A strange little film that grows more and more bizarre as it unfolds, "The House of Yes" won't find a large mainstream audience, but should please those who like their humor dark and edgy. Based on a stage play by Wendy MacLeod and directed for the big screen by Mark Waters, this adaption retains its theatrical quality and its clever dialogue is its strongest point. Sounding very much like a staged production, the dialogue is witty, though certainly never realistic, but that's half the fun of hearing it. Many subtle character nuances are displayed through its use and that, added to the fun spooky atmosphere that's reminiscent of those 70's murder mystery movies (think of "Murder by Death" -- but not as funny), keeps this talky film from ever getting boring. From the opening credits where a young Jackie mimics the real Mrs. Kennedy, to the disturbing but not altogether surprising plot revelations and developments, the film is always easy on the eye and always interesting to watch.
It's no surprise that the film drew critical acclaim at this year's Sundance Film Festival and a great deal of that can be attributed to Parker Posey's over the top performance as the brilliant, but psychotic young lady. Completely believable as the troubled character, Posey's acting is close to award nomination quality, but she might not be recognized as such. Traditionally it appears that the awards ceremonies like mentally unbalanced/ill characters, but usually ones with an underlying sadness dwelling within them. It's certainly sad the way Posey's character is, but her incestuous, murderous behavior may put off the voters. It will certainly do the same with many viewers, but if you can look beyond that material, you'll find a film filled with quirky characters who are always interesting to watch. There are a few problems, however, and some viewers may place the "talky" quality of the film that we praise in that category. Similarly, the film's descent into troubling madness -- while certainly believable -- ruins the off kilter and campy fun present earlier in the film. And then there's the subject of the raging hurricane that occurs outside their home in the Washington, D.C. suburbs in late November. While this is a minor objection, such events don't occur that late in the year and that far inland (you'd think D.C. was a coastal city).
The hurricane's there just to serve the same purpose as untold numbers of thunderstorms have done in horror films: It's raining too hard to leave and the storm finally knocks out the power, lending a certain haunted house feel to the film especially with the unstable and unpredictable Jackie-O lurking about. That's part of the fun, though, as is the uncertainty of what's going to happen next which makes this an interesting feature to sit through. While certainly not for all audiences, "The House of Yes" is an entertaining diversion that we give a 7 out of 10.
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