A Home at the End of the World (film)
| A Home at the End of the World | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Michael Mayer |
| Screenplay by | Michael Cunningham |
| Based on | A Home at the End of the World by Michael Cunningham |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Enrique Chediak |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Duncan Sheik |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Warner Independent Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 96 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $6.5 million |
| Box office | $1.5 million |
A Home at the End of the World is a 2004 American
Plot synopsis
Bobby Morrow's life in
Although Jonathan is openly gay and highly promiscuous, he is deeply committed to Clare and the two have tentatively planned to have a baby. Clare seduces and starts a relationship with Bobby, and she eventually becomes pregnant by him. Their romance occasionally is disrupted by sparks of jealousy between the two men until Jonathan, tired of being the third wheel, disappears without warning. He re-enters their lives when his father Ned dies and Bobby and Clare travel to Phoenix, Arizona for the services. The three take Ned's car back east with them, and they impulsively decide to buy a house near Woodstock, New York, where Bobby and Jonathan open and operate a cafe while Clare raises her daughter.
Jonathan discovers what appears to be a
Cast
- Colin Farrell as Bobby Morrow
- Erik Scott Smith as young Bobby
- Dallas Roberts as Jonathan Glover
- Harris Allan as young Jonathan
- Robin Wright Pennas Clare
- Sissy Spacek as Alice Glover
- Matt Frewer as Ned Glover
- Wendy Crewson as Isabel Morrow
- Ryan Donowho as Carlton Morrow
- Asia Vieira as Emily
Production
The film was shot on location in New York City, Phoenix, and Schomberg and Toronto in Ontario, Canada.
The film premiered at the
Reception
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 50% based on 116 reviews, and an average rating of 5.76/10.[2] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 59 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[3]
A.O. Scott of The New York Times observed, "As a novelist Mr. Cunningham can carry elusive, complex emotions on the current of his lovely, intelligent prose. A screenwriter, though, is more tightly bound to conventions of chronology and perspective, and in parceling his story into discrete scenes, Mr. Cunningham has turned a delicate novel into a bland and clumsy film . . . so thoroughly decent in its intentions and so tactful in its methods that people are likely to persuade themselves that it's better than it is, which is not very good . . . The actors do what they can to import some of the texture of life into a project that is overly preoccupied with the idea of life, but the mannered self-consciousness of the script and the direction keeps flattening them into types."[4]
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3 and ½ stars out of four and wrote, "The movie exists outside our expectations for such stories. Nothing about it is conventional. The three-member household is puzzling not only to us, but to its members. We expect conflict, resolution, an ending happy or sad, but what we get is mostly life, muddling through . . . Colin Farrell is astonishing in the movie, not least because the character is such a departure from everything he has done before."[5]
Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle stated, "What we have here . . . is a movie about a friendship and about the changing nature of families. We also have a movie about what it was like to be a child in the late 1960s, a teenager in the mid-1970s and a young adult in the early 1980s. In these aspects, the film is sensitive, sociologically accurate and emotionally true. But the picture is also the story of one character in particular, Bobby, and when it comes to Bobby, A Home at the End of the World is sappy and bogus." He added, "Farrell is not the first actor anyone would cast as an innocent, and he seems to know that and is keen on making good. His speech is tentative but true. His eyes are darting but soulful. The effort is there, but it's a performance you end up rooting for rather than enjoying, because there's no way to just relax and watch."[6]
Peter Travers of Rolling Stone awarded the film three out of four stars, calling it "funny and heartfelt" and "a small treasure." He added, "Farrell's astutely judged portrayal . . . is a career highlight" and "Stage director Michael Mayer (Side Man) makes a striking debut in film."[7]
David Rooney of Variety called the film "emotionally rich drama" "driven by soulful performances." He added, "Strong word of mouth could help elevate this touching film beyond its core audience of gay men and admirers of the book."[8]
Awards and nominations
The film was cited for Excellence in Filmmaking by the
See also
- List of lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender-related films by storyline
References
- ^ "A Home at the End of the World". Box Office Mojo.
- Fandango Media. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
- CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
- ^ Scott, A.O. (July 23, 2004). "FILM REVIEW; How a Big Brother's Sexuality and Death Lead to a Romantic Triangle". The New York Times. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (July 30, 2004). "A Home at the End of the World". RogerEbert.com. Ebert Digital LLC. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
- ^ LaSalle, Mick (July 23, 2004). "Teen makes himself some families / Farrell, Spacek, Wright Penn bring home the goods". San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst Communications. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
- ^ Travers, Peter (July 23, 2004). "A Home at the End of the World". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
- Penske Business Media. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
