Have you ever had a time in your life where everything seemed at a dead end? Did it destroy you, or did you claw your way out and learn from it? In Life as a House, George Monroe (Kevin Kline) has let his life slow to a crawl and let his dreams fade away. He is divorced, overworked, and estranged from everyone. But when he hits rock bottom, he discovers that a way to recapture his dreams is to build the house that he has been talking about for 20 years. Slowly, he attracts others to his task, including his ex-wife (Kristin Scott Thomas), his drugged-out 16 year old son (Hayden Christensen), and even his next door neighbor’s teenage daughter (Jena Malone). And along the way, they all begin to mend their own bruised lives.

Director/Producer Irwin Winkler has created many excellent films in his career, including Rocky, The Right Stuff, and GoodFellas. Here, he and screenwriter Mark Andrus (co-writer for As Good As It Gets) have created a tug-at-your-heartstrings drama that is both funny and real. Kevin Kline, best known for A Fish Called Wanda and In and Out, is excellent here, and soon-to-be-Anakin-Skywalker Hayden Christiansen is also superb. The only downside is that the film walks right on the edge of melodrama; and while I thought it barely managed to stay on sure footing, others may feel it plunges over the edge. Perhaps I am partial to films that show people making themselves better and give you something to think about afterward, but isn’t that what life is all about?