The House of Yes: Packed Full of Posey

Reviewed by Vickie, Cinema Geek

Vick's Rating:

= There's two hours of my life I'll never see again. Is it too late to ask for my money back?
= They could have done SO much better. Wait for the video.
= Not bad at all. Some solid work.
= Wow! I'm very impressed. I might go see this one again.
= For the love of all that is good and kind in the world, what an amazing movie!!!

Directed by Mark Waters

Cast (in credits order):
Parker Posey....Jackie-O
Josh Hamilton...Marty
Tori Spelling....Lesly
Freddie Prinze Jr....Anthony
GeneviĀve Bujold....Mrs. Pascal
Rachael Leigh Cook....Young Jackie-O

When the words Spelling Films appeared on screen, people laughed. When the words Tori Spelling appeared on screen, people laughed and applauded in a way that didn't really suggest they were big fans of her, ahem, body of work. Yes, Tori Spelling is in a feature film and, you know what? It's really, really good.

Based on the stage play by Wendy MacLeod, "The House of Yes" is a black comedy that treads on familiar ground, examining Thanksgiving (this time 1981) through the eyes of a family so dysfunctional they make the wonky clan from "The Myth of Fingerprints" look like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting. Heading up the group is the highly protective and somewhat scary Mrs. Pascal (Genevieve Bujold), who may or may not have killed her husband years earlier. Her eldest children are twins Jackie-O (played with a take-no-prisoners approach by indie movie queen Parker Posey) and Marty (Josh Hamilton). Jackie, who models her life after the ex-First Lady, comes to dinner having just recently been released from a psychiatric hospital, while Marty, a young man full of promise, returns home for the first time in a long time with his wide-eyed new fiancee, Lesly (Tori Spelling), in tow. (The thing is, no one knows he's engaged. He's only ever referred to Lesly as "a friend." Surprise!) Rounding out the Pascals is youngest brother Anthony (Freddie Prinze Jr.), who spends his time tending to the needs of his sister and mother, and who, it would seem, doesn't get out much.

The fun begins as the family gathers at the Pascals' Washington, D.C. home. It is a dark and stormy night in every sense of the word and everyone seems to be really, really concerned about how Jackie-O will react to her brother's return. Not well, it turns out. The word "fiancee" sends everyone into a tailspin and both Mrs. Pascal and Jackie-O make it painfully clear they want Lesly out of the house and permanently out of the picture. As the power goes off and the army of skeletons in the Pascals' sizable closets begins to emerge, the level of discord and dysfunction gets turned up even further. Secrets from the past resurface, and explanations for current behaviour -- including Jackie's intense fixation on her twin -- become disturbingly clear. Talk about awkward silences.

Directed by first-time feature filmmaker Mark Waters, this wickedly entertaining dark comedy blends just the right amount of familial sentiment with a completely twisted sense of humor. While some viewers may be turned off by some of the film's seemingly uncinematic themes (anyone up for a good comedy about incest?), the pacing and the sharp writing make this a small film not to miss. The overall staging is simple, due no doubt to the film's origins as a play, and the dark, musty house becomes just as much a character as the people inhabiting its spaces.

The performances from the small but talented cast (yes, I'm including Ms. Spelling in that group) are top notch. Despite the absurdity of what might be happening onscreen, the actors never appear to be playing it anything but real. Genevieve Bujold rules the roost with an iron glare and one stern look from her is enough to send anyone -- unwelcome fiancee or not -- running for cover. Relative newcomer Freddie Prinze Jr. (last seen in "To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday") is incredibly endearing as the sweetly naive younger brother, and Josh Hamilton paints a convincing portrait of a troubled young man haunted by, um, inappropriate desires. While the role of Lesly could easily have been played by any number of young actresses, Tori Spelling does a decent job. It's nothing extraordinary but, unfortunately, more people will credit her for not sucking than will actually take note of her work in the film. Then again, maybe she was the perfect choice to play the outsider who spends the entire film being picked on, made fun of and basically shunned by the rest of the players. Go figure.

All that said, Parker Posey walks away with this movie. Her performance won her a special acting award at this year's Sundance Film Festival and, as anyone who's seen the film will attest, it was well-deserved. She attacks her role, and the script, with such raw emotion and intensity...okay, now I sound like a pretentious film reviewer. Suffice it to say, she absolutely rocks as Jackie-O and if her work here doesn't make her a huge star, it really should. She could act the pants off most of the overpaid, overrated starlets in Hollywood. But that's another story.

Despite all these wonderful things, I warn you (as always): "The House of Yes" isn't for everyone. But for those filmgoers who arrive at its table ready for a feast of off-the-wall characters, biting satire and unsettling stories, it's a very satisfying meal. So drop your forks and dig in.

VICK'S VIDEO PICKS

For more of Parker Posey's inspired performances, check out two new-to-video releases: "The Daytrippers," where she plays a young woman on a family quest for truth, or "Drunks," which features her as a member of a support group for alcoholics. Also, look for her in Christopher Guest's hilarious mockumentary "Waiting for Guffman," as a bored Dairy Queen employee who takes a shot at the not-so-big leagues by appearing in a small-town pageant.

Vickie, a self-confessed movie addict, has spent the last few years working at an entertainment magazine in Canada. When she's not toiling away at her computer in the office, she's toiling away at her computer at home-- hacking away at unfinished screenplays and planning her acceptance speech for the Academy Awards.