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The House of Tomorrow (2017 film)
American independent drama film From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The House of Tomorrow is a 2017 American independent comedy-drama film written and directed by Peter Livolsi and starring Asa Butterfield and Alex Wolff.[2] The film is based on the 2010 novel of the same name, by Peter Bognanni, a literature professor at Macalester College,[3] in Saint Paul, Minnesota.[4] It is Livolsi's directorial debut.[5] Co-stars Ellen Burstyn and Nick Offerman served as executive producers of the film.[6]
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Plot
Sebastian Prendergast lives in a geodesic dome, a dated tourist museum, called the House of Tomorrow with his futurist grandmother, Josephine. Sebastian longs to leave his isolated existence which quickly changes when he meets Jared Whitcomb, a young nascent punk rocker with a heart replacement, and his sister Meredith. Inspired by Jared to rebel, Sebastian is induced to steal an electric bass guitar and join Jared in forming a punk rock group.
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Cast
- Asa Butterfield as Sebastian Prendergast, Josephine's grandson and Jared's friend
- Alex Wolff as Jared Whitcomb, Sebastian's friend, Meredith's brother and Alan's son
- Nick Offerman as Alan Whitcomb, Meredith and Jared's father
- Ellen Burstyn as Josephine Prendergast, Sebastian's grandmother, obsessed by all things Buckminster Fuller, even providing retro-futurist tours of her geodesic home, including authentic video of Buckminster Fuller talking and sailing with Ellen Burstyn, who had actually befriended him in real life.[7]
- Maude Apatow as Meredith Whitcomb, Jared's sister and Alan's daughter
- Michaela Watkins as Mrs. Whitcomb, Meredith and Jared's mother and Alan's ex-wife
- Fred Armisen as Tour Video Narrator (voice)
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Production
The some of the film was shot in Minnesota: Robbinsdale, St. Michael, North Branch, St. Paul, and the Dennis Odin Johnson Geodesic House.[8][9][10] According to Maude Apatow, the film was shot in 18 days.[7]
Reception
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Perspective
The film has a 75% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 36 reviews with an average score of 6.27/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Familiar yet endearing, The House of Tomorrow is a well-told coming-of-age comedy that marks an auspicious if not indispensable debut from writer-director Peter Livolsi."[11] Colin Covert of the Star Tribune awarded the film four stars.[12] Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly graded the film a B.[13] Jeffrey M. Anderson of Common Sense Media gave the film three stars out of five.[14] Both Susan Wloszczyna of RogerEbert.com and Barbara VanDenburgh of The Arizona Republic gave it three stars.[15][16] Wes Greene of Slant Magazine awarded the film two and a half stars out of four.[17] Joe Friar of The Victoria Advocate awarded the film three stars out of four.[18]
Sheri Linden of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a positive review, calling it "a confident and perfectly cast debut feature."[2]
Robert Abele of TheWrap also gave the film a positive review and wrote, "what makes the movie organically enjoyable outside of its expected direction is that the manifestation of Sebastian's and Jared's mutually beneficial attachment is, in Livolsi's hands, a delicate simmer instead of a sentimental splash, and tended to with plenty of deadpan wit and honest feeling."[19]
Walter Addiego of the San Francisco Chronicle gave the film a negative review and wrote "Part of what's missing in The House of Tomorrow is the acerbic punk spirit that inspires its two heroes, which could have been remedied by a sharper script."[20]
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References
External links
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