Life as a House
"Home is where one starts from." - T.S. Eliot
Life as a House is the poignant, often humorous journey of one man who decides to tear down his house - and winds up rebuilding the world around him. From the day he picks up his sledgehammer, George Monroe embarks on a grand adventure that will shatter expectations and build a foundation for many different dreams among his family and neighbors.
Academy Award-winner Kevin Kline stars as architect George Monroe, who has had a lifelong ambition to achieve one of the great American Dreams: to build his own home, a refuge set on a cliff at the edge of the sea. But it's a dream that George has put off again and again while he's sunk lower and lower - ending up divorced, overworked, and estranged not only from friends and family, but from himself.
Now George has hit rock bottom and there's nowhere left to go...except out onto the edge. At first, his plans seem wild-eyed and crazy. His cul-de-sac neighbors despise his sagging, dilapidated shack. His teen-aged son (Hayden Christensen) would rather stare into space and pop pills than raise a finger to help him. His ex-wife (Kristin Scott Thomas), who once shared his house and his dream, is now emotionally distant from him. Local city officials want to sabotage his plans. It seems there is no one left with any faith in him.
But George is determined to build this house - even if it means refurbishing his entire life. He begins the project alone, but soon attracts a disparate group of people - from the next-door neighbor's sexy young daughter to his ex-wife's kids from a new marriage - to his scheme. What begins as a way for George to redeem his own bruised dreams turns into something much bigger than he ever imagined - and something far stronger than just a shelter.
New Line Cinema presents Life as a House, directed by Irwin Winkler from an original screenplay by Mark Andrus (co-writer of As Good as it Gets). The film stars an ensemble cast that features Kevin Kline, Kristin Scott Thomas, Hayden Christensen, Mary Steenburgen, Jena Malone, Jamey Sheridan, Sam Robards, and Scott Bakula. Life as a House is produced by Winkler and Rob Cowan. The executive producers are Brian Frankish, Lynn Harris and Michael De Luca.
New Line Cinema releases Life as a House (rated R by the MPAA for "language, sexuality and drug content") in select cities on October 26, 2001. The film will expand on November 9, 2001.
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