Rehabs and Romance in the Movies

           There's something romantic about fixing up a dilapidated house, and Hollywood filmmakers have tapped into this theme for decades. Home renovating is a noteworthy part of many well-known movies, so in a way you could say we’ve been conditioned to harbor passion for a seemingly unloved property. WARNING: Many movie spoilers ahead.  

George and Mary about to
vandalize their future home in
It's a Wonderful Life

It’s a Wonderful Life is a classic example of home rehabilitations in movie plots. In one memorable scene, the two main characters, George and Mary, stand outside the Granville house. It’s abandoned with broken windows and an ugly front yard, yet the young woman describes it as “full of romance,” before saying she’d love to live in it one day. George scoffs at the idea before he makes a “hatful of wishes” and flings a rock at this old house to “break some glass.” Then, Mary makes her own wish, throws a rock, and also breaks a window. Later in the film, they get married, and on their wedding night, she surprises her groom at the house saying, “Welcome home, Mr. Bailey.” As they embrace, she gazes up at her new husband and says, “this is what I wished for.” They restore the home, raise their family there, and the Bailey home is filled with friends and loved ones in the final climactic scene.

Up, up, and away...

At the heart of the animation Up is a decrepit house where young Carl and snaggletooth Ellie meet as children. The pair is oblivious to the dangers of playing in the vacant home until the boy falls and breaks his arm. This accident leads to the kids becoming close friends who eventually fall in love and marry. Then the lovebirds buy the uninhabited house and team up to renovate it. The couple is unable to have children and they pour their spare time into their quaint home. After Ellie passes away, Carl continues to live in and tend to the house without her. Over time, the city grows up on all sides of Carl’s lot, yet he refuses to sell out to developers because the little cottage had meant so much to him and his late wife. In an act of defiant determination, he attaches helium balloons to the home and flies away. Up is a love story about Carl and Ellie, but it’s also about the love that they shared for this special house that they saved together.  

Under the Tuscan Sun

Under The Tuscan Sun, written by Frances Mayes, was a New York Time’s best-selling book before it was a movie. As the title indicates, it’s set in Italy and like most home renovations, it’s a true adventure. After her marriage ends, Frances travels to Tuscany where she marks the beginning of the next chapter of her life with the purchase of a run-down villa. In the film, the property is overgrown with plants and weeds, long overdue for a rehab. Beyond the challenges, it’s easy to see the potential amongst the many assets of the property; the solid structure with generations of history, the architectural details ready to be restored, and the landscape that's begging for attention. When I watched the film, I found myself thinking, “That is my kind of house project.” Under the Tuscan Sun concludes with a different type of love as Frances finds herself falling in love with her new surroundings and the group of people that she has grown to adore like family.

Noah and his project house
in The Notebook

The Notebook is really about love in the midst of Alzheimer's disease, but a home restoration is woven into the plot making it integral to the storyline. Noah buys an antebellum mansion that needs restored and his efforts are featured in the local newspaper. The article includes a photo that captures Allie’s attention and spurs their reunion. Sparks fly, Allie realizes that she loves Noah more than her fiancé, and she forgoes the more socially ideal marriage for a lifetime of love and happiness with ambitious rehabber Noah.

Doug and his crew of duplicates in Multiplicity

Some say, “a contractor’s home is never finished.” This quirky tendency in the character of a builder is at the core of Multiplicity. However, like all the other examples, love and romantic undertones are critical. The main character, Doug, is stretched thin professionally, overseeing multiple projects. His job and family commitments make spare time non-existent. After a chance meeting with a sympathetic scientist, he clones himself so Doug #2 can work while original Doug relaxes. Things get wacky when he creates a third Doug who eventually clones himself. Meanwhile, his wife Laura has unfilled wants and needs of her own, and the story reaches a boiling point because master builder Doug won’t finish their house. With the help of his small army of cloned Dougs, he kicks things into high gear on the family’s unfinished house. Laura is amazed and overjoyed when he surprises her with the home of her dreams and they live happily ever after.

Falling Inn Love

Falling Inn Love is a romantic comedy about a young American woman, Gabriela, who wins a writing contest and travels halfway around the world to claim her prize: a New Zealand Bed and Breakfast. However, it’s a clever scam, the on-line photo was out-of-date, and she finds herself the new owner of a jacked-up house. Gabbi meets Jake, a single bloke who’s also a restoration expert. He helps her with the rehab, it’s amazing, and like Frances Mayes in Tuscany, she falls in love with her new surroundings in a foreign land. The movie ends with Gabbi and her hunky fireman running the restored inn as a team.     

