The buildings and narrative on shaky foundations
An architect is a person in charge of the design of homes and any other man made structure. In Matthew Tauber’s writing and directing debut that person is also the one responsible for solidifying the foundations of his family grown apart. Desperately trying to work against stereotypes, this horribly constructed family drama implants one moral lesson after another – some African American families have a love for scrabble, lonely truck drivers have principles and sometimes all a street gang member wants to do is have romantic conversations under the moonlight. Unfortunately for The Architect, it is not the family that melts down first – but the credibility of the storyline, characters and message.
Symbolically working with the notion that suburban dysfunctional white families are much like the spaces found in family unit housing buildings in the projects, the totality of the film’s characters express their grief in compartmentalized spaces. Oprah’s Chicago is city, like many American metropolitan areas where segregation still exists. Based on David Greig’s stage play, the narrative here is diced into many spotlights of despair that scream cliché and laughable stereotypes – father knows best apparently doesn’t, wife is a dish thrower and a Stepford Wive, daughter who has grown out of a training bra has self-image problem, and an educated, drop-out son comes out of the closest in the most awkward of stances. They all have signs of distress – but no reason for it.
Veteran actors such as Anthony Lapaglia, Viola Davis and Isabella Rossellini have difficult time in stretching out their dramatic performances in such short sequences and much of the television drama dialogue seems ill propos for such actors. Even the young actors have a tough time in making facile characterizations into dark, dramatic roles.
The poorly put together timeline shifting from one parallel world to the next and an awkward editing all factor in nullifying whatever significance that Tauber is trying to extract from the numerous episodes. The moment where there is the potential for an interesting discussion on social responsibility gets tossed aside and secondary characters have too much clout in what should be not an ensemble pic but a three character analysis. The screenplay could have withdrawn the children characters, since there are no cues to find in how a father is ambitious at his job and neglectful of his family.
Stylistically obsolete, emotionally un-involving, the narrative is more interested in shifting from one dilemma to the next and citing most possible examples rather than getting into the core of the matter. With a violin and piano score that tries to deliver a waves smashing against the rocks, much of the film’s phony drama only makes subsequent scene worse – the film’s parting scene will unintentionally make some viewers laugh. This is not he desired discourse that Tauber had hoped for. Part of a new sort of strategy release from Magnolia films, this one should not be sought after on any format.
