10 Leading-Role Movie Houses
Architecture and interior design steal the show in these 10 house-focused flicks
Becky Harris
February 26, 2012
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia.
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe... More
As awards season comes to an end, the spotlight is on Hollywood. This made me think about films where the architecture is integral to the plot, where a home becomes an important character. This list of 10 is certainly not all inclusive. I have resisted including movies just because the set design is perfection, such as A Single Man or Something's Gotta Give. Also, I have never seen The Fountainhead, because it's my favorite book. Please chime in below in the Comments section about any I've overlooked.
Amazon
Some call it a beautiful love story. Some call it a scary tale of living in a raccoon- and flea-infested, cat urine–filled house. Most land somewhere in between the two. If you haven't seen Grey Gardens, you are missing out on a slew of cultural references and you don't even know it.
Watch the original documentary first, let it marinate and then rent the HBO film that stars Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore as the two Edies. The latter will answer a lot of questions, and the set designers did an amazing job of imagining and representing the home in its full glory.
Watch the original documentary first, let it marinate and then rent the HBO film that stars Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore as the two Edies. The latter will answer a lot of questions, and the set designers did an amazing job of imagining and representing the home in its full glory.
Amazon
Long before Tom Hanks was stuck on a deserted island, he was stuck with this terrible house and went through a renovation nightmare. I still get sucked into this house every time it airs. Tom Hanks is absolutely hilarious, but the house itself steals the show. Watch it during the frustrating parts of a renovation to see how things could be much worse.
Amazon
A big, empty brick house plays a big role in this blockbuster. Somehow these parents manage to leave their son Kevin home alone, and he has to not only take care of himself, but also protect the house from a couple of inept burglars.
Amazon
Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! This movie brought about a new way to describe a certain style of interior décor. "It was a total Beetlejuice living room" immediately conjures up odd proportions, a dash of bravura modern and extreme use of color. You have to see the movie to really understand.
Amazon
Housesitter opens with Steve Martin, playing an architect, proposing to his girlfriend in front of a beautiful white home he's designed with a red bow wrapped around it. She says no. Enter Goldie Hawn, who has always dreamed of living in such a home.
Another movie with a great house (like all Nancy Meyers movies) is It's Complicated, where once again Martin plays an architect. Architect is the cool job screenwriters often give characters.
Another movie with a great house (like all Nancy Meyers movies) is It's Complicated, where once again Martin plays an architect. Architect is the cool job screenwriters often give characters.
Amazon
This movie is so boring that I fell dead asleep in the middle of it, but the glass house on the lake and the way it connects the two main characters is of the utmost importance to the plot. It's also a really neat-looking house; along with Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock, it's easy on the eyes. However, if you just want to watch these two actors and you want to stay awake, I recommend renting Speed instead.
Amazon
This is one of the most depressing movies I have ever seen in my life, but I cannot think of another movie where the house is as central to the plot. Also, Ben Kingsley, Jennifer Connelley and Shohreh Aghdashloo give amazing performances.
Amazon
If any of you haven't seen The Notebook (you've seen it either at least 10 times or not at all), I don't want to ruin any surprises, but the incredible renovation of a house and the reasons for doing it are very important.
Amazon
In The Holiday, the entire plot is created by the two main characters' swapping of homes. One is a cozy little cottage in the U.K., the other is a large and sleek Hollywood home. Because this is a Nancy Meyers movie (like It's Complicated and Something's Gotta Give), both are dreamy. Due to the temporary new digs, life changes for the two main characters ensue.
Amazon
In Sofia Coppolla's Marie Antoinette, the palace at Versailles plays a major role, from at first imprisoning Marie Antoinette, to later representing so many of the excesses that drove the French Revolution. Another important set is Antoinette's special getaway, the Petit Trianon, a smaller chateau on the property.
I know I am missing movies where a home steals the show. Please share your favorites in the Comments section.
More:
'True Grit': Classic, Old-West-Style Design
Sixties Southern Style: Inspiration from 'The Help'
I know I am missing movies where a home steals the show. Please share your favorites in the Comments section.
More:
'True Grit': Classic, Old-West-Style Design
Sixties Southern Style: Inspiration from 'The Help'
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Fight Club is one of my favorite movies, and it was the first DVD where I watched all the extras on and it set the gold standard for me - all movie extras since have been a disappointment. But I don't think they should touch it with a sequel. I'd say Blade Runner is architecture students' all time #1 pick for spaces. I also really appreciated the role living spaces played in Captain Fantastic, one of the best movies I've seen in a decade.
The house in the 2015 Jake Gyllenhaal drama Demolition is a stunning post-modern home and well worth a look.
You can find all of the interior decor here Demolition
I caught about 20 minutes of that movie the other day and have been meaning to catch the whole thing when I have time. His house seemed so cold and lonely in the part of the story I saw (as i think it was supposed to, but like I said, only 20 minutes) but it is stunning!