Alex McCord, Anthony LaPaglia, Hayden Panettiere

Leo Waters is an idealistic architect and patriarch of an affluent, suburban Chicago family. Tonya Neeley is a pragmatic activist who is trying to keep her family together while living in one of the c...( read more  read more... )ity's most drug and crime-infested public housing projects. As part of her ongoing campaign to have the projects torn down and decent housing built in its place, Tonya decides that the one signature she needs more than any other on her petition is that of the projects' original architect, Leo Waters.

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39% liked it

1,136 ratings

Critics

11% liked it

35 critics

R, 1 hr. 21 min.

Directed by: Matt Tauber

Release Date: December 8, 2006

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DVD Release Date: December 5, 2006

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Stats: 73 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (73)


  • March 25, 2009
    this movie is hard to rate. its very story driven which is good, and the stories that are presented are very good. the telling of the stories however is not good at all. this film follows the unfortunate indi film trend of leaving a story incomplete at the end. the problem is...( read more) that this film is only 1hr and 11 min. they could have used another 30 min to finish telling the stories. much of the diologue is unexplained and doesnt seem to fit the story and some of the actions of the characters have no context so they dont make sense. i give it a decent rating on potential, hayden is good in this flick and the movie could have been great with more time.
  • January 3, 2007
    This movie was one of those films that came and went. Nobody probably saw it--and that's a shame! Granted, the suburban family drama has been done-to-death ever since the mesmerizing American Beauty (and no other suburban drama could live up to it--except for Little Children) but...( read more) this movie is a valiant effort in this genre. It has undertones of the struggle that children of a dysfunctional family have to put up. Worrying about pimples before prom isn't good enough for films like this. You have to be sexually confused, insecure about your breasts and worried that your dad is "perving" on you. As for the parents themselves, Isabella Rossellini plays the sullen, emotionally-unbalanced housewife to a tee. She is great. And Anthony LaPaglia--as the architect you has to deal with the crumbling infrastructure of his household along with the crumbling structure he built for low-income families--is understated and captivating in his performance.

    The film has a solid script and some arresting social commentaries to convey. It just feels a little watered-down and I think that comes from having only a handful of characters. It feels more like something that could've been a better stage play; rather than a feature-length film. Still, the movie is worth watching; if you can catch it on DVD in the coming months! It's nice to see little gems that never see the light of day or people may or may not have ever heard about.

    On a side note, I happened to see this movie at a theatre that used a BlueRay DVD player. Let me say that this technology is mind-blowing. It's a shame this movie wasn't a special-effects flick because the visuals would've been out of this world. It is the most crystal clear image of film I have ever seen. No pixelation, no blurriness or scratches to worry about. Pure digital heaven.
  • June 17, 2009
    Add a review (optional)...
  • August 12, 2008
    HAYDEN PANETTIERE, what else needs to be said?
  • July 13, 2008
    Two stars. One for the effort. The second one for Hayden Panne... Panetie... Panettie... for the "Heroes" chick.
  • January 25, 2008
    completly love it!!!
  • November 3, 2007
    it has my baby in it i want to see it
  • June 10, 2007
    Beautifully crafted, well acted. Viola Davis as always is so damn good. Anthony LaPaglia, Isabella Rossellini and Hayden Panettiere round the movie out nicely.
  • April 25, 2007
    The acting was good, but I didn't like the plot that much and it wasn't the best end.
  • April 9, 2007
    i want to see this movie. I love all the movies that have haden panettiere in it.

Critic Reviews


December 14, 2006
Colin Covert, The Minneapolis Star Tribune

Occasionally a pallid film is salvaged by one wonderful performance. To the extent The Architect will be remembered, it will be for giving a starring role to the exceptional Viola Davis. full review

December 1, 2006
Kyle Smith, New York Post

The dull indie drama The Architect comes from the stage, which is where it should have stayed. full review

View more The Architect reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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