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Life as a House

Life as a House

Drama · 2001

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.

Movie details

Life as a House

“Seen from a distance, it's perfect.”

2001 Drama 2h 5m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.1 / 10

Community rating

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.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Life as a House?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

House of Sand and Fog

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Kramer vs. Kramer

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The Thing with Feathers

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Irwin Winkler

Written by

Mark Andrus

Kevin Kline

Kevin Kline

George Monroe

Hayden Christensen

Hayden Christensen

Sam Monroe

Kristin Scott Thomas

Kristin Scott Thomas

Robin Kimball

Jena Malone

Jena Malone

Alyssa Beck

Mary Steenburgen

Mary Steenburgen

Colleen Beck

Ian Somerhalder

Ian Somerhalder

Josh

Jamey Sheridan

Jamey Sheridan

Peter Kimball

Court is in session

Put Life as a House on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.