DUCHOVNY BARES HIS SOUL IN CHILDHOOD PAEAN 'HOUSE OF D'.Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic `HOUSE OF D,'' David Duchovny's overstuffed o·ver·stuff tr.v. o·ver·stuffed, o·ver·stuff·ing, over·stuffs 1. To stuff too much into: overstuff a suitcase. 2. To upholster (an armchair, for example) deeply and thickly. , 1970s-era, coming-of-age saga, has cancer, a drug overdose Drug Overdose Definition A drug overdose is the accidental or intentional use of a drug or medicine in an amount that is higher than is normally used. , euthanasia, Robin Williams self-consciously playing a ``retard,'' and enough platitudes to fill the next dozen Mitch Albom Mitchell David Albom (born May 23, 1958 in Passaic, New Jersey) is a U.S. novelist and newspaper columnist for the Detroit Free Press, radio host, and TV commentator. He is a graduate of Akiba Hebrew Academy, Brandeis University, and Columbia University. books. It's as if someone told Duchovny he could only write and direct one movie in his lifetime, so he'd better cram it full with every contrivance he could possibly imagine. But then, based on the miserable results, ``House of D'' will be Duchovny's only shot. And that's the one blessing to come from this mess. Showing considerably more discipline behind the camera than on the page, Duchovny and his skilled creative team (thanks to Michael Chapman's photography and Lester Cohen's production design, the movie is at least always visually engaging) clearly have an affinity for the material and milieu. Duchovny grew up in the East Village and apparently, just like the movie's 13-year-old protagonist, used to pass the time of day talking to Noun 1. talking to - a lengthy rebuke; "a good lecture was my father's idea of discipline"; "the teacher gave him a talking to" lecture, speech rebuke, reprehension, reprimand, reproof, reproval - an act or expression of criticism and censure; "he had to soul sisters at the Women's House of Detention. Unfortunately, Duchovny takes that real anecdote and twists it into something absurd, having young Tommy (Anton Yelchin) learn the ways of the world from the wise, incarcerated incarcerated /in·car·cer·at·ed/ (in-kahr´ser-at?ed) imprisoned; constricted; subjected to incarceration. in·car·cer·at·ed adj. Confined or trapped, as a hernia. Lady (Erykah Badu), a woman equally adept at dispensing hard truths and singing Allman Brothers hits. Lady gives Tommy a maternal figure, since his own widowed mother (Tea Leoni) is barely functioning. Tommy and his mom are also engaged in a strange, underdeveloped Freudian dance, made all the weirder by Duchovny's casting of his wife, Leoni, in the role. Lady isn't Tommy's sole source of the world's accumulated wisdom. There's also the school janitor, the unfortunately named Pappass (Williams), whose mental afflictions seem to come and go. Here's a man prepossessed enough to solemnly offer bits of Chauncey Gardiner-type sagacity sa·gac·i·ty n. The quality of being discerning, sound in judgment, and farsighted; wisdom. [French sagacité, from Old French sagacite, from Latin , only to announce to Tommy's sweet girlfriend (played by Williams' daughter, Zelda), ``I have a huge penis!'' Holy Fool, Batman! ``House of D'' is framed by the older Tommy (Duchovny), now an emotionally constipated con·sti·pat·ed adj. Suffering from constipation. artist living in Paris with a wife and 13-year-old son of his own, unburdening himself of his youthful secrets. The wife (Magali Amadei Magali Amadei, is a French fashion model living in New York City. She was featured regularly during the 90's on the covers of Vogue, ELLE, and Marie Claire, as well as several other top magazines with global distribution. ) tells him to go home and make peace, and it's here the film feels most artificial and labored - and not just because of the several pounds of makeup applied to Williams' face. The young Yelchin gives the movie some semblance of soulfulness. There's a beautifully realized stretch that takes place at a school dance, Yelchin making like Tony Manero with training wheels training wheels pl.n. A pair of small wheels attached to the rear axle of a bicycle so that beginning riders can ride without falling over. while a classmate plaintively plain·tive adj. Expressing sorrow; mournful or melancholy. [Middle English plaintif, from Old French, aggrieved, lamenting, from plaint, complaint; see plaint. shouts for the DJ to play ``Sabbath!'' It's the one scene in ``House of D'' that rings true, suggesting that Duchovny does have an eye for detail. If only he possessed some measure of restraint. Glenn Whipp, (818) 713-3672 glenn.whipp(at)dailynews.com HOUSE OF D - One and one half stars (PG-13: sexual and drug references, thematic elements, language) Starring: Anton Yelchin, Tea Leoni, David Duchovny, Robin Williams. Director: David Duchovny. Running time: 1 hr. 37 min. Playing: Pacific's The Grove 14 in Los Angeles. In a nutshell: The ``D'' stands for ``disaster.'' CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Robin Williams, left, portrays a school janitor in this scene with his real-life daughter Zelda Williams and Anton Yelchin, the latter two a teenage couple in ``House of D.'' |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion