What originally began as a series of commercials created for homestore.com eventually morphed into a sixty-five minute documentary on the creative impulse that led to the realization of five unique living environments, each one reflecting the vision, personality and playfulness of the residents. All of the interviewees on display here are charming, articulate and interesting in their own right, though you'll probably have a favorite before the film is over. And while some of the homes on display are certainly eccentric, if not downright wacky, you're rarely tempted to laugh AT the owners/designers since they are fully aware of their obsessions and are happy to share them with us. There's a genuine sweetness to Smith's approach in Home Movie and if anything, we want to know more about these people as the film jumps back and forth from one home to another.
In Louisiana, we meet an alligator farmer who lives on a houseboat - a funky, open-deck floater that sports a commanding view of the bayou and swampland vegetation in all directions. In Illinois, we tour a home of the future with rotating rooms, Star Trek-like doors, and a hand that comes out of the wall to deliver a soap tray. The inventor who lives in the home also demonstrates some of his other creations which include a portable, motorized chair that can do some amazing "wheelies" and a talking robot that developed a close bond with the inventor's dog (who makes a cameo appearance as a stuffed animal). Equally engaging is Linda Beech, the former American star of a Japanese sitcom in the fifties, who retreated to the rain forests of Kauai, Hawaii, where she built a rustic tree house. A free spirit who talks to rivers and trees, Ms. Beech occasionally reveals fleeting glimpses of past tragedies in her spiritual ramblings (the unexpected death of her son in an alcohol-related accident) but for the most part maintains an upbeat, all-accepting attitude amid her organic surroundings. Cat lovers, in particular, will like the husband and wife photography team based in California who have designed their home for the comfort of their many cats - walkways along the ceilings, mouse-shaped openings in the walls, and cat toys everywhere. And probably lots of cat hair too! Last but not least is the Kansas couple who took over an abandoned underground missile site complete with a 120 foot tunnel that connects their main living quarters (formerly the missile command center) with the old missile silo (now a workshop). They also have a lookout tower on their property that looks out over their rather desolate rural location. Like the homestore.com commercials that Smith first started with, Home Movie pops the question that really makes you think about finding your bliss: "What's your dream home?" All of the house owners featured in Home Movie get ample screen time to demonstrate their concept of "home" and should be an inspiration to anyone who wants to follow suit.
The Home Vision DVD of Home Movie is a first rate video and audio presentation which includes some fun extras: Wild Bill's gator commercial for the Louisiana Tourism Department; a gallery of cat photographs from the California couple who make their living off their pets; a scratched and faded short on a Disneyland attraction, Monsanto's House of the Future; a history of Kansas missile site bases; the original homestore.com commercials and even liner notes by Mark Borchardt (yes, the scene-hogging star of American Movie).
For more information about Home Movie, visit Home Vision Entertainment. To order Home Movie, go to TCM Shopping.
by Jeff Stafford
