April 26, 2005 - by handwills

David Duchovny's directorial debut, House of D, was shown in Philadelphia Friday April 8, 2005, at the Prince Music Theater, as part of the 2005 Philadelphia Film Festival. My sister and I decided to make the trip to Philly, this was the first time I had ever attended anything of this nature. I was so excited as we stood in line at the sold out screening. I kept thinking, "Not only am I in line in Center City Philadelphia to see a movie, but I am only moments away from actually seeing David Duchovny in person." I could hardly contain myself. As the evening progressed, I was not disappointed.

The PG-13 Comedy/Drama, which ran 97 minutes, is a funny, yet sentimental look at the coming of age of 13 year old Tommy Warshaw (Anton Yelchin). It is set in the 70's, and with the help of Pappas (Robin Williams) and a prostitute (Erykah Badu), an inmate of the local House of Detention, Tommy "grows up" as he deals with profound changes in his life. The story was told in flashback by adult Tommy, who was played by David Duchovny.

I found the movie to be good - humorous and funny at times, but also touching and very sad. Some scenes were very memorable to me: the basketball scene between Tommy and his mom, the dance teaching scene between the prostitute and Tommy, and Tommy and Melissa at the dance. The performances of Anton Yelchin, Tea Leone, Erykah Badu, and Frank Langella were strong, I esp liked Zelda Williams, who played Tommy's love interest, Melissa. The scenes between Tommy and Melissa were very sweet and compelling, I thought she was just very straightforward.

House of D brought back a nostalgic time for me of growing up in the 70's as a teenager (my age is showing). I particularly liked the use of the flip book throughout, and the ending gave me such a nice feeling what more can you ask for in a movie?

Sure, there were flaws, but overall it was very good, esp considering the small independent nature of the film. Even though I am a long time DD fan, I do recommend this movie highly. With all that Hollywood has thrown at us lately, everything being so BIG, this small film is like a breath of fresh air.(Pardon the cliché!) I think it is well worth the price of admission, and definitely worth seeing again, and again, and again ...