“Life As a House,” December 15 2001, theater. We both liked this incredibly sentimental, melodramatic weepie about a divorced architect, George (Kevin Kline), who loses his job and finds out he’s dying from cancer. The movie follows his efforts to reconcile with his rebellious and outrageously self-destructive 16-year old son Sam (Hayden Christensen) by having him live with him for the summer and build a dream-house. Along the way, he wins back his ex-wife’s (Kristen Scott Thomas) love. Some wonderful acting by Kline and Christensen make this fun to watch, and Mary Steenburgen is a real joy in a small character part as a neighbor. This is a two hankie weepie (and lord knows we wept) about finding yourself as you die, and the recreation of love. Still, the ending is very bogus and the dialogue is way too precious. Sort of a male “Terms of Endearment” but less obnoxious because Shirley McClain isn’t in it. I wish it was tougher or nastier in many ways. Everything is just too neat. Some of the emotional stuff between the principals, however, really is winning.