Home Movie (2001)

87% of critics liked it
(38 reviews)
66% of users liked it
(1,543 ratings)

The old saying has it that a person's home is their castle, and this documentary takes a witty look at five unusual homes that have been designed to match the ideas and eccentricities of the people who own them. Ben Skora is a self-styled inventor who has tricked out his Illinois home with a variety… More The old saying has it that a person's home is their castle, and this documentary takes a witty look at five unusual homes that have been designed to match the ideas and eccentricities of the people who own them. Ben Skora is a self-styled inventor who has tricked out his Illinois home with a variety of unusual gadgets, among them a nine-foot-tall robot. Linda Beach, an American actress who enjoyed a successful career in Japanese television, lives in a tree house in Hawaii that draws its power from a nearby waterfall. Bill Tragle's home is also close to the water, as the Louisiana alligator rancher shows off his luxurious houseboat. Ed Pedan and his wife Diana Pedan have made a home out of an abandoned underground complex in Kansas, built and then abandoned by the American military. And Bob Walker and Francis Mooney designed their home not with their own needs in mind, but those of their 11 pet cats. Directed by Chris Smith, who previously made the acclaimed documentaries American Job and American Movie, Home Movie had its premiere at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 5 min.
Directed By: Chris Smith
Genres: Documentary, Special Interest

In Theaters: Jan 19, 2001 Wide
On DVD: Aug 19, 2003
Studio: Cowboy Pictures

Critic Reviews

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe
Smith finds amusing juxtapositions that justify his exercise.
Jane Sumner, Dallas Morning News
Mr. Smith makes us look afresh at our own digs and at, as the old saying goes, what makes a house a home.
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
I like this movie a lot. I like that Smith, he's not making fun of these people, he's not laughing at them.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
[Smith] simply celebrates the universal desire to fashion our homes for our needs and desires.
John Petrakis, Chicago Tribune
Smith is careful not to make fun of these curious owners of architectural oddities. Instead, he shows them the respect they are due.
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
Seems like someone going through the motions.
Martin Scribbs, Low IQ Canadian
Each of the subjects alternates between charming and creepy.
Scott Von Doviak, culturevulture.net
A true pleasure.
Steve Rhodes, Internet Reviews
A naturally funny film, Home Movie makes you crave Chris Smith's next movie.
Chris Gore, Film Threat
Watching these eccentrics is both inspiring and pure joy.
Robin Clifford, Reeling Reviews
"Home Movie" is the film equivalent of a lovingly rendered coffee table book.
Laura Clifford, Reeling Reviews
a documentary ditty that just barely sustains its 65 minute running time
Steven Snyder, Zertinet Movies
"Home Movie" is a sweet treasure and something well worth your time.
Shawn Levy, Oregonian
It feels like very light Errol Morris, focusing on eccentricity but failing, ultimately, to make something bigger out of its scrapbook of oddballs.
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone, TheMovieChicks.com
Some people march to the beat of a different drum, and if you ever wondered what kind of houses those people live in, this documentary takes a look at 5 alternative housing options.
Nick Carter, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Smith examines the intimate, unguarded moments of folks who live in unusual homes -- which pop up in nearly every corner of the country.
Frank Swietek, One Guy's Opinion
A pleasant ramble through the sort of idoosyncratic terrain that Errol Morris has often dealt with...it does possess a loose, lackadaisical charm.
Brent Simon, Entertainment Today
A gloriously kooky chronicle of freak-flags flying high... combines Errol Morris' nonplussed lens with a penchant for damaged oddball subjects that merges the apparent instincts of Paul Thomas Anderson and David Lynch.

Read all 18 critic reviews

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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

Leigh R

These people are odd birds.
Lesley N

Documentary about five different homes and the people who live in them. I particularly liked the pragmatic Japanese-sitcom-acting Hawaiian lady and her treehouse in the middle of nowhere, but all five had their qualities, not least a conviction in their way of living that was engaging… More
Documentary about five different homes and the people who live in them. I particularly liked the pragmatic Japanese-sitcom-acting Hawaiian lady and her treehouse in the middle of nowhere, but all five had their qualities, not least a conviction in their way of living that was engaging to watch. I like unconventional people. Ben Skora's soap dish was freaky though. From HENRIKSCHUNK's favourites list
Henrik S

Fascinating documentary depicting lives of people who have a 'special' and unusual way of creating their immediate home. Be at the man living on a boat in the everglades, the cat family or the kooky inventor who plans to be reborn in a humanoid robot he… More
Fascinating documentary depicting lives of people who have a 'special' and unusual way of creating their immediate home. Be at the man living on a boat in the everglades, the cat family or the kooky inventor who plans to be reborn in a humanoid robot he built.<br/><br/>An entertaining, yet enlighting view of how people are able to construct their lives according to their own beliefs and imaginations.

Cast

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Home Movie (2001)

Critic Reviews

Featured Audience Ratings

Leigh R

Lesley N

Henrik S

Cast

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