Movie Review

House of D

House of D is the writing and directing debut of David Duchovny, and is a coming-of-age story built around his life. The story starts with middle-aged Tom Warshaw (Duchovny), an American artist who has relocated to France. In a voice-over, he tells us that it is his son?s 13th birthday. As a present, Tom is going to spill the secrets of his past to his wife and son; apparently his constant French-style brooding indicates that he is hiding something. He bicycles back to his European flat and enters a midnight heart-to-heart with his sexy French wife while their son sleeps nearby.

The movie then flashes back to early 1970?s New York City where Tom is 13-years old. His dad died a year earlier, and Tom lives in a small apartment with his mom who is still unable to cope with her husband's untimely death. Tom best friend is a 41-year old mentally retarded man named Pappas (Robin Williams). Tom and Pappas deliver meat for a local butchery and bury their savings under the Women?s House of Detention nearby. This is where the movie gets its name, House of D (lest you thought that D meant David and/or Duchovny). The rest of the movie unfolds from these basic story elements, until at the end it comes back to the present day and Tom brings his life full-circle.

The film has some decent comedy moments, and the story offers some genuine, heartfelt emotion. The relationship between Tom and his mom (Tea Leoni, the real-life wife of David D) tugs at the heartstrings because almost everyone has a mom and would be sad if she was having difficulty getting through life. But this sentiment has a resonance beyond the actual quality of the film, and there isn't more where that came from. Duchovny has defended the sentimentality of the film and says that he doesn't care if people make fun of him for it. He is being true to what he wants to achieve, and that is admirable.

Each of the actors pulls off their role, but there are awkward moments that can be attributed to Duchovny's rookie status as a director. There are some weird facial expressions, and many shots just come off as undercooked. In fact, the movie isn't quite ripe; the good moments can dissolve from your mind quickly once you exit the theater, and especially after a day or two.

This film won't appeal to many moviegoers, as Duchovny clearly made it more for himself than anyone else. I support his goal, but I also think that films should not just be exercises in personal pretentiousness (see my review of Woody Allen?s Melinda and Melinda for further elaboration) - they should have lessons and observations that most people can relate to. House of D tries a little too hard and falls a little too flat, and just wasn?t my cup of tea.

Scott's Grade: C+

A	15.1%
B	59.2%
C	24.5%
D	1.2%
F	0.0%