Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		2.0

The Architect Blu-ray Movie Review

“You can’t change the face of it and make it right.”

Reviewed by Casey Broadwater August 3, 2009

Public housing has proved to be a tricky proposition in America’s big cities, where the almost socialistic aims of mass, affordable accommodation have been overshadowed by the black market capitalism of drugs, prostitution, and gang violence. It’s a touchy subject, and movieland representations of “the projects” can lapse too often into stereotypes or, worse, a kind of vague moralizing about inner-city life. First-time director Matt Tauber’s The Architect falls into the latter category, with a didactic story that details society’s woes—the film is almost a checklist of social issues—but offers no new insights and few reasons to watch. The Architect presents itself as a “message” movie, but after opening this cinematic envelope, I was surprised to find nothing inside.

Isabella Rossellini, Hayden Panettiere, and Anthony LaPaglia.

Based on a stage production by Scottish playwright David Greig, The Architect was adapted by director Matt Tauber, who saw a uniquely American slant to this Glasgowian tale of mass housing and decided to set the film in his hometown of Chicago. Anthony LaPaglia plays Leo Waters, the titular architect who designed the Eden Court projects back when public housing still seemed like a good idea. Since then they’ve become a rundown slum, and the “corporate headquarters” for a gang-run drug operation. Tonya Neely (Viola Davis) is a fed-up resident of Eden Court who starts a petition to have the buildings torn down. She approaches Leo at the college where he teaches and tries to convince him to add his John Hancock to the petition. Leo, however, is a bit indignant about this affront—after all, he designed the buildings—and he’s also pre-occupied with a less-than-stellar family life. His wife Julia (Isabella Rossellini) is on the verge of leaving him, his son Martin (Sebastian Stan) has just dropped out of college, and his teenaged daughter Christina (Heroes’ Hayden Panettiere) is exploring her sexuality in some unhealthy and potentially dangerous ways. Tonya presses on with her efforts though, and the characters find their lives shaped by their relationships to one another and Eden Court.

As I said before, the film touches on more cultural themes than a sociology textbook, from class distinctions and familial disintegration to gender roles and even incest. Leo’s daughter Christina is a Lolita-in-progress, and it’s not so subtly implied that there may have been improper relations between her, her father, and perhaps her brother. Both siblings go on journeys of sexual self- discovery—Christina with a much older long-haul trucker, and Martin with a male prostitute from the projects—but these relationships are shoe-horned into an already thematically overstuffed narrative. The whole thing comes off like a long lost, public housing-centric season of The Wire, but compressed into 82 minutes and, well, not very good. While HBO’s brilliant inner- city series explores social issues with razor-sharp insightfulness, The Architect seems content to point out problems and leave it at that, as if the mere mention of hot-button topics will make the film somehow deeper and more complex. Just about every time the film has the opportunity to elucidate or explore further, it stops suddenly short and takes the easy way out. For example, when Tonya confronts Leo in his classroom about the situation at Eden Court, Leo says, “Okay, let’s talk about that.” Yet, as soon as he begins, the film cuts to an unnecessary shot of Christina flirting with a boy outside. There’s a similar moment when Leo and Martin meet unexpectedly on a rooftop after being brought there by wildly different circumstances. Father and son arrive at a place where they’re both emotionally ready to have some raw and brutally honest conversation, but the film cuts this scene dreadfully short, only letting the two share a knowing glance.

The Architect, then, is like a terribly loquacious bore that you’d meet at a bar or sitting next to you on an airplane, someone who talks your ear off but, when it comes down to it, really doesn’t have anything important to say. Those kind of interminable, one-sided conversations drag time to a standstill, and The Architect is no different. In fact, I’d be comfortable calling it the longest, most tedious 82-minute movie I’ve ever seen. Still, the film does have a few scattered merits. The acting is generally solid, and the Tony Award-winning Viola Davis turns in an emotional, true-to-life performance that does manage to elevate the proceedings. Anthony LaPaglia is convincingly proud externally, while being clearly broken on the inside, and even the frequently over-perky Hayden Panettiere manages to slink into her role as a nascent nymphet. Isabella Rossellini, however, is a little too spacey and emotionally distant here, and I can’t quite tell if this is a characterization choice, or if she’s just phoning it in. Either way, acting can’t save The Architect from its overburdened story or the preachy nonsense of its empty, sociological jabbering.

The Architect Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Filmed on high definition video and presented in 1080i with an MPEG-2 encode, The Architect has the look of a cheap TV program, complete with flat lighting and purely workmanlike compositions. The spartan production quality does enhance the film's theatrical origins, but I can imagine the movie having a much deeper, visually engaging look had it been more substantially budgeted. Still, the image is fairly sharp, showing a good deal of clarity in close-ups, especially, while mid-range shots can occasionally exhibit some slight softness. Colors are strong and realistic, if a bit oversaturated at times, and black levels are generally fine during daytime scenes. The picture becomes problematic during nighttime sequences, however, which feature poor shadow delineation, decreased contrast, and a few instances of rampant digital noise. Considering its budget, the film looks as good here as it possibly could, but the made-for-TV aesthetics definitely won't turn any heads.

The Architect Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Architect's sound is built from a DTS-HD High Resolution (not lossless) 5.1 track that is acceptable but never rousing, serving the requirements of a film that is mostly quiet and dialogue- driven. As you might expect, the presentation is front-heavy, with voices taking priority in the center channel and a modicum of ambience—sirens, traffic, and other street sounds—taking up residence in the rears. Dialogue is clear enough, but foley sounds are occasionally suspect and there are a few instances of all-too-obvious ADR work. Bass use is practically non-existent, perhaps realistically so, but the lack of a low-end gives the film a lightweight, anemic quality that keeps The Architect from ever engaging.

The Architect Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Commentary by Director Matt Tauber

Tauber talks near constantly during this track, but like the film, there's a lot of meaningless chatter. He spends most of the time discussing the individual actors and the sundry ins and outs of production, but totally skimps on thematic insight. Feel free to skip this one.

Higher Definition: The Architect Episode (1080i, 27:48)

Film critic Robert Wilonsky of The Dallas Observer hosts Higher Definition for HDNet, and the program combines some sly promotional shilling with genuinely informative interviews. This episode features director Matt Tauber, who discusses the story and production, Viola Davis, who brings up her own experience growing up poor, and Anthony LaPaglia, who talks about getting away from the formula of television and enjoying the creative latitude offered by independent cinema.

Deleted Scenes (SD, 8:54)

Included are nine short sequences, all available with optional commentary by the director.

The Architect Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If The Wire is at the deep end of the insightful, socially conscious narrative pool, The Architect is swimming with the kiddies in the shallows. Despite some fine performances, and some admittedly good intentions, the film simply doesn't come together in any meaningful way. Couple that with a less-than-impressive audio/visual lineup and a meager smattering of extras, and you have an overall package that is worth a cautious rental at best.