“THE HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG” * out of ****
There are certain elements a film studio considers when green-lighting a potential hit film. Every studio wants:
1) Two Academy Awards winning stars.
2) A screenplay based of a critically acclaimed best-seller.
3) The opportunity to unveil the next-big director.
The House of Sand and Fog features all three elements. The film stars Jennifer Connelly (A Beautiful Mind) as a woman who was mistakenly forced out of her home, which was then bought by Ben Kingsley (Gandhi). Based on the bestseller of the same name by Andre Dubus III, The House of Sand and Fog follows the woman’s attempt to get back her home and regain control of her life. Freshman director Vadim Perelman unveils the story in such a way that makes it hard to tell who the real victims and villains really are. It plays out almost like a Greek tragedy as it chronicles addiction, love affairs, patriotism, honor, and bravery without ever really taking a strong stance on any of the aforementioned subjects. All of these elements combine to make what should be the ideal Academy Award contender. However, The House of Sand and Fog gets lost in the mist of greatness and washes up as a tired and frustrating shipwreck. Throw in a ridiculously clich� police officer, played with no emotion by Ron Eldard, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.
The House of Sand and Fog does, however, show both sides of the political spectrum. Although the entire film could have been avoided if the woman just had opened her mail, Perelman does a nice job showing the hardships the woman has endured. Simultaneously, we see the family life surrounding the man self-destruct as lies are revealed and hidden circumstances surface. Unfortunately, the end result is nothing short of ridiculous. The film deals with a vast array of serious issues such as suicide and depression. However, it briefly glamorizes these issues as unimportant and irrelevant before quickly shifting gears. This is all The House of Sand and Fog ever amounted to. It is a film that never takes anything seriously and allows horrendous dialogue to hide behind commendable performances from both Connelly and Kingsly. It is simply nothing more than a studio’s Oscar dreams turned into a nightmare of frustration.
GRADE: D
There are certain elements a film studio considers when green-lighting a potential hit film. Every studio wants:
1) Two Academy Awards winning stars.
2) A screenplay based of a critically acclaimed best-seller.
3) The opportunity to unveil the next-big director.
The House of Sand and Fog features all three elements. The film stars Jennifer Connelly (A Beautiful Mind) as a woman who was mistakenly forced out of her home, which was then bought by Ben Kingsley (Gandhi). Based on the bestseller of the same name by Andre Dubus III, The House of Sand and Fog follows the woman’s attempt to get back her home and regain control of her life. Freshman director Vadim Perelman unveils the story in such a way that makes it hard to tell who the real victims and villains really are. It plays out almost like a Greek tragedy as it chronicles addiction, love affairs, patriotism, honor, and bravery without ever really taking a strong stance on any of the aforementioned subjects. All of these elements combine to make what should be the ideal Academy Award contender. However, The House of Sand and Fog gets lost in the mist of greatness and washes up as a tired and frustrating shipwreck. Throw in a ridiculously clich� police officer, played with no emotion by Ron Eldard, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.
The House of Sand and Fog does, however, show both sides of the political spectrum. Although the entire film could have been avoided if the woman just had opened her mail, Perelman does a nice job showing the hardships the woman has endured. Simultaneously, we see the family life surrounding the man self-destruct as lies are revealed and hidden circumstances surface. Unfortunately, the end result is nothing short of ridiculous. The film deals with a vast array of serious issues such as suicide and depression. However, it briefly glamorizes these issues as unimportant and irrelevant before quickly shifting gears. This is all The House of Sand and Fog ever amounted to. It is a film that never takes anything seriously and allows horrendous dialogue to hide behind commendable performances from both Connelly and Kingsly. It is simply nothing more than a studio’s Oscar dreams turned into a nightmare of frustration.
GRADE: D
Top Box Office
- 1.$72.5M
- 2.$50.1M
- 3.$5.0M
- 4.$4.6M
- 5.$4.6M
- 6.$4.1M
- 7.$3.6M
- 8.$2.5M
- 9.$2.5M
- 10.$1.1M