The repair, restoration, or remodeling of a property is referred to as home improvement. From the perspective of a filmmaker, this encounter is loaded with symbolic possibilities.

An individual or an interpersonal relationship, like a house, can be demolished and rebuilt. Aside from metaphors, home improvement movies sometimes revolve around a couple who buy a fixer-upper only to face a series of tragedies.

Perhaps a sympathetic comedy of mistakes, but these flicks also serve as cautionary tales. Take note, prospective homebuyers! American Home Shield recognized ten memorable home improvement movies.

According to IMDb user votes, films are ordered from most popular to least popular. For popular and critical perspective, IMDb user ratings and Metascores are supplied.

The Notebook (2004).

Director: Nick Cassavetes

– 7.8 IMDb user rating

– Metascore (out of 100): 53

– Duration: 123 minutes

In this blockbuster adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’ bestselling novel, Ryan Gosling plays blue-collar romantic Noah Calhoun. Calhoun begins a large makeover of the run-down Windsor Plantation upon his return from World War II. His true motivation is to construct a dream home for himself and Allie Hamilton (Rachel McAdams), the young and wealthy heiress who has stolen his heart. Important sequences between Noah and Allie take place within the abandoned house, where he promises to renovate it. When he keeps his promise, the two lovers are reunited.
New Line Films

mother! (2017)

Darren Aronofsky is the director.

– User rating on IMDb: 6.6

– 75 Metascore

– Duration: 121 minutes

The controversial thriller directed by Darren Aronofsky takes place in one location and unfolds through a succession of complicated metaphors and concepts. It begins with the charred remains of a burning wreckage, which gradually recedes to show a lovely new home. Inside, a young woman (Jennifer Lawrence) and her writer husband (Javier Bardem) appear to be living happily ever after. But, the presence of two annoying strangers (Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer) results in a bizarre breakdown of both the marriage and the residence in which it resides. The house quickly becomes an essential symbol and a character in its own right, going through its own cycle of destruction and rebirth.

Movies from Paramount

Instant Family (2018)

Sean Anders is the director.

– User rating on IMDb: 7.3

57 on the Metascore

– Duration: 118 minutes

In this heartwarming comedy, a childless married couple (Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne) take in three foster children and a slew of escapades. While it is mostly intended to be amusing, it does explore the challenging histories of children who grow up in foster care. During the film, the couple renovates a house, and this recurring plot point provides much of pertinent subtext. “When we see promise in something, we fix it up, right?” comments the spouse at one point. Most of the plot is inspired on director Sean Anders’ own adoption of three children.

Projects that are closest to the hole

It’s Complicated (2009)

Nancy Meyers is the director.

– User rating on IMDb: 6.5

57 on the Metascore

– Duration: 120 minutes

This Nancy Meyers smash is a complex investigation of boomer romance that also pays great attention to architecture and interior design. Jane Adler (Meryl Streep) is a successful bakery owner who becomes the “other woman” in her ex-(Alec husband’s Baldwin) present marriage. To make matters even more complicated—hence the title—an architect named Adam (Steve Martin) is in love with Jane. He’s been engaged to renovate her kitchen, one of many magazine-worthy spaces on her Santa Barbara, California, house. Come for the slapstick comedy, but stay for the magnificent decor and other fine elements.

Universal Studios

The Money Pit (1986)

Director: Richard Benjamin

– User rating on IMDb: 6.4

– Metascore is 49.

– Duration: 91 minutes

This is the title that comes to mind when people of a particular generation hear the words “home improvement movie.” Tom Hanks and Shelley Long are a joyful romantic couple who think they’ve gotten a steal when they buy a foreclosed property for $200,000. Instead, as they deal with a never-ending stream of property-based mishaps, the two embark on home repair misadventures. The arduous renovations and resulting costs put a predicted strain on their relationship. This film, as well as Ice Cube’s 2007 film “Are We Done Yet?” are remakes of the 1948 comedy “Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream Home.”

Entertainment by Amblin

Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)

Director: Audrey Wells

– User rating on IMDb: 6.7

– Metascore (out of 100): 52

– Duration: 113 minutes

In this romantic dramedy, recently divorced Frances Mayes (Diane Lane) travels to Tuscany and buys a derelict property on the spur of the moment. The subsequent renovation project is frequently interpreted as a metaphor for the character’s own transformative journey. A new life in Tuscany brings with it more than just a new home; it also brings with it new friendships and flings. A cathartic moment happens at the end of the film when water finally begins to flow from the previously dry faucet in the residence. The plot is based on the real-life Frances Mayes’s 1997 memoir of the same name.

Touchstone Films

Life as a House (2001)

Irwin Winkler is the director.

– User rating on IMDb: 7.5

– Metascore is 45.

– Duration: 125 minutes

Irwin Winkler, a Hollywood legend, produced and directed this touching drama about an architectural model maker named George Monroe (Kevin Kline). George takes on an ambitious restoration project after being fired from his job and diagnosed with terminal cancer on the same day. It takes place over the course of a summer and reunites the dying man with his rowdy teenage son (Hayden Christensen). As diverse characters grow older, the themes of taking down and rebuilding reach far beyond home renovation. Roger Ebert noted in his mainly unfavorable review that the picture had “much heart and not enough brain.”

Winkler Productions

Multiplicity (1996)

Harold Ramis is the director.

– User rating on IMDb: 6.1

– Metascore (out of 100): 53

– Duration: 117 minutes

“It’s a fable that speaks something about life,” said director Harold Ramis of this disastrous sci-fi comedy. Michael Keaton plays Doug Kinney, a construction worker who decides to clone himself in order to minimize his workload and spend more time with his family. As the action unfolds and chaos ensues, a single clone gives way to several clones. In the final section of the film, the clones all work together to complete restoring Doug’s home and restore order to his life. The story, according to Ramis, plays on the paradoxical expectations of mature men in the current society.

Movies by Columbia

Are We Done Yet? (2007)

– Steve Carr is the director.

– User rating on IMDb: 4.2

– Metascore (out of 100): 36

– Duration: 92 minutes

This ill-fated sequel begins up two years after the events of its successful predecessor, 2005’s “Are We There Yet?” Ice Cube returns as Nick Peoples, who buys the house with the assistance of real estate agent Chuck (John C. McGinley), who also serves as property inspector and town contractor. Then there’s the never-ending list of house maintenance issues, such as dry rot, roof repairs, and significant plumbing and electrical issues. While the film is essentially a remake of 1948’s “Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream Home,” it may also be influenced by 1986’s “The Money Pit.” All three films revolve around a terrible fixer-upper purchase.

Studio Revolution

Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948)

H.C. Potter is the director.

– User rating on IMDb: 7.2

– Metascore: no data available

– Duration: 94 minutes

In this blockbuster comedy, ad executive Jim Blandings (Cary Grant) and his family abandon their New York apartment for the Connecticut countryside. The purchase of a derelict farmhouse entails a renovation job that is the stuff of their worst nightmares. Jim nearly gives up on country living due to escalating financial and personal issues before seeing the silver lining. The film spawned radio adaptations as well as two feature-length remakes. General Electric created a number of “dream homes” across the country as a commercial tie-in and invited people to visit them.