In 1989 New York, Jeanette (Larson) lies to her prospective in-laws about her parents Rex and Rose Mary (Harrelson and Watts), not wanting to admit that they're squatters. But she's also aware that they will not approve of her fiance David (Greenfield), a financial analyst, because they are vocal opponents of both governments and big business. Her three siblings (Snook, Caras and Lundy-Paine) support her in this frustrating situation. And after yet another moment of Rex's impulsive violence, she thinks it might be a better idea to cut her ties with her parents altogether.

The title refers to the dream house Rex was planning to build throughout their nomadic childhood. But his searing intelligence put him at odds with the world, and created no end of problems with his wife and children. The film features extensive flashbacks that cover Jeanette's childhood and adolescence, highlighting a series of momentous events that are both deliriously happy and darkly harrowing. Although the depiction of Rex's mother (Bartlett) is perhaps somewhat on-the-nose, offering a rather simplistic excuse for his bad behaviour.

Larson anchors the film very nicely both in Jeanette's 1989 present and her late-teen past (Ella Anderson and Chandler Head play younger versions). It's quite an emotive role, requiring Larson to express big feelings, some of which seem a little abrupt, most notably in her relationship with Greenfield's super-nice David. Meanwhile, Harrelson and Watts have much more colourful roles as smart, artistic parents who are so caught up in their own thoughts and feelings that they struggle to engage with their kids on a meaningful level.

Everyone on-screen is terrific, offering gutsy performances that wring out every bit of joy and pain, although all of this Big Acting can make film rather exhausting. Frankly, the strongest, most telling scenes are the more light-hearted moments between these fragmented family members, where we can see their deeper personalities and understand their inter-relations better than when they're shouting or punching in frustration. Because these scenes add a complexity to the themes that undermines the script's preachier tendencies.

themes, language, violence

13.Sep.17