The Architect stars Anthony LaPaglia as the architect of a crumbling
inner city projects building, but the movie
is actually about much more - race,
sexuality, identity and family. While not Award-winning, the film is certainly
a step in the right direction for rookie director Matt Tauber.
LaPaglia stars as a husband to a neurotic and unloving wife (Isabella Rossellini)
who has to deal with his struggling family issues and the proposition by an
activist named Tonya (Viola Davis) who wants him to help her get one of his
old buildings torn down. Long ago, he was contracted by the city to design low-income
housing, but the projects have since become a cesspool for gangs, druggies and
other unpleasant people. Leo the architect, however, has trouble seeing Tonya''s
point of view. Meanwhile, his family continues to unravel as his son (Sebastian
Stan) begins to discover his homosexual tendencies and his daughter (Hayden
Panettiere, "Heroes") aimlessly searches for her own sexuality, which
could get her into trouble.
The Architect succeeds on its performances, of which there are many
good ones. LaPaglia, who is best known for "Without a Trace" but has
been recognizable in parts for the last two decades, is great here, capturing
the idea of a man who is extremely smart but can''t seem to grasp the reality
of situations. He relies on functionality but not on usability, and thus his
flaws show everywhere, from the results of his work to his family life. LaPaglia
carries his character on the fine line between remaining completely bottled
in and being able to recognize there is a problem without completely being able
to understand it.