A Home at the End of the World

"Remember your very best friend in high school, the one who knew… and kept… all your secrets? Bobby and Jonathan, who shared that kind of friendship, meet again as adults in New York. Sparked by their relationship with free-spirited Clare, they forge a loving unit that redefines 'family'. Colin Farrell, Robin Wright Penn, Sissy Spacek and Dallas Roberts star in this lyrical film that's both a celebration of commitment and a music - and memory-driven portrait of America in the '70s and '80s. Adapted by Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Cunningham from his own novel, 'A Home at the End of the World' strikes close to home as an adventure as big as life itself: risky, surprising, sexually charged and real," according to sleeve scribers...

That description, while not entirely inaccurate, hints at how "A Home at the End of the World" fails to achieve its full potential. The film isn't altogether a "memory-driven portrait" of family and music over the decades covered; indeed, it is a portrait of an unconventional family unit, but that should have remained secondary. At heart, this is a love (the kind including a sexual attraction) story between the Bobby and Jonathan characters, possibly deemphasized to make it more palatable. The focus unravels, especially after Mr. Farrell's adult Bobby take over the action. The film draws its fault line by losing touch with the central relationship, and Farrell's characterization goes off course. Freed-from-the-wig Colin Farrell and Dallas Roberts could have recorded a hit version of "Look Out, Cleveland" with The Band backing...

The casting is excellent, with Erik Smith and Harris Allan especially winning as the teenage Bobby and Jonathan; they blend perfectly with the grown-up Farrell and Mr. Roberts. Note that criticisms of Farrell in the lead role are of characterization, not acting. Smith's Bobby was played as a self-assured and sexual adventurous young man, but Farrell's Bobby is suddenly an asexual puppy dog; something is missing. We begin with an uncommonly artistic story, from Mr. Cunningham's novel. Cunningham worked on the film; a double edged sword, for it reveals not only tantalizing bits of his artistic vision, but also invites criticism regarding its execution. The fine original story is still evident on film, and some cinematic moments give the material emotional strength...

A highlight occurs when Smith and Allan become "brothers" by exchanging jackets; most importantly, the jacket worn by Bobby belonged to his brother, and he symbolically replaces Carlton (a sexually-charged Ryan Donowho) with Jonathan. This is a circular story. Note we begin with "Bobby" walking in on his brother having sex with a young woman (on top); this scene is recalled when he walks in on his replacement brother, again with a woman (on top). In both instances, Bobby winds up in bed with brother. There is no evidence of incest, but the opening brother/brother relationship appears extremely intimate, as does the later relationship between Bobby and replacement "mother" Alice (an easily potted Sissy Spacek). This story is about replacing lost love. We end with a full circle...

******* A Home at the End of the World (6/9/04) Michael Mayer ~ Colin Farrell, Dallas Roberts, Robin Wright, Sissy Spacek

Clare loves Jonathan, who loves Bobby who..., well, loves everybody. Bobby is either straight or homosexual or bisexual or asexual, depending on where you are in the movie. A HOME AT THE END OF THE WORLD is a relationship movie wherein everything hinges on the relationships, but those relationships remain strangely ill-defined.

Achingly sincere, A HOME AT THE END OF THE WORLD strives for an easygoing reality, not fully appreciating that easygoing can also mean meandering. To its credit we are never sure where the film is going to take us, but to its detriment, the film doesn't seem to know either. The film relies on JULES AND JIM math -- one guy plus one guy divided by one girl equals melodrama -- as a way of exploring the changing social landscape of America from the laid back sex-drugs-and-rock'n'roll sixties to the early days of the AIDS epidemic. It covers a lot of ground, yet doesn't seem to really go anywhere.

The best part of the film is the beginning, before most of the main stars even make an appearance. Set in Cleveland, first in 1967 and then in 1974, the film has some gentle fun looking at suburban attempts at being mod and trendy, while romanticizing drug use and rock music. These are little Bobby Morrow's formative years, where one by one he tragically looses members of his family, leaving him an orphan by age 14. He befriends nerdy Jonathan Glover in high school and ultimately becomes part of the Glover family, whom he seduces with his genuine charm, gentle optimism and an apparently always ready supply of marijuana. It is also where Bobby and Jonathan begin exploring their sexuality. Even with it's discomforting approval of casual drug use, this is where the film is most successful, in the way it deals in an honest and intelligent way with blossoming sexuality and the awkwardness of being a gay teenager.

The film really deals with original ideas in these early stages, but that is just meant to be a foreshadowing of the main storyline, which, unfortunately tends to be rather trite and clichéd.

The bulk of the story takes place in 1984 and thereafter, as the adult Bobby (Colin Farrell) heads to New York to live with Jonathan (Dallas Roberts), who is now more or less openly gay. Jonathan is living with Clare (Robin Wright Penn), a gay guy's gal pal (i.e., fag hag) who is your standard New York City kook, complete with punkish magenta hair, crazy clothes and unconventional ideas that don't seem all that unconventional anymore. Clare loves Jonathan and wants to have his child, but she seduces and becomes pregnant by Bobby, who we suddenly are expected to believe isn't gay at all. The three continue to live together as something more than roommates, but something less than a marriage. And the film sorta-kinda explores the nature of this three-way union.

As a result we get three, or at least two intriguing characters who get lost in a story bereft of a dramatic point. And a perfectly good gay love story becomes an unconvincing a love triangle, where each member ends up playing odd-person-out at some point.

