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Colin Farrell, Robin Wright, Dallas Roberts, Sissy Spacek, Erik Scott Smith ... see more see more... , Harris Allan , Andrew Chalmers , Ryan Donowho , Matt Frewer , Joshua Close , Asia Vieira , Wendy Crewson , Robin Wright Penn

Directed by Michael Mayer and based on The Hours author Michael Cunningham's novel of the same name, A Home at the End of the World chronicles the 1980s reunion of childhood best friends Bobby (Colin ... read more read more...Farrell) and Jonathan (Dallas Roberts). Where they were once best pals -- and teenage lovers -- in the suburbs of Cleveland, Bobby has become a charismatic but go-nowhere heterosexual slacker, and Jonathan is now living as an openly gay man in New York City, hoping to serve as father to his eccentric roommate Clare's (Robin Wright Penn) child. When Bobby impulsively moves to the city to be closer to his former friend, their bonds are tested sooner than anyone would have thought. Bobby falls for Clare, and in doing so, effectively eliminates what would have been Jonathan's position in the baby's life. Jonathan temporarily takes off; when his father dies, and he attends the Arizona funeral, Bobby and Clare unexpectedly turn up with the news that she's expecting. Despite the still-existent tensions, the trio becomes a family unit among themselves, ultimately buying a house in Woodstock, Upstate New York, where they all move together, challenging traditional notions of family, commitment, love, and devotion. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

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66% liked it

10,558 ratings

Critics

48% liked it

112 critics

R, 1 hr. 37 min.

Directed by: Michael Mayer, Asia Vieira, Michael Mayer (VI), Colin Farrell, Dallas Roberts, Matt Frewer, Robin Wright, Ryan Donowho, Sissy Spacek, Wendy Crewson

Release Date: August 20, 2004

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DVD Release Date: November 2, 2004

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Stats: 801 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (801)

  • moonrivers
    May 7, 2012
    moonrivers
    Unconventional people do unconventional things in this daring screen adaptation of Michael Cunningham's story about members of a love triangle that decide to be and to have a family together. But how is that sort of thing done? Somebody's feelings are bound to get hurt ... an a... read moremazing Colin Farrell and the always luminous Sissy Spacek steal the show in this adult themed family introspective about wanting to have a home.
  • jjnxn
    April 1, 2007
    jjnxn
    Colin Farrell and Sissy Spacek give masterful performances.
  • gator681
    June 8, 2005
    gator681
    "A Home at the End of the World" starts in Cleveland, 1967 where nine year-old Bobby is introduced to the wonders of marijuana by his older brother. The older brother then promptly walks through a window during a party and dies. It skips ahead a few years when Bobby meets Jonat... read morehan in high school and insinuates himself into Jonathan's family. It skips ahead to New York City in the 1980's when Bobby(Colin Farrell) joins his friend in the big city. Jonathan(Dallas Roberts) is outwardly gay and sharing an apartment with an older woman, Clare(Robin Wright Penn).

