House of D (2004)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

David Duchovny

Writer:

David Duchovny (written by)

Release Date:

23 September 2005 (Turkey)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

See the world a little differently.

Plot:

By working through problems stemming from his past, Tom Warshaw, an American artist living in Paris, begins to discover who he really is, and returns to his home to reconcile with his family and friends. |

Plot Keywords:

Artist | Paris | Theft | Expulsion | Matricide

Cast

Anton Yelchin	...	Tommy
Robin Williams	...	Pappass
Téa Leoni	...	Mrs. Warshaw
Erykah Badu	...	Lady / Bernadette
David Duchovny	...	Tom Warshaw
Frank Langella	...	Reverand Duncan
Zelda Williams	...	Melissa
Magali Amadei	...	Coralie Warshaw
Olga Sosnovska	...	Simone
Orlando Jones	...	Superfly
Bernie Sheredy	...	Sasha (as Bernard Sheredy)
Stephen Spinella	...	Ticket Seller
Alice Drummond	...	Mrs. Brevoort
Harold Cartier	...	Odell Warshaw
Mark Margolis	...	Mr. Pappass

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sexual and drug references, thematic elements and language.

Runtime:

USA:96 min (Tribeca Film Festival) | USA:97 min | Argentina:97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Finland:K-11 | Brazil:12 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #40700) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Argentina:13 | South Korea:12 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Bob Yari Productions

Trivia:

David Duchovny claims to have written the screenplay in six days.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When Tom and Pappas are in the cab as Tom is heading for the airport in 1973, there are at least two current model cars in the background.

Quotes:

Katherine Warshaw: Go on. Run away just like your father.
Tommy Warshaw: He didn't run away, Mom. He died.

Movie Connections:

References "Soul Train" (1971)

Soundtrack:

China Grove

A well-told, heartfelt story

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. :-)