| BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE |
 2003
- USA
Director: Adam Shankman - Reviewed by Tim  Steve Martin has been one of my favorite comedians for a long time. He has brought me to tears in The Jerk and charmed me in Roxanne, but Bringing Down the House left me a little flat. It's kind of sad, really, that the last few movies that he has been in have been less than stellar. I ask myself, "Does Steve still have the magic?"—I still have hope; maybe he'll blow us all away at hosting the Academy Awards this year.
When Charlene (Queen Latifah) starts chatting with Peter (Steve Martin) in a legal chat room, she neglects to mention that she is currently the guest of the federal correctional system. When the time comes to meet, Peter is surprised to find out that Charlene isn't quite the woman he thought she was. Funny how things like this happen in internet matchmaking! Anyway, after the big secret is revealed, Charlene persuades Peter to help her with her appeal, and letting her stay at his house until things are figured out. This is when ethnic hilarity ensues. There were a few funny moments in the film, and the supporting cast made it a better movie than it should've been. Betty White's small part, as the old fashioned and VERY white neighbor, brought the audience to a state of loud yelling fits with her racial slurs and her general Betty-Whiteness. Joan Plowright played an almost stereotypical uptight billionaire, which is why it's funny to see her in the last few scenes of the film. Eugene Levy's character is a man who likes a little "Junk in the Trunk" on his women, so Charlene is just the ticket to make him start speaking in ways we would never imagine the father from American Pie to speak. He will never live down "You got me straight-trippin', Boo" or "You got me all tied up in the game." I was half expecting Snoop Dog to come out of the background and start talking his Hizzel Fashizzle language. What the…? Bringing Down the House feels like a typical fish-out-of-water story. First-time screenwriter, Jason Filardi, took some of the racial humor close to the inappropriate point, but held back just enough. There were no real surprises in the almost clichéd situations that the characters were put into, and with a bit more work, I think this could've been much better than it was. I'm keeping my eye on Queen Latifah, this year she is nominated for an Oscar for Chicago, and is now starring, and executive producing, Bringing Down the House. This tells me that we will be seeing a lot more of her in the future. You go girl! |
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