    "A Home at the End of the World" is a ploddingly told tale that takes thirty minutes to even get started. It might be about unorthodox family structures but that's about it. The ill-defined characters simply consist of types and cliches. We never really get to know who Clare is, even though she is a key player and Bobby is simply a dense piece of matter. Robin Wright Penn and Sissy Spacek simply deserve better than this.
  • michaelcorleone
    October 2, 2008
    michaelcorleone
    This film got off to such an awful start that I immediately regretted buying it. It didn't turn out to be a masterpiece, but it contains some very moving scenes and uniquely interesting character dynamics. Structurally it's a little clunky, and there are moments when it feels for... read moreced and pretentious, but overall it's a worthwhile watch.
  • danieljparsons
    January 7, 2007
    danieljparsons
    I was *so* disappointed with this film. For starters at not much over 90 minutes, it's *far* too short. Secondly, all the characters except for Farrell's are badly drawn, and thirdly, Farrell (IMHO) is miscast as Bobby. Michael Cunningham, who wrote the screenplay, also wrote the... read more far superior book. Even if you loved this movie, go read the book instead - it'll blow your mind.
  • mvieaddict
    October 25, 2009
    mvieaddict
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    A home at the end of the world was for me disappointed. Maybe because of my expectations for the movie and then it lacked of depth o... read moren certain matters. This movie had many meaningless scenes. There was no specific direction.It had some scenes with a mixture of Gay and Straights moments. I have no problem with this life styles, but I am not a fan either. Collin Farrell didn't seem good in this character and his acting wasn't so good.I enjoyed Robin Wright Penn, but I think she was miscast for this role.
  • ileo
    February 3, 2007
    ileo
    Deeply touching.
  • youngboy832002
    September 19, 2011
    youngboy832002
    This is one of those movies that is just all around great movie. It will make you laugh it will make you cry but it also makes you feel like you know the characters in the movie real well. A Must See.
  • alienmindtrick
    July 28, 2010
    alienmindtrick
    For a very long time, my favorite movie was 'The Big Chill'. Part of the reason why was the great ensemble cast, part was the great story, and part was the brilliant soundtrack. 'A Home At The End Of The World' is very much like that; a bit of this, and a lot of that, all put t... read moreogether to make a thing greater than the sum of its parts, even though those parts are each superb in itself. From the very beginning, this film sits comfortably in the cozy space in your psyche and warms you - the young boys were so good, and Ryan Donowho....wow...I can't wait to see more of him. His presence is riveting, and he's hard not to look at, I daresay he's even beautiful.
    Colin Farrell made me a fan for life with his performance here. I was already a fan, but he made this role something more than the words on the script. Sissy Spacek was delightful as Alice, the suburban mom with just a touch of hippie, and maybe a dash of stoner. Robin Wright Penn's Clare was the force that bound the boys together despite not being able to stick it out to the end. And Dallas Roberts's Jonathan was half a dozen of the gay boys I've dated, and more than a few that I've tricked with. Erik Smith, the 1974 Bobby, has a presence of his own, and I can see him going places, too. He did a phenomenal job, especially considering that he was working with Sissy Spacek, something of a legend.
    There were parts of the movie, like when the teenage boys were pretend sleeping, but really trying to get into each other's pants, that made me squirm a bit. I'll let discretion be the better part of valor on that, but I think you catch my drift. But every scene held my attention, and it was like I was in the movie itself. It takes a strong story, great casting and acting, but it mainly takes a great director to make that happen.
    I heard "Soave Sia Il Vento" from "Cosi Fan Tutte" by Mozart in the scene on the rooftop, and then in the closing credits, I noticed that Tom Hulce is the producer. Coincidence? Probably not, but nicely done anyway.
    Yeah, it's hard not to love the soundtrack, but I won't go into it. There's far too much on there for me to talk about, and then I'd just be rambling. Let's just say that I'll be looking for it to buy.
    It's a great movie. It made me cry. It made me laugh. I'll watch it again. And again.
  • freegayhuman
    January 14, 2009
    freegayhuman
    loved this movie. i cry every time i see this. at certain times in our lives we come across a movie that speaks to us. you just have to go with it and watch it as many times as you can

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Critic Reviews

Joe Baltake
August 20, 2004
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee

Vastly enjoyable, nicely shocking and genuinely touching. Full Review

Steve Murray
August 19, 2004
Steve Murray, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Flawed but sincere -- the sort of thoughtful, adult movie that rarely appears in the summer. Full Review

Jay Boyar
August 13, 2004
Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel

Despite some very good acting in most roles, the people on the screen seem like types with labels. Full Review

Peter Rainer
August 7, 2004
Peter Rainer, New York Magazine

Casting is everything in a film like this, and in the major roles, Mayer scores two out of three. Full Review

Richard Nilsen
August 6, 2004
Richard Nilsen, Arizona Republic

Although the actors do a magnificent job with the piffle, the characters hardly ever act the way real people do in the situations they are presented with. They act, instead, the way characters in a mo... Full Review

Desson Thomson
July 30, 2004
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

What keeps the movie going, far longer than the screenplay deserves, are fine performances all around. Full Review

Ann Hornaday
July 30, 2004
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post

An adaptation of another Cunningham book that, like The Hours, comes with its own set of challenges, which director Michael Mayer handles forthrightly, with precise emotional pitch. Full Review

Geoff Pevere
July 30, 2004
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star

Sincere, heartfelt and mostly hopeless, A Home At The End Of The World is a well-intentioned wetnap of a movie about the re-configured post-nuclear family. Full Review

Tom Long
July 30, 2004
Tom Long, Detroit News

Doesn't quite satisfy -- it all seems too simple, too glowing -- but it tries, and that's something. Not quite enough, but something.

Wesley Morris
July 30, 2004
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe

Roberts, Farrell, and Penn don't appear to be in the least bit self-consumed; you really believe they're thinking about each other. Full Review

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A Home at the End of the World Trivia

  • He lived in a Home at the End of the World, then came to the New World and got into trouble in a Phonebooth. Who is he?  Answer »
  • What movie has the tagline "Family can be whatever you want it to be."  Answer »
  • what's the name of the movie where collin farrel plays as a gay actor in a movie with a backgroung of the 80's?  Answer »
  • Who is one on the stars in A HOME AT THE END OF THE WORLD?  Answer »
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