OPEN HOUSE
US, 2003, 96 minutes, Colour.
Christine Lahti, Daniel Baldwin, Mark Rendell, Chris Potter, Eva Marie Saint, Rita Moreno, Grace Lin Kung, Colin Cowie.
Directed by Arvin Brown.
Open House is based on a novel by Elizabeth Berg, a woman’s perspective on a broken marriage. Christine Lahti, always a strong screen presence, is a woman who discovers suddenly that her husband wants to leave her and does. She is left with a young teenager who is troubled by the experience and decides he wants to stay with his father. She is not very good at coping – especially with her rather dominant mother, Eva Marie Saint playing against type with a kind of PG raunchiness. However, she finds a genial friend in Daniel Baldwin, an astrophysicist who likes to take on odd jobs that he enjoys. She meets him while he is moving her husband’s books and furniture to his house. She is encouraged by him to go to an employment agency and gradually gets a number of jobs, finally making an impression on a builder with her carpentry skills. However, she has to come to terms with herself, her own self-image, her staying at home as a housewife, her not completing her education. She also takes in a boarder, a sprightly Rita Moreno, who is a good friend. She also encounters a teenager and takes her in, Grace Lin Kung playing Lavender Blue. Her son actually makes friends with these two boarders although at first they are the reason that he leaves home. His father does not want him and he does return home. When the father’s fiancée breaks off the engagement, he wants to come back but, of course, finds no place in the house.
Christine Lahti gives a strong performance as a woman who discovers her weaknesses, tries to cope with them, builds up a stronger character, finds love in the genial Daniel Baldwin.
Direction is by Arvin Brown, a prolific television director.
1.A television movie for home audiences? Portrait of the failure of a marriage, the focus on men, on women, on children? Opportunities and choices?
2.The Boston settings, the suburbs, supermarkets, laundries? Parks and walking dogs? A real world? The atmospheric score?
3.The title, the empty house, the open house for others to come in? The focus on the family, on boarders?
4.Samantha’s voice-over, explanation of herself, her situation, her love for David, her experience of anger, her love for her son, her exasperation for her mother, her relationship with King …?
5.The situation with Samantha, the sexual encounter with her husband, his immediately declaring he wanted to leave? The effect, her reaction, her moods? The breakfast, specially prepared, the television commentator, Colin Cowie, Travis and his disdain, the orange juice? Her nerves, weeping? King arriving for the transporting the luggage? The explanation of the Caravaggio book and the honeymoon? His leaving it behind? Her weeping, trying to get jobs, the phone calls, her not being qualified, not having experience? His giving her a card?
6.David as a character, his reasons for the failure of the marriage, his talk about fire in his belly, his ambitions, not being happy? Abandoning Samantha? Taking up with Carla, the truth about his relationship with her in the past? His manner, work? His relationship with Travis? The arguments with Samantha, the issue of the house and the mortgage? His engagement to Carla, the ring? The irony that it was fake? Travis deciding to live with him, his not being able to cope, Carla leaving him, his return, his speech to Samantha, his self-centredness, her rejection of his proposal?
7.Samantha and her age, experience, as a child, her relationship with her mother, her grief at her dead father, her judging her mother, embarrassed by her? Not going to college? Marrying, happy, cooking, having the house nice? Her reaction to David’s going, going shopping, the sequence of buying the expensive dinner sets – and later using them, by herself?
8.Samantha’s mother, her age, character, friends, going to Salsa classes, a raunchy attitude, matchmaking? Her own explanation of herself, her personality, her grief at her husband’s death?
9.Travis and his age, taking his mother for granted? His reaction to Lydia moving in yet playing the computer games? His reaction to Lavender Blue? His wanting to leave, hugging his mother, returning home, Lavender Blue and the discussions, smashing his room, rebuilding the plane, reminiscing about his mother helping him? Her doing his hair? His mother’s reaction? Lavender Blue becoming a friend?
10.Lydia and her relationship with Thomas, his coming to the house, their arrangement, his proposal, the Thanksgiving dinner and her going to meet Thomas’s daughter, the reaction, called a gold-digger, returning the ring, upset? The band outside, Thomas on his knees? The wedding and throwing the bouquet to Samantha?
11.Samantha and King, talking, at ease, Frank, the jobs, the laundry, walking the dogs? The laundry and the man wanting her to do it, Lavender Blue and her story, taking her in? Giving her the basement? Taking in Lydia? The Thanksgiving and her being by herself, Colin Cowie’s programs? Walking the dog, meeting King, inviting him for leftovers, the sexual encounter? The visit and Lydia coming in? Lavender Blue doing a makeover? The coat? Her mother’s reaction, Colin Cowie on the phone – and her mother putting him up to it? Going to King, King in the bath, asking for a declaration of love? The family supporting her?
12.King in himself, his jobs, size, with Travis, the stars and the telescope, with Samantha’s mother, with Lydia, walking the dogs, the various jobs, his talking, the background of astrophysics, his not wanting to make decisions, happy to do ordinary jobs, take in the world and reflect on it? The relationship with Lydia, her gift of the book? The truth, his ease, declaration of love?
13.Audiences identifying with the characters, their flaws, strengths? The deceiving husbands, the hurts, hopes? Criteria for judging people’s behaviour and morality?
