Life as a House
2001 · Movie · R · 125 min · ★ 7.1 · 46% critics
After learning he’s seriously ill, a man takes in his angry, troubled teenage son for the summer and tries to rebuild their strained relationship. As they work together on a major home project, old wounds, bad habits, and family tensions surface—along with small moments of honesty, humor, and hard-earned connection.
Also known as La Maison Sur La Falaise
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Details
- Years
- 2001
- Release date
- 2001-10-25
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 125 min
- Critic score
- 46/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.1/10 (451 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a heartfelt, sometimes funny family drama about second chances and rebuilding trust, with plenty of tearjerker moments; Not for you if you dislike heavy themes, drugs, or soapier subplots like in Stepmom or The Breakfast Club.
Pros: powerful father-son drama; emotional, memorable moments; strong lead performances | Cons: overly sentimental at times; messy side plots; uneven tone and pacing
Themes
- california
- parent child relationship
- house
- cancer
- juvenile delinquent
- drugs
- divorce
- family
- fired from the job
- second chance
- ex-wife
- unemployment
- +2 more
Cast & crew
Kevin Kline
as George Monroe
Hayden Christensen
as Sam Monroe
Kristin Scott Thomas
as Robin Kimball
Jena Malone
as Alyssa Beck
Mary Steenburgen
as Colleen Beck
Ian Somerhalder
as Josh
Jamey Sheridan
as Peter Kimball
Scott Bakula
as Officer Kurt Walker
Sandra Nelson
as Nurse
Sam Robards
as David Dokos
Directed by Irwin Winkler