'House of Tomorrow' starring Asa Butterfield a predictable tale of teen rebellion

Don't blame its talented cast that the coming-of-age comedy-drama ``The House of Tomorrow'' falls short. This story of two stifled teen boys yearning to break free goes sappy at times, and though it shows some of the hallmarks of small-scale, indie filmmaking, seems disappointingly conventional in the end.

Sebastian (an appropriately subdued Asa Butterfield) is a bright, orphaned youngster who lives in Minnesota with his Nana (Ellen Burstyn) in a house -- the House of Tomorrow -- designed by R. Buckminster Fuller, the futurist and proponent of the geodesic dome. Nana has devoted her life to spreading Fuller's visionary ideas, and expects Sebastian to follow suit. Besides conducting tours of the house and expounding the Fuller gospel, the boy, who is home-schooled, doesn't have much of a life.

He will eventually cross paths with Jared (Alex Wolff), a sharp-tongued 16-year-old whose devout Lutheran dad (Nick Offerman) is a straight arrow but not a bad guy. Jared's a partisan of punk music -- it's his way of asserting himself against the intense religious atmosphere at home and his worries about his fragile health (he has had a heart transplant and still suffers aftereffects).

After the aging Nana has a stroke, Sebastian begins spending more time with Jared, who aims to form a punk band, against his father's wishes, to perform at an upcoming church talent show. Jared's rebellion strikes a chord in the sheltered Sebastian, who might as well have grown up in an earlier century.

Sebastian begins feeling his oats, going so far as to pinch a bass guitar from the church basement, and helping Jared pen a few mildly in-your-face ditties such as one called ``Stupid School.'' There's a comically tame note to their defiance that the movie perhaps presses too hard. The same can be said for film's depiction of the pettiness of Nana's countercultural beliefs, such as her utter shock when Sebastian serves her a sandwich made with real cheese instead of cashew cheese.

The four main actors acquit themselves well, especially Wolff and Offerman. The interactions of the two boys are, at times, amusing and affecting. But writer-director Peter Livolsi, working from the novel of the same title by Peter Bognanni, relies too much on entirely predictable elements, and the climactic performance scene lacks the intended impact.

Part of what's missing in ``The House of Tomorrow'' is the acerbic punk spirit that inspires its two heroes, which could have been remedied by a sharper script.

Walter Addiego is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: waddiego@sfchronicle.com.

The House of Tomorrow

2 1/2 stars out of 4 stars Comedy-drama. With Asa Butterfield, Alex Wolff, Ellen Burstyn, Nick Offerman. Directed by Peter Livolsi. Not rated. 85 minutes.