The answer to that question is: "kinda." His directorial debut isn't dishonorable, but it is not something that you'd take right off the shelf to your friend and say "this is good" without the tinge of sarcasm. It's a nostalgic piece of possibly semi-autobiographical storytelling that is full of pap and melancholy and, yes, a retarded Robin Williams performance. But some of the cast, like Duchovney's wife Tea Leoni, pull through reasonably well, and I liked some of the 1970s touches (the soundtrack mostly). It's about a young boy (Anton Yelchin, a rising talent) growing up in Greenwich village with his depressive, widow mother, and his one friend being janitor named Pappas (Williams) who does things even if they aren't the right thing to do (no, not in the sexual way ::frowns::) It's certainly not a bad movie, and I was kept in the mood to watch the movie once I tuned in to see how Yelchin's character would turn out, or how Duchovney, playing the adult version, would come back to reconcile his past. But it's sure to say that Duchovney is more assured as director than writer; a lot of his ideas become cluttered in the thick of the plot, and at times it's very awkward, and not always in the good comedic sensibility (Williams stumbles more than once in the character, though it's hard to say if he's annoying inasmuch as its written for him). I suppose if Duchovney tries again behind the camera, perhaps with someone else's script, he'll fare much better. He made a personal movie, independently done, and it once or twice verges to the touching momentum it wants to build to. It's also ham-fisted and 'meh' for a lot of the time.
Review of House of D
