It was the title that first intrigued me. What could this be about? I had never heard of it. Then I noticed that it starred Kevin Kline. With a title like that and Kline as the star I thought it was perhaps a comedy. I started watching it without really knowing what to expect. It was not what I had expected, and I was not disappointed. This was a superb drama, with Kline playing a man who has one last chance to reconnect with those he loves, and especially with his teenage son Sam (Hayden Christensen), who has become rebellious and disrespectful and drug addicted and who is tempted to spend his summer as a male prostitute to make some "easy" money.
The story revolves around George's decision to tear down his old shack and to build a beautiful new house. He enlists (commands?) Sam's help for the project, and we watch as the house (and the relationship) begins to take shape. The journey toward reconciliation in this family is captivating. Kline was absolutely outstanding as George, in what must have been one of his finest acting performances, and one of the best I've seen in a long time. Christensen was almost as good as Sam. The movie also has a strong supporting cast to help out, with folks like Kristin Scott Thomas, Mary Steenburgen, Jena Malone and Scott Bakula all adding to the story.
I found the very beginning of the movie just a bit hard to get into for some reason, but once I was into it I was absolutely hooked. There are times of joy and times of sadness, and the theme of reconciliation running through the whole movie (and dealing not just with the relationship between George and Sam but with various broken relationships) is a powerful one. This was a very, very pleasant surprise.
9/10
The story revolves around George's decision to tear down his old shack and to build a beautiful new house. He enlists (commands?) Sam's help for the project, and we watch as the house (and the relationship) begins to take shape. The journey toward reconciliation in this family is captivating. Kline was absolutely outstanding as George, in what must have been one of his finest acting performances, and one of the best I've seen in a long time. Christensen was almost as good as Sam. The movie also has a strong supporting cast to help out, with folks like Kristin Scott Thomas, Mary Steenburgen, Jena Malone and Scott Bakula all adding to the story.
I found the very beginning of the movie just a bit hard to get into for some reason, but once I was into it I was absolutely hooked. There are times of joy and times of sadness, and the theme of reconciliation running through the whole movie (and dealing not just with the relationship between George and Sam but with various broken relationships) is a powerful one. This was a very, very pleasant surprise.
9/10