A Home at the End of the World (2004) or, In Need of Haircuts

♥♥♥

Co-star Colin Farrell looks contemplative in front on this character-focused poster for Michael Mayer's A Home at the End of the World

A Home at the End of the World is debuting filmmaker Michael Mayer's (The Seagull (2018)) film of Michael Cunningham's (The Hours (2002)) same-titled 1990 novel, which he has adapted for the screen himself.

 

The film centers on a about a ménage à trois consisting of a teenaged gay couple and a woman, Clare, who become parents together.

 
The film clearly has good intentions, but they are regrettably not turned into a successful movie. A Home at the End of the World is often pretty awkward and unintentionally funny: Ridiculous hairdos and super-sweetness gets mixed with huge year leaps and a very unsatisfactory ending.
But points go to Colin Farrell (Minority Report (2002)) for doing something entirely new in playing a believable bisexual, and for Sissy Spacek (Carrie (1976)) for being a wonderful mother in the film. On the other hand; huge minus-points for director Mayer for cutting nude scenes of Farrell out, because they "distracted test audiences too much."
A Home at the End of the World is a sweet, very new-age-y drama with some good music, but it is also a very flawed picture.

 

Related post:

 

Michael Mayer: 2004 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 6.5 mil. $
Box office: 1.5 mil. $
= Box office disaster (returned 0.23 times its cost)

[A Home at the End of the World premiered 9 June (New York Lesbian and Gay Film Festival) and runs 96 minutes. Shooting took place in April 2003 - ? in New York, Arizona, including Phoenix, and in Ontario, including Toronto. The film opened #46 to a 64k $ first weekend in 5 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #40 and in 65 theaters (different weeks), grossing 1 mil. $ (66.7 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 144k $ (9.6 %) and Spain with 95k $ (6.3 %). Roger Ebert gave the film a 3.5/4 star review, translating to 2 notches higher than this one. The film won a National Board of Review award. Mayer returned with Flicka (2006). Farrell returned in Alexander (2004); Dallas Roberts (My Friend Dahmer (2017)) in Walk the Line (2005); Robin Wright (Rampart (2011)) in Nine Lives (2005)), and Spacek also in Nine Lives. A Home at the End of the World is rotten at 50 % with a 5.80/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 
What do you think of A Home at the End of the World?