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Anthony LaPaglia, Viola Davis, Isabella Rossellini, Hayden Panettiere, Sebastian Stan ... see more see more... , Paul James , Serena Reeder , Walton Goggins , Malcolm Goodwin , Lauren Hodges , Julius Tennon , Lillias White , Eisa Davis , Tijuana Ricks , Alex McCord , Walt Goggins

Tonya Neely (Viola Davis) is a neighborhood activist on the south side of Chicago, trying to get her community to rally to tear down Eden Court, the dangerous housing project where she lives. After a ... read more read more...family tragedy, she sent her youngest daughter, Cammie (Serena Reeder), off to live with friends in a middle-class neighborhood, where she could go to a better school. Leo Waters (Anthony LaPaglia), the architect who designed Eden Court many years ago, lives a seemingly idyllic life with his wife, Julia (Isabella Rossellini), his teenage daughter, Christina (Hayden Panettiere), and his son, Martin (Sebastian Stan), who has just returned home after dropping out of college. Leo's family is on the verge of a crisis. Julia's unhappiness with their marriage leads her to clean the house obsessively. Christina is only 15, but she is eager to explore her budding sexuality. Martin is understandably cynical about his home life, and confused about his own desires. When Tonya contacts Leo, hoping to convince him to sign the petition to tear down Eden Court, it sets a chain of events in motion that will force both families to confront the issues that they've tried so hard to avoid. The Architect, which also features performances by Paul James, Walton Goggins, Tijuana Ricks, Lauren Hodges, and Malcolm Goodwin, was directed by Matt Tauber, adapted from a play by Scottish playwright David Greig. The film had its world premiere at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

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31% liked it

1,263 ratings

Critics

11% liked it

38 critics

R, 1 hr. 21 min.

Directed by: Matt Tauber

Release Date: December 8, 2006

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DVD Release Date: December 5, 2006

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Stats: 84 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (84)

  • sanjurosamurai
    March 25, 2009
    sanjurosamurai
    this movie is hard to rate. its very story driven which is good, and the stories that are presented are very good. the telling of the stories however is not good at all. this film follows the unfortunate indi film trend of leaving a story incomplete at the end. the problem is... read more that this film is only 1hr and 11 min. they could have used another 30 min to finish telling the stories. much of the diologue is unexplained and doesnt seem to fit the story and some of the actions of the characters have no context so they dont make sense. i give it a decent rating on potential, hayden is good in this flick and the movie could have been great with more time.
  • flickfever
    January 3, 2007
    flickfever
    This movie was one of those films that came and went. Nobody probably saw it--and that's a shame! Granted, the suburban family drama has been done-to-death ever since the mesmerizing American Beauty (and no other suburban drama could live up to it--except for Little Children) but... read more this movie is a valiant effort in this genre. It has undertones of the struggle that children of a dysfunctional family have to put up. Worrying about pimples before prom isn't good enough for films like this. You have to be sexually confused, insecure about your breasts and worried that your dad is "perving" on you. As for the parents themselves, Isabella Rossellini plays the sullen, emotionally-unbalanced housewife to a tee. She is great. And Anthony LaPaglia--as the architect you has to deal with the crumbling infrastructure of his household along with the crumbling structure he built for low-income families--is understated and captivating in his performance.

    The film has a solid script and some arresting social commentaries to convey. It just feels a little watered-down and I think that comes from having only a handful of characters. It feels more like something that could've been a better stage play; rather than a feature-length film. Still, the movie is worth watching; if you can catch it on DVD in the coming months! It's nice to see little gems that never see the light of day or people may or may not have ever heard about.

    On a side note, I happened to see this movie at a theatre that used a BlueRay DVD player. Let me say that this technology is mind-blowing. It's a shame this movie wasn't a special-effects flick because the visuals would've been out of this world. It is the most crystal clear image of film I have ever seen. No pixelation, no blurriness or scratches to worry about. Pure digital heaven.
  • gator681
    August 4, 2007
    gator681
    [font=Century Gothic]In "The Architect," a long time resident, Tonya Neely(Viola Davis), of the Eden Court housing projects on the south side of Chicago has come to the conclusion that the inadequately repaired, poorly built, gang infested buildings are beyond hope and wishes to ... read moresee them torn down.(Her son commited suicide a few years back. One daughter, Cammie(Serena Reeder), lives elsewhere while attending high school. Another, Missy(Marsha Stephanie Blake) already has a baby of her own.) She even tries to get the original architect, Leo Waters(Anthony LaPaglia), to help but he declines, not seeing a problem...[/font]

    [font=Century Gothic]"The Architect" is a slight but intriguing movie about the difference between reform and revolution. In this case, it is the difference between continually repairing the projects or tearing them down and starting from scratch.(Tonya never does say what she wants to replace the projects with.) If I remember my urban history right, housing projects were built with the best of intentions but they also destroyed the cohesion of neighborhoods. Leo does not admit that there is a problem with the buildings he designed while not noticing his family falling apart around him.(Thus, saving the movie from the dreaded "rich white folks have problems, too" syndrome.) But we never get a true sense of what it is to live in these projects. [/font]
  • dredzag
    June 10, 2007
    dredzag
    Beautifully crafted, well acted. Viola Davis as always is so damn good. Anthony LaPaglia, Isabella Rossellini and Hayden Panettiere round the movie out nicely.

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Critic Reviews

John Monaghan
December 15, 2006
John Monaghan, Detroit Free Press

Despite his obvious earnestness, first-time director and cowriter Matt Tauber is ill equipped to mine emotions this complex. Full Review

Michael Booth
December 15, 2006
Michael Booth, Denver Post

Too many "big" moments are happening to too many people for the movie to feel plausible, and Tauber tries to tie many of those plots together in a way that seems contrived. Full Review

Colin Covert
December 14, 2006
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

Occasionally a pallid film is salvaged by one wonderful performance. To the extent The Architect will be remembered, it will be for giving a starring role to the exceptional Viola Davis.

Michael Wilmington
December 14, 2006
Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune

Given the fact that The Architect is obviously a work in the tradition of Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams, not to mention Henrik Ibsen, it's disappointing. Full Review

Ruthe Stein
December 8, 2006
Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle

Despite graphic scenes of drug- and crime-infested buildings where people are forced to live behind bars like prisoners, The Architect still feels stagebound, inert when it needs to be cinematic. Full Review

Carina Chocano
December 8, 2006
Carina Chocano, Los Angeles Times

...A grim little exercise in exorcising middle-class guilt. Full Review

Jack Mathews
December 1, 2006
Jack Mathews, New York Daily News

There are too many characters undergoing life changes in the story for each to be properly developed in an 82-minute movie. Full Review

Kyle Smith
December 1, 2006
Kyle Smith, New York Post

The dull indie drama The Architect comes from the stage, which is where it should have stayed.

Stephen Holden
November 30, 2006
Stephen Holden, New York Times

... much of what's on the screen feels like a creaky, tone-deaf classroom exercise in mechanical contrivance.

Ronnie Scheib
November 30, 2006
Ronnie Scheib, Variety

Stage-to-screen transition stumbles, however, when the concept of 'home' no longer provides an evocative offstage metaphor but, instead, becomes a thudding on-screen presence. Full Review

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