depressed and without some joy or some positivity in life whatsoever.

Stupid movie, Crash was ten times better than this useless movie.