House of D (2005)

From my favorite movies..

Charming and brutal

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

Oh dear! I love Robin Williams, but this was by far, his worst film. He did a terrible job with his portrayal of a mentally challenged man. embarrassingly bad.David Duchovny played his flat self. Mediocre at best, more tedious really. The actual story wasn't too bad, especially early on, but I would really avoid the movie for the most part. Very predictable and preachy at times.

I loved this film! The story was gripping, the acting outstanding, and the moral was memorable. I thought I knew all the movies Robin Williams starred in, but this is one that had escaped my notice. This is definitely one that should have done very well at the box office. With moving performances by Anton Yelchin and Robin Williams, this movie also starred Tea Leoni and David Duchovney who also wrote and starred in this film. I do not recall this one ever being shown at any of our local cinemas. In the day and age of Super Heroes and Bond films, sometimes these character-rich story lines do not get the attention they deserve. With last year's Academy Award going to "The Help" I thought maybe there was hope for this type of movie. I wonder why this flick didn't get the commercial attention for it to realize its financial success? With all of the festivals that serve as build up to box office releases, I would have expected this film to be greatly anticipated. Thank you David Duchovney for writing, directing, and acting in such a moving piece. I'm sorry it didn't get the accolades it deserves nor the commercial success. I sure enjoyed it! Keep up the meaningful work! Greg Francis, Noblesville, Indiana.

An American boy goes to Paris after his mother commits suicide, becomes and artist and then discovers himself and returns to the States so he can make things right with his former friends.I have to think that the people who are rating this movie so highly are all X-Files fans, even though there are no aliens or serial killers in it. Don't be fooled, this movie blows chunks.The story is incoherent, with little or no explanation of what people are doing or why. When you do get an explanation, it doesn't fit the story that went before it. What it does is bore you. For all the acting talent in the film, it just isn't interesting. I spent the whole movie wondering when sex-addict Duchovny was going to bang someone. Maybe he was doing it behind the scenes; they should have filmed that instead.What comes across is a story of a self-obsessed artist worrying about minor incidents in his life and wanting to make them right somehow - even though they didn't seem that wrong to begin with. There aren't any particularly interesting or shocking revelations, despite the mention of a big secret in the first few minutes. It's just a guy thinking that his life is as interesting to you as it is to him. It's not.I saw in the trivia that Duchovny claims he wrote the script in a week, that's entirely believable. The guy can act, there's no doubt, but writing and directing are obviously beyond his talents.Why Hollywood keeps greenlighting these self-discovery stories is beyond me. I discover myself in the shower every morning but I don't bother making a movie about it. Mine would probably be better than this one, though; at least there would be some nudity.

A middle-aged American living in Paris re-lives his very difficult, unusual coming of age in early 1970s New York.Interesting that so many critics roasted this film while so many IMDb users sincerely loved it.Funny thing is, I agree with both groups! I concede that the plot is often contrived, the adult-looking-back framework is awkwardly handled, and it stretches credulity that Tommy the teen-aged hero would befriend both a mentally challenged janitor and a woman prisoner sitting in the window of the local jailhouse.And yet...I hung on every word and wept buckets as I haven't done in years. Some of the reasons are personal and subjective: I'm the mom of a precocious boy just a little younger than the hero. I'm the same age as David Ducovny, grew up in NYC and share his nostalgia for a pre-Gentrification NY that was scruffier, more colorful and in some ways more fun than the cleaned-up, ridiculously overpriced city of today.But I also think the critics snubbed a film that really has a lot going for it. Anton Yelchin who plays Tommy the boy is a remarkably gifted and appealing actor; Tea Leoni seemed very real as his widowed mother, a loving woman driven over the edge by difficult circumstances; and though I think Robin Williams is sometimes way over the top, he was very moving as the boy's simple-minded but brave friend. Erykah Badu was another stand-out, soulful and hilarious as Tommy's wise jailhouse pal.All these characters are underdogs, very sympathetic and beautifully portrayed underdogs, and that's why I think this is such an effective tear-jerker if not a great work of art.