A Home of Our Own

The world may not need another coming-of-age-in-a-cruel-cruel-world film. This year alone we’ve had Jack the Bear, This Boy’s Life, King of the Hill, and A Bronx Tale. Screenwriter Patrick Duncan’s memory-movie A Home of Our Own at least feels honest in its sentimentality, but that still doesn’t keep it out of the second-hand bin. As a seen-it-all mama who moves her brood of six to rural Idaho for a fresh start, Kathy Bates gives a smart but curiously unremarkable performance. More memorable are the younger actors, particularly T2‘s Edward Furlong (who’s beginning to resemble a teenage George Raft) as the oldest son/narrator, and Clarissa Lessig, an actress with the moony face of a Pierrot, as his sister. Despite their efforts, though, this familial tale is a too familiar tale. C+