The most troublesome part of the story is that the character of Clare even exists. Clare's main function is to keep Jonathan and Bobby apart as lovers, even as her pregnancy is a gimmick designed to keep them together as family. And though the film is pro-gay on the surface, there is the suggestion that Clare has somehow cured Bobby's homosexuality and the added insinuation that Clare and Jonathan could both find true love if only he didn't have that darn quirk of wanting to sleep with guys. This is a gay love story which wants to avoid being a gay love story. Also, Robin Wright Penn is just not an interesting enough actress to bring any pizzazz to the stereotypical role of a bohemian kook and offers little reason to see why both Bobby and Jonathan are devoted to her. The character itself is a nuisance. Clare exists as a beard, a plot contrivance designed to turn a gay love story into a straight love story.

The main character, however, is Bobby and Farrell does a fine job playing him as a repressed man-child. There is no trace of the bravado that has made up Farrell's on-screen and off-screen reputation, only a gentle sweetness. Unfortunately, this causes an inconsistency in character. As played at age 7 by Andrew Chalmers and at 14 by Erik Smith, Bobby is an open, articulate, engaging free spirit. When Farrell picks up the character at age 24, Bobby has suddenly become repressed, shy and child-like. Even realizing the various hardships that marked Bobby's early life, his sudden display of emotional retardation is jarringly illogical. And though Farrell is good, it is the excellent performance of Smith as the teenaged Bobby that really defines the character.

The best thing about HOME is Dallas Roberts. As the adult Jonathan, he makes the character seem typically gay, without seeming to be stereotypically gay. His Jonathan views Bobby with love and lust as a friend, and with resentment and distrust as an ersatz favored sibling. Roberts embodies the conflicted nature of Jonathan better than Michael Cunningham's screenplay would suggest possible. Also, Sissy Spacek has some fine moments as Jonathan's mother. She is particularly effective in a scene where Mrs. Glover has just discover Jonathan and Bobby in a compromising position. The ensuing scene finds her distraught, not because she realizes that Jonathan is gay, but that know she must accept as fact what she had already suspected. It is poignant moment.

Had A HOME AT THE END OF THE WORLD been made in 1967 or 1974 or even 1984, it might have had an impact. Now, so much of it is, if not cliché, at least ordinary: the supersensitive gay man in love with a straight man; the flower child/mother hen/earth mother with a penchant for gay men, the alternative family unit, the odds and ends bits of feminist dissatisfaction and even the climatic special guest appearance by AIDS. The story's one original element is the naive (yet controlling), gay (yet straight), passive (yet dominating), eager to please (yet vaguely self-centered) Bobby, but the film shies away from either exploring or challenging the character. Indeed, the filmmakers even made a point of editing out a shot of Farrell's full frontal nudity; likewise they edited out his sexuality which is the linchpin of all the relationships. They don't want to reveal too much of the character and in the end they reveal too little.

"A Home at the End of the World" is a film well done. Sissy Spacek is well cast as the mother, Alice Glover. Dallas Roberts plays a convincing role as her son, Jonathan Glover. Colin Farrell plays Bobby Morrow as a young man, and he is truly the star of this unusual picture. His life as a child is portrayed by Erik Smith, and he too is convincing in his child actor performance. The rare relationship in this movie is unique in this film. The story is compelling even if it is a little difficult to meld into our society's attitudes. This film is a good topic to observe in view of the current legal changes in marriage concepts. The music is inspiring and the photography is well done. There is an expected ending that remains with one long after the show is over. It is now in DVD, and it is a good movie to see.

My sons & I saw the very first 2:30PM show Friday the 23rd at the San Francisco Lumiere theater. WE LOVED IT!! All the reviews are fairly sound-- great awesome wonderful sweet emotional very very touching & full of longing & love. Colin as Bobby was spectacularly adorable. This role shows so well how versatile Colin is an an actor-- what a talented genius he is and what a fully emotional person he's capable of being.

All the actors did an incredible job-- but in particular I was really impressed with the teens that played the young Bobby & Jonathan-- they were absolutely genuine in what these really complicated, mature roles.

Regardless of the necessary changes made from the book-- I was amazed at how so many moments were exactly as I'd pictured them when I read it.

Even though there's been a ton of reviews & the book to read-- there are some totally cute hysterical & goofy moments that knocked me out of my seat & completely surprised me.

And-- the one altered scene-- I'm thankful they changed it-- that scene without any irrelevant controversial distractions is an Oscar winner if I ever saw one-- completely beautiful & traumatic & sweet & loving. I don't want anything to stand in the way of the characters & what they care about there-- & if I'd been in a room of screaming fans I would have been annoyed for having anything interrupt those beautiful moments during the film-- though I wouldn't kick the deleted scene out of bed if it shows up on the DVD!

Saturday the 24th I saw it again. They're giving away Home books & CDs as raffle prizes, & though I wasn't lucky enough to win-- I was lucky to get a book anyway. One of the guys that won the CD/book set gave me his book because he already had one. It has the Home poster on the cover!

Everyone was filling out pink questionnaires for the film-- One of the guys collecting them said they had about 200 responses from the previous showings, & of those nearly everyone rated the film as excellent. Only 9 of that 200 rated it fair & only 2 poor (2 bastards!)

Colin's got some incredibly powerful moments in this film, and though I'm a fan of his anyway, I was happily blown away with how loving he is as Bobby. It's glorious to watch. I'm highly impressed with the whole film-- all the acting from everyone. It's a very emotional, poignant, & profound story.

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I'm not sure if I just saw the same movie as some of the other reviewers on here. I would include this film as one of the best of 2004 (so far) along with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Garden State, Spartan, and Kill Bill Vol 2. Colin Farrell's character, Bobby Morrow is one of the most fascinating people I've seen in the movies for some time. I hope his performance (and this film) are given the recognition they deserve. The rest of the performances are excellent as well. The screenplay and the direction are also very good, too. The story isn't something that we haven't seen on film before, but the characters and the way the film unfolds isn't your standard fare. Don't listen to the detractors, see this film.