Kevin Kline is divine in his potentially Oscar-winning performance in “Life as a House,” a film about a father who finds out he is dying of cancer and tries to reconnect with his troubled son.

Kline plays George, a washed up architect living alone in a dilapidated garage-house, an eyesore of the suburban oceanside neighborhood with no running water and an unenclosed toilet.

George, who has been divorced from his ex-wife Robin (Kristin Scott Thomas) long enough for her to remarry and have two more children,, forces his disturbed teenager Sam (Hayden Christensen, who will play Anakin Skywalker in next year?s “Star Wars: Episode II”) to stay with him over the summer. He hopes to reinvent their relationship and pursue his dream of building a house of his own.

While the title is a metaphor for rebuilding relationships and repairing a dysfunctional family, the movie is full of underlying significance and packed with parallels.

Christensen is outstanding in his role as Sam, a neglected teen who uses drugs and alienates himself from everyone. Although extreme in his blatantly disrespectful behavior toward his family and himself, the character is believable.

The cast and characters are right on and convincing in their parts. Neighbor Coleen (Mary Steenburgen) is precisely depicted as a lonesome single mom while daughter Alyssa (Jena Malone) shines as an undaunted freethinker who is a perfect match for the troubled Sam.

The movie is reminiscent of “American Beauty.” However, “Life as a House” makes unlikely couples look natural and amusing while portraying joyful, heart wrenching moments, whereas “American Beauty” is discouraging in its illustration of the demise of a family.

This is one of the best movies I have seen this year. “Life as a House” takes dysfunction and generates paradise. Be ready to laugh, cry and truly feel connected with a family and its reconciliation.

Four out of four stars.