When a man is diagnosed with terminal cancer, he takes custody of his misanthropic teenage son, for whom quality time means getting high, engaging in small-time prostitution, and avoiding his father.
House may suffer from excessive and unnecessary ornamentation, but its foundation -- Kline's performance -- is solid and strong.
– Steven Rosen,
Denver Post,
2 Nov 2001
rotten:
There's a prefab construction to Life as a House that prevents it from acquiring the emotional solidness it needs to stand out.
– Terry Lawson,
Detroit Free Press,
2 Nov 2001
fresh:
Life as a House reaches easily past all your intellectual and emotional barriers, back into that spot behind your heart, where the levers that release tears are stored.
– Eli Sanders,
Seattle Times,
2 Nov 2001
fresh:
The movie gets us to feel about the characters, their relationships, and their circumstances, and that goes a long way towards allowing us to forgive the screenplays' occasional mis-steps and wrong turns.
– James Berardinelli,
ReelViews,
27 Nov 2001
rotten:
Gauged strictly by the gag-factor, a more honest title might be Life as a Basement Apartment with Bad Light and a Dank Smell.