The demolition scene in Instant Family

Another example of a film with home rehabbing infused within the plot is Instant Family. Besides the fact that the Wagners renovate overlooked homes, I also really enjoyed this movie because it’s based on a true story about adoption. After successfully teaming up to restore several homes, the married couple decides to adopt… an overlooked child. However, the teenager they connect with has two siblings who also need homes, and they end up adopting all three kiddos. Home renovating is the thread that loosely runs through from beginning to end.

The Money Pit house under construction

Finally, the granddaddy of all home renovation movies is The Money Pit. The beautiful palatial estate appeared to be move-in-ready, but this appearance was a deception and their home owning euphoria rapidly spirals into a zany nightmare. It’s a wild ride and hilarious to watch.  Eventually, financial pressures created by the extensive project lead to the couple’s break-up. Yet, similar to Gabriela and Jake of Falling Inn Love, the finished home that they had rehabbed as a team unites them in the end.  

Romance and rehabs on the big screen. They go together like bricks and mortar, a washer and a dryer, or my personal favorite, coffee and donuts.

Pig's Ears on the Big Screen

There's something intriguing about fixing up an old house and Hollywood taps into this appeal frequently.  Our family is like the rest of our culture in how much we enjoy getting lost in a good movie and extreme renovations are part of some of my favorite films.

Think about some iconic movies where the young couple fixed up a pig's ear (extremely run-down home).  Start with the classic, It's A Wonderful Life (1946).   George and Mary honeymooned at the old Granville house before they fixed it up and raised their young family in it.   Remember how Jimmy Stewart threw a rock at one of the windows while he walked Donna Reed home?  And what about Pacific Heights (1990)?  Melanie Griffith and Matthew Modine fix up that amazing Polychrome in San Francisco before psychotic tenant Michael Keaton moves into the rental unit they need to make the payments and turns their home ownership dream into a nightmare.  Finally, don't forget the heartwarming cartoon Up (2009).  Mr. Fredricksen and his future bride met in the little run-down house as children before they fell in love, fixed it up after they got married, and spent the rest of their lives together there.  That's all part of the reason he's so attached to it and the multicolored little home is a character along with Russell and the talking dog Doug. 

Diane Lane had the starring role in Under The Tuscan Sun (2003) which is at the top of my Hollywood Pig's Ears list.  First, it's about Frances Mayes' adventure in Italy.  I also really love movies based on true stories.  And finally,the plot is structured around her enormous rehab effort.  Look at that picture in the photo to the left; plants overgrown to the point of blocking the door, peeling paint, and nothing to consider too seriously... unless you want to take a run-down home and transform it into something spectacular like Frances did.  If that's the way you think, then you don't get hung-up on the little challenges, you see the potential and all the assets of the property; the solid structure with generations of history to build upon, the architectural details ready to be restored, and the landscape that's waiting to be revitalized.  I look at that house and think, That is my kind of place.   

The Notebook (2004) is really about love in the midst of Alzheimer's disease, but this beloved film does contain an example of a pig's ear renovation.  Midway through, Ryan Golsing works tirelessly to resurrect that Antebellum mansion and this plays an integral part in the storyline because his work leads to his reunion with Rachel McAdams when she spots his photo in a local newspaper article.

When you talk about movies with rehab efforts in the plot, you can't leave out the classic, The Money Pit (1986) starring a young Tom Hanks and Shelley Long.  That big house looked like a beautiful palatial estate until they started making their minor upgrades.  That's when the fun starts... for us. 

 
In Mulitplicity (1996), Michael Keaton and Andie MacDowell patch things up after he finally finishes their kitchen/house remodelling project.  As a side note, I really love that apartment over the garage where he has his  clones hanging out in secret.  Who doesn't envy having space like that for in-laws and guests to have a home away from home when they come over for an extended visit?  Good stuff.

Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore don't fix up any houses in Ghost (1990), but they do up fit that loft together before they move in, so their capturing the romantic spirit I'm talking about.  People really love the idea of fixing up something and turning it into their home. 

So if that's you, get ready for an adventure like the one's shown on the big screen and mentioned above.  Unlike the films, it will take you longer than a couple hours, but it will also be a lot more meaningful and exciting.  Get ready to take plenty of pictures and video... and enjoy the ride.

Trent
bloodsweatandpigsears@hotmail.com