Release Date:
03/07/2003
Its a story pulled right from todays headlines: Man meets woman on Internet; woman turns out to be escaped convict out for revenge; convict comes to mans house, butchers his entire family. Now, theyve taken some libertiesthe man is stiff, bumbling Steve Martin, the woman is sweet, succulent Queen Latifah, the family-butchering angle is minimized, etc.but you get the idea. The only problem with Bringing Down the House is
just
the entire premise. OK, last time: A black person is taken from the hood, or in this case, jail, to bring much needed flava into the lives of really uptight white folks. Before ya know it, the white people, God bless em, arent so uptight anymore; they talk black, they breakdance, they even smoke marijuanajust like black people!
Surprisingly enough, House has enough going on to almost save the film, including great performances by Betty White (as Martins racist neighbor) and Eugene Levy (brilliantly lecherous here), as well as possibly the most brutal catfight ever captured on film. But then the embarassing clichés ruin it all over again. If you think racial comedies should have ended with Blazing Saddles, stay far, far away from this movie. But if youre still unclear on the wacky differences between black people and white people, this movie will have you straight trippin, boo! And by boo, we mean you moron.
Surprisingly enough, House has enough going on to almost save the film, including great performances by Betty White (as Martins racist neighbor) and Eugene Levy (brilliantly lecherous here), as well as possibly the most brutal catfight ever captured on film. But then the embarassing clichés ruin it all over again. If you think racial comedies should have ended with Blazing Saddles, stay far, far away from this movie. But if youre still unclear on the wacky differences between black people and white people, this movie will have you straight trippin, boo! And by boo, we mean you moron.