House of D

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.

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. :-)

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.

If you'd like to see an actor go beyond what's expected in his expression of self, then see this movie. Being that Duchovny not only appears in but wrote "House of d" should lend you to the depth this man carries, far beyond any Mulder personification could have introduced. The movie deals with growing up and the challenges a boy must face beyond the stereotypical expectation of getting laid. This movie challenges the audience to feel safe with being uncomfortable. Robin Williams was wonderful as was the rest of the cast being as honest and true to not only their characters, but to the struggle of being human. I commend David for taking such a risk at being real. Besides that he hasn't lost a beat when it comes to applying his dry wit at exactly the right moment. If you like Upside of Anger or Finding Neverland, this movie is for you.

If you asked me to write down a list of movie cliches some things on my list would include: the wise black sage the white people listen to, the kid with no father and troubled mother, a nostalgic look back at school (prep schools especially), and the mentally retarded person who is actually very wise. All of these old cliches were found in HOUSE OF D, and they lessened my enjoyment of it a great deal. I was able to see the first New York showing of David Duchovny's HOUSE OF D at the Tribeca Film Festival. I was weary of the film because it is Duchovny's first feature and he can run hot and cold as an actor. However after hearing a bit about the plot and knowing Robin Williams was in it I did have high expectations. The never ending barge of cliches, the unbelievablility of several of the events, and the equally cliched and unintelligent performance by Tea Leoni seriously hurt my enjoyment of the film. The story is told by an Tommy, an American artist (Duchovny) who has lived in Paris for the last 15 years, and for the first time is revealing his past to his wife. Until the last ten minutes, we flashback to Tommy's childhood in Greenwich Village, New York. Tommy (now played by the pleasing Anton Yelchin of HEARTS IN ATLANTIS) attends a prep school in the Villiage, works part time for as a meat delivery boy with his fourty year old best friend, the mentally slow Pappass (Williams), and lives with his chain-smoking mother (Leoni). The House of D, of the title, is the Women's House of Detention, a towering building Tommy and Pappass frequently bury their money by. Receiving little advice at home, Tommy listens to the advice of "Lady" (a fine, Erykah Badu), a prisoner there who Tommy cannot evern see. Lady gives Tommy advice on everything including dancing and how to woo a girl he likes. Pappass however doesn't like the fact Tommy has a girlfriends, and sets out to win Tommy back, a decision that bring forth an overly horrific chain of events that include robbery and death. Although he seems annoying at first, Yelchin grows on you, and eventually creates a believeable, likeable youth, who's world varies from fairy tale to horror story. Williams is playing a type of man-child, a role he could play in his sleep. Surprisingly, Williams is quite reserved and stays away from other style Dustin Hoffman in RAIN MAN and Sean Penn in I AM SAM used. At first glance Pappass could seem like a normal 40 year old, he just doesn't function as quickly as most. Although I was very happy with his choices, Williams did not seem to be having much fun with the picture, his character seemed almost too easy to play. The film also featured Frank Langella as the Reverend in charge of the school. Although he was rather funny, Duchovny made the character totally unbelievable and underwritten. Willie Garson, Stephen Spinella, and Orlando Jones all turned in small roles that seemed too small for names and talents of their size. Finally some of the events seemed unlikely, like the first sequence in which Duchovny has an afternoon bike ride in which he seemingly bike rides past the Eifel Tower, Nortre Dame, and several other French landmarks that are no where near each other. The New York setting can also switch from the Village to the upper East side in a mattter of moments. Hopefull David constructs a better script next time and is a little more exact with his direction. The story of a prisoner providing advice and bonding with someone on the outside is very clever, unfortunetly the way it was told recycled so much old material. Rating: ** (out of ****)

HOUSE OF D written & directed by David Duchovny with Anton Yelcin, Robin Williams, Tea Leoni, David Duchovny, Erykah Badu, Frank Langella, and Orlando Jones Photography by Michael Chapman Music by Geoff Zanelli Music Supervised by Hans Zimmer