The House of Yes

A wonderful Altmanesque cross between Nashville and Come back to the Five and Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean. This is one obsessive, compulsive, spread-eagled, dysfunctional play, extremely well written and very tight. Parker Posey's best performance yet and extremely well cast all around.

I can't recommend it highly enough. This is the kind of movie worth waiting years for!

Enjoy.

The House of Yes is one of my personal favorites. Is it creepy? Yes. Is it funny? No - it's hysterical, at least to those of us accustomed to laughing at things you're not supposed to laugh about - like bizarre social taboo. Younger indie fans may not care for this flick, but The House of Yes is not to be compared with the likes of Chasing Amy. For Parker Posey fans, the film is apples to the oranges of Party Girl, Henry Fool, Clockwatchers, etc.

The House of Yes was adapted from Wendy McLeod's play, so it is a dialogue film with its own language - similar to the Coens' Miller's Crossing. As with Miller's Crossing, the snappy dialogue never misses. While watching The House of Yes, I've caught myself rewinding to catch a phrase I missed because I was still laughing a the preceding gag.

Facial closeups dominate this film, and for reason - the actors' expressions are more telling than the dialogue, delivered flawlessly by every member of the crew - looks you could spread onto a cracker, like when Mama (Bujold) warns her son Marty about Jackie-O's mental state: "I'm going to baste the turkey, and hide the kitchen knives."

The film's biggest surprise: Tori Spelling, as a prudish and naiive Pennsylvanian - perhaps her most believable role to date.

If there were a Cooperstown for comedic acting, this film alone puts Parker Posey into the Hall of Fame.

Highly recommended for the sick-minded and perverse.

Miles Keaton Andrew

Don't listen to reviews that tag this movie with a "predictable" or "poor" ending - they don't get it. The House of Yes is a brilliant adaptation of stage-to-film. Although the entire movie takes place in a single location, there is no claustrophobic effect - the result of magical cinematography. Each room of the house reveals a new secret, a new mystery. The acting is superb, due to the amazing range of affect offered by Parker Posey, sharply contrasted by the humorously flattened delivery of the other cast members. The script is flawless, the directing well-hidden. Nothing about this movie screams "This is a cool indie film I just made" (hopefully a doomed approach to filmmaking) This is not Ben Affleck posing as a post-punk Dalai Lama in a waste of celluloid, but a true work of art. The incest issue is handled with grace, wit, and true affection, not to mention the laugh-out-loud black humor. It's one of my top ten, right up there with True Romance, Naked Lunch and Miller's Crossing. Again, don't fret over warnings about a predictable ending - the ending is not what it seems. Think about it.

One would think that Tori Spelling being in the cast of this movie would immediately signal its poor quality, but The House of Yes is a rare exception to that rule. Dark, twisted, and wickedly funny, one can't help but be drawn into the delusional world of Jackie O. Her family can't seem to either, as they revolve around her, half in reality and half out. This strange, surreal dynamic drives the film, and brings most of the comedy. A definite must see for fans of Parker Posey, and for anyone who considers themselves knowledgeable in the world of indie film.

This is in my top five, a very eclectic list. I happened upon it years ago in Blockbuster of all places. This was before they had their "indie film" section. Typically I would walk through looking for movies that they only had one of. Parker Posey is riveting, she plays the part of a mentally unstable individual all too well. Unlike other people on this site I will not give away any plot lines but it is a MUST see. Do not be swayed by Tori Spelling and Freddie Prinze Jr. They do a surprisingly amazing job also. Rent it, own it, love it.