Princeton area McMansion residents recruited for documentary movie
By: Courtney Gross
A put-down description that is used from Maine to Hawaii.
A phenomenon that has made some cringe and others ecstatic.
And, more to the point, a bland, oversized construction seen in the Princeton area.
The McMansion.
To discover the ins and outs of living in pumped-up, often mass-produced McMansions, New York City-based film director John Heus and Connecticut resident and executive producer Eric Wright are recruiting Princeton-area McMansion residents to participate in a documentary on their living experience good and bad.
The documentary, "McMansion: How Bad Architecture Ruins Lives," is planned for national release and entry into film festivals, possibly including the elite Sundance Film Festival, by next year.
The film is intended to explore the transition from Bauhaus architecture, which inspired the modernist movement, to the advent of mass-market developers and suburban sprawl. The film suggests that distress in some people’s lives could be related much more than they think to their living spaces, Mr. Wright said.
"It’s a faux house," Mr. Wright said of the typical McMansion. "It’s a bad imitation of a good house."
As local governments continue to confront opposition to McMansions, Princeton residents could be prime examples of how McMansions affect neighborhoods and residents.
"McMansions encourage people not to relate to outside neighbors," Mr. Wright said. "When you see you have extra rooms not being furnished, it creates a stranger in your own house."
Having interviewed representatives of Toll Brothers, a national developer of upscale houses, as well as authors and architects, the documentary filmmakers are now looking for the personal narratives for the film.
Although Princeton is rife with historic homes with colonial trimmings, it also has its share of newer, bigger residences that have sprouted up throughout central New Jersey.
The similarity some see between the profession of contractor and architect, Mr. Wright said, could be part of this problem.
"It’s deciding absent from architecture," Mr. Wright said of McMansions. "Homes are not here via architecture. They are here via industry," he added.
Part of the documentary’s message will be the need to revisit architecture, the filmmakers said, so people may get back in touch with home design not home construction. Since the Great Depression, Mr. Wright added, the nation has been particularly devoid of residential architecture geared toward an aesthetic.
Mr. Heus, who has directed documentaries for PBS and MSNBC, said the film, in part, is about creating an awareness about design and architecture, while defining what makes a good home.
Currently, there is a market for McMansions in New Jersey and throughout the country, Mr. Wright said, meaning contractors or developers are not the enemy. The market exists in this day and age, he added, and it responds to its consumers.
Those interested in participating in the documentary or expressing their views on McMansions should visit www.mcmansion-movie.com.

