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| Courtesy of Shout! |
The narrative revolves around Sebastian (Asa Butterfield), a 16-year-old who has lived an exceedingly sheltered life being raised by his Nana (Ellen Burstyn) in their home – a geodesic dome that doubles as a tourist attraction. However, when Nana suffers a stroke, Sebastian begins to spend a lot of time with Jared (Alex Wolff), a rebellious, punk-obsessed 16-year-old who recently had a heart transplant.
As he gets to know Jared and his family – including his awkward youth minister dad (Nick Offerman) and his brooding sister (Maude Apatow) – he begins to open himself to new experiences and emotions. Finally getting a glimpse of the world outside his dome makes it difficult to go back to everyday life once his Nana get out of the hospital, so Sebastian is faced with a choice. Does he keep trying to live Nana’s dream for him or does he carve out his own path, wherever that might take him?
While the outcome of the story leaves little room for doubt – there’s only a couple of ways this can end for the people involved – the performances allow viewers to invest in characters even though they’re realistically unlikable at times. That’s particularly true for Wolff, who nails the kind of irritating angst that teens often wear as a mask to hide fear or sadness.
Butterfield is equally strong, perfectly capturing that unique brand of social awkwardness that sometimes occurs when a home schooler is unexpectedly thrown into a group of public school kids. It could’ve been a highly insulting, stereotypical portrayal, but the film charts Sebastian’s evolution wonderfully. From the beginning, when the kids from different backgrounds are sizing each other up, to the moment when they finally begin to understand their similarities, Butterfield and Wolff convincingly depict the characters’ burgeoning friendship.
Offerman is also great as a well-meaning father and pastor who doesn’t use his religion as a weapon. He’s scared about his son’s health and future, as well as emotionally wrecked from a recent divorce, and he finds solace in God. It’s refreshing to see a movie depict spirituality in a positive light without being didactic about it.
But the film’s breakout performance comes from Apatow – daughter of Leslie Mann and Judd Apatow – who has transformed into a terrific, mature actress in the years since playing her mom’s onscreen child in her dad’s films (Knocked Up and This Is 40). She instills a lot of nuance and subtlety into a role that could’ve easily just been the hero’s trophy in a more cliched screenplay. If The House of Tomorrow accomplishes nothing else, I hope it puts her on the radar of more casting directors.
The House of Tomorrow is not rated, but contains strong language and thematic elements. Now playing at Landmark Midtown Art in Atlanta.
Grade: B-
As he gets to know Jared and his family – including his awkward youth minister dad (Nick Offerman) and his brooding sister (Maude Apatow) – he begins to open himself to new experiences and emotions. Finally getting a glimpse of the world outside his dome makes it difficult to go back to everyday life once his Nana get out of the hospital, so Sebastian is faced with a choice. Does he keep trying to live Nana’s dream for him or does he carve out his own path, wherever that might take him?
While the outcome of the story leaves little room for doubt – there’s only a couple of ways this can end for the people involved – the performances allow viewers to invest in characters even though they’re realistically unlikable at times. That’s particularly true for Wolff, who nails the kind of irritating angst that teens often wear as a mask to hide fear or sadness.
Butterfield is equally strong, perfectly capturing that unique brand of social awkwardness that sometimes occurs when a home schooler is unexpectedly thrown into a group of public school kids. It could’ve been a highly insulting, stereotypical portrayal, but the film charts Sebastian’s evolution wonderfully. From the beginning, when the kids from different backgrounds are sizing each other up, to the moment when they finally begin to understand their similarities, Butterfield and Wolff convincingly depict the characters’ burgeoning friendship.
Offerman is also great as a well-meaning father and pastor who doesn’t use his religion as a weapon. He’s scared about his son’s health and future, as well as emotionally wrecked from a recent divorce, and he finds solace in God. It’s refreshing to see a movie depict spirituality in a positive light without being didactic about it.
But the film’s breakout performance comes from Apatow – daughter of Leslie Mann and Judd Apatow – who has transformed into a terrific, mature actress in the years since playing her mom’s onscreen child in her dad’s films (Knocked Up and This Is 40). She instills a lot of nuance and subtlety into a role that could’ve easily just been the hero’s trophy in a more cliched screenplay. If The House of Tomorrow accomplishes nothing else, I hope it puts her on the radar of more casting directors.
The House of Tomorrow is not rated, but contains strong language and thematic elements. Now playing at Landmark Midtown Art in Atlanta.
Grade: B-
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