Life As A House (2001)
Life As A House (2001)
George Monroe, a fabricator of architectural models, is fired from the job he has held for twenty years when he refuses to fall into step with his co-workers and use the computer technology available to them. As he exits the building, he collapses on the pavement and is rushed to the hospital, where he is diagnosed with cancer so advanced the doctor feels any treatment would be futile.
Liberated from a job he hated and funded by his severance package, George decides the time has come to demolish the ramshackle home left to him by his father and replace it with a house more in keeping with the ambiance of his upscale neighborhood. He decides to enlist the aid of his son, angst-ridden and self-loathing Sam, a rebellious, pill-popping, glue-sniffing teenager with blue hair, heavy makeup, and a number of piercings in his ears and under his mouth. The young man is a slacker who has alienated his stepfather Peter and caused untold grief for his mother Robin, who increasingly finds herself unable to cope with the boy’s moods. Very much against his will, Sam must spend the summer with George, who has opted not to reveal his condition, and help him with what will be the final project of his life.
