The Popkorn Junkie :: Bringing Down the House

This is the kind of film that just creeps out of nowhere and knocks you for a loop, kind of like "Meet the Parents" did when it was first released. Most people will watch the trailer for "Bringing Down the House" and expect it to be another film about a parent learning a valuable lesson from a stranger, who would seem to be the last person who could teach anything remotely close to values. And, essentially, that is exactly what "Bringing Down the House" is about. Alas, you probably won't be able to catch on to the inner message because you'll be laughing way too hard to give a damn.

Steve Martin stars as Peter Sanderson, a lonely father and divorcee, who decides to try and meet someone via the internet. However, he meets Charlene Morton (Queen Latifah) and sets up a date with her, even though he is under the impression she is someone completely different. Charlene turns out to be loud, brash, and completely urban. She starts wreaking havoc on his life, unintentionally, of course. She teaches his daughter how to read sexually explicit magazines ("What's a rack, daddy?" "It's a country!"), makes friends with his best pal Howie (Eugene Levy), and throws the occasional pool party, to which she invites the entire neighborhood. However, between these antics, Charlene also manages to teach Peter about life, in general, and how to improve on the relationship he maintains with his children and his ex-wife, for whom he still has strong feelings.

First off, this film is hilarious. Steve Martin is in top form and this is the best role he has taken in a long time. His facial expressions, vocal exaggerations, and bodily movements are back in action, something he really hasn't been able to recapture since "Three Amigos". And, Queen Latifah, shows why she is such a hot commodity in Hollywood these days. Her supporting role in "Chicago" has opened up many doors for her, and this is another fine film she can place on her resume. As for the rest of the cast--they are perfect. Eugene Levy is one of the funniest characters in the film, especially when he starts laying down the street slang to Latifah. Jean Smart delivers another fine, though tiny, performance (much better than her barely noticeable role in "Sweet Home Alabama"), and "Golden Girls" matron Betty White even pops up (thank God she does not use the same language she did in "Lake Placid").

I did not stop laughing from shortly after the opening credits until the end credits--it was THAT funny. The trailers, however, are deceiving. This is not nearly as family oriented and strong on values as the trailer shows, so be a little weary when taking your young ones to see this.

All Steve Martin fans should be impressed with this wonderful new comedy. It looks like his taste in roles might have been altered somewhat, since his last few attempts have been mediocre, to say the least. I think we all remember "The Out-of-Towners", unfortunately. Stay away from flicks like that, Steve, they don't do either one of us any good.

-- Billy Ray ( 4 pops out of 4 pops )

Talk about this film with other Popkorn Junkies

Other Junkie's opinions.....

Matt ( 3 out of 4 pops )

This is another case of "don't judge a book by its cover," or more specifically "don't judge a movie by its trailer." Though "Bringing Down the House" is no gem, I got more laughs than I expected and overall, it's all pretty harmless. I like Steve Martin in whatever he does, whether or not the film itself is good. He always puts his best foot forward, and I'm glad to hear that he's hosting the Oscars again. He also proves in this movie that he possesses great talent not only as a comedian, but as an actor. The problem with some comedians-turned-actors is they try so hard to go for laughs that they forget to act. In the beginning of the film, Steve had me convinced that he's a stuck-up, laid-back tax attorney and he never broke out of character to draw a chuckle out of his audience. That's why it's so funny when we finally see him in baggy clothes, spewing out phrases like "You musta been drinkin' some of that r-rade." Without that character arc, he wouldn't have succeeded, so kudos to Steve for another brilliant comic performance! And one thing's for sure, you're never gonna get another chance to see English actress Joan Plowright puffing on a joint! That alone is worth the price of admission! However, I wasn't too pleased with Eugene Levy, who ironically almost never ceases to please. Many people found his usage of such phrases as "You got me straight trippin', boo" to be hilarious, but I found it to be forced and downright silly. Besides, the whole idea of old white people using black phrases is getting really old now and unless the gag is handled with care (like in the case with Martin), it can be terribly jarring. Before the movie, they showed a preview for the upcoming Chris Rock movie, "Head of State," and I wanted to put my foot through the screen when an old lady said, "That was the hizzle fashizzle." Anyway, I enjoyed the film a lot more than I expected, and it doesn't constantly resort to crusty old stereotypes to get laughs--which is one of the things I feared. I wasn't laughing frequently, but I still had a good time.

Mike ( 0 out of 4 pops )

What can I say... this is one terrible movie. I'm a big Steve Martin fan but he pretty much sleep walked thru this one and other than the little used Eugene Levy, nobody else was worth watching in this unbelievably unfunny movie. Even Queen Latifah didn't add anything we haven't seen before. I think the main problem was that the film tried to be too many things... heartwarming, funny, dramatic, slapstick, etc. and failed to do any of them very well at all. This is easily one of the worst films of the year and one of the biggest disappointments I've had in a long time watching a movie. Be warned... you will not laugh much.