Susan Granger’s review of “House of D” (Lions Fate Films)
One of the perks of fame today is the vanity production. So it’s understandable how “X-Files” star David Duchovny was able to finance this self-indulgent writing/directing debut feature. This coming-of-age story opens with Tom Warsaw, a 43 year-old illustrator living in Paris with a French wife and 13 year-old son. As his marriage is flounders, there’s a flashback to his youth. As a 13 year-old, Tommy (Anton Yelchin) had to cope with his father’s death, his chain-smoking depressed mother (Tea Leoni), the awkwardness of his first parochial school crush (Zelda Williams, real-life daughter of Robin), mischief and the strain of a long friendship. As his mentors, he chose a mentally challenged janitor/deliveryman (Robin Williams) and a sassy, heart-of-gold hooker (Erykah Badu) incarcerated in a Women’s House of Detention. The literacy of Duchovny’s screenplay isn’t surprising since he holds a masters degree in English literature from Yale. And he draws on his own Greenwich Village background for the concept, recalling how he used to hang out with friends near a women’s detention center in lower Manhattan, nicknamed “House of D.” He was fascinated by the women in the detention center who, even while jailed, were able to chat openly with passersby from their cell windows. While cinematographer Michael Chapman and costume designer Ellen Lutter admirably re-create the ’70s era, the maudlin, formulaic story, unfortunately, is riddled with trite clichŽs and utterly, profoundly predictable. Perhaps a more experienced director would have helped the novice writer overcome these obstacles, perhaps plumbing for more poignancy. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “House of D” is a faltering 4. Best to wait for the video/DVD.
