ARCHITECT, THE

director/writer: Jonathan Parker; screenwriter: Catherine DiNapoli; cinematographer: Svetlana Cvetko; editor: David Scott Smith; music: Niels Bye Nielsen; cast: Parker Posey (Drew), James Frain (Miles Moss), Eric McCormack (Colin), Michael Panes (Adjuster), John Carroll Lynch (Conway), Dana Millican (Reese); Runtime: 95; MPAA Rating: NR; producers: Catherine DiNapoli/Patrick Peach/Jonathan Parker; Parker Film Company; 2016)

“The modest comedy uses the social climbing upper- middle-class to be the butt of its satirical humor.”

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz

Jonathan Parker(“Bartleby”/”The Californians“) is writer director of this quirky sitcom comedy about a trio of incompatible seekers of fame, wealth and creativity. Catherine DiNapoli is co-writer of this messy story.

The yuppie couple of Drew (Parker Posey) and Colin (Eric McCormack), against his wishes, hire a pretentious local British architect Miles Moss (James Frain) to build their dream house off the coastline of Seattle. The pompous architect uses flattery to get them to build an ultra-modern house that fits his needs more than theirs. The scarf wearing poser says such idiotic things as “straight lines are a symptom of the new illiteracy,” and she laps up those words as if they were pearls of wisdom.
 
Things become increasingly awkward when the impetuous ceramic artist, Drew, shows more chemistry with the self-absorbed Miles than with her conventional financial planner hubby, who can’t talk sense to her about building a cheaper and more livable house. Life gets stressful as the childless thirty-something couple can’t conceive and are bummed out that they can’t keep up with their close friends raising a family. Also stressful is that the house plans run over cost and Drew has a forbidden romance with the self-professed genius.

The modest comedy uses the social climbing upper-middle-class to be the butt of its satirical humor. While architects are pictured as unlikable villainous egotists more concerned with personal fame than designing homes that are comfortable. All the main characters are drawn paper thin, and the story was done better in the Cary Grant starring movie of 1948″ Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House.” Lastly its pat resolution seemed unearned, insulting to our intelligence and nonsensical.

REVIEWED ON 12/29/2016       GRADE: C+