Bringing Down The House Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Everything he needed to know about life, she learned in prison.
Bring it. March 7.
Peter Sanderson is a divorced, straight-laced, uptight attorney who still loves his ex-wife and can't figure out what he did wrong to make her leave him. However, Peter's trying to move on, and he's smitten with a brainy, bombshell barrister he's been chatting with online. However, when she comes to his house for their first face-to-face, she isn't refined, isn't Ivy League, and isn't even a lawyer. Instead, it's Charlene, a prison escapee who's proclaiming her innocence and wants Peter to help her clear her name. But Peter wants nothing to do with her, prompting the loud and shocking Charlene to turn Peter's perfectly ordered life upside down, jeopardizing his effort to get back with his wife and woo a billion dollar client.
| Joan Plowright | Mrs. Arness |
| Steve Martin | Peter Sanderson |
| Queen Latifah | Charlene Morton |
| Eugene Levy | Howie Rottman |
| Jean Smart | Kate Sanderson |
| Kimberly J. Brown | Sarah Sanderson |
| Angus T. Jones | Georgey Sanderson |
| Missi Pyle | Ashley |
| Michael Rosenbaum | Todd Gendler |
| Betty White | Mrs. Kline |
| Steve Harris | Widow |
| Jim Haynie | Ed Tobias |
| Aengus James | Mike |
| Bronzell Miller | Widow's Bodyguard |
| Adam Shankman |
5.50 out of 10 (9720 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Good comedy that explores dynamics of relationships
posted on 26 Aug 2009Steve Martin was, well, as Steve always is--hilarious, and Queen Latifah was great--a real natural. Eugene Levy was, as usual, subtly hysterical and it's always a treat to see him in a movie. An even mix of hilarity and charm. A funny film with tender feel-good moments. Sadly, two or three unnecessarily drawn-out (kind of stupid) scenes, but that's the danger in doing comedy. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and would recommend it to others. My 11-year-old son also had a great time, but be aware that there are a few "adult" scenes. Overall I give this film an A- for comedy and human relationships.
Painfully lame comedy
posted on 20 Aug 2009Man, who allows scripts like this to be made into movies? Is it really that funny to hear a Jewish guy speak in black slang and an old white guy pretend he's African American? Why didn't they just put Steve Martin in blackface? This film is far more offensive than Al Jolson singing `Mammy,' let me tell you. I feel so embarrassed for Martin. He's far too talented to be appearing in sh*t like this. Queen Latifah provides some of the energy that should have been in the script, but she doesn't have the talent to save this train wreck. This film was very successful, but I beg you, Hollywood, please don't shove a sequel down our throats. You can't blame the executives, however. The audience is directly culpable for dreck like this, and every single person who gave this film a dime should feel ashamed. 3/10.
Horrible
posted on 12 Aug 2009People tend to cut comedies lots of slack as long as they make us laugh. They can be blasphemous, tasteless, lowbrow, highbrow, moronic, offensive, racist, subversive, disgusting, pretentious, pointless, shallow, blatantly left-wing, blatantly right-wing, vulgar, cruel, preachy, you name it -- if they make us laugh our butts off, we'll forgive them any and all of these sins. If they just aren't funny, like this turkey, that's when we start noticing all the bad stuff.And there is plenty of bad stuff, believe me, starting with Steve Martin, who exhausted his tiny bag of comedic tricks more than twenty years ago and who has been coasting along ever since. I think this movie is where he finally coasts to a dead stop. Please, Hollywood, just leave him there.And then there's the story. Bringing Down the House is a clash-of-cultures movie evidently written by people who don't have a clue about either of the cultures involved in the clash. The result is a bunch of crudely drawn caricatures of nonexistent social types. Nobody thinks white people or black people are anything like this, and it is insulting to have to sit through a movie made by people who think we do.
Funny!
posted on 02 Aug 2009I saw this movie last night via a sneak peak kind of thing, till then I'd never heard of it and I'm a big Steve Martin fan! It was a silly movie and the audience loved it! I can't remember the last time I heard an audience laugh so loudly. They just about drowned out the movie! It's well worth seeing and I hope that you all enjoy it.
The most offensive movie in years...
posted on 31 Jul 2009I am an African-American who enjoys comedies of all kinds, including off-color, semi-racial comedy. But this movie was anything but funny.The premise and plot of the movie were not bad. But what made the movie offensive was Queen Latifa acting like "Aunt Tomisina". After a great performance in "Chicago", how could she accept this role? And she is the Executive Producer? What put the movie over the top was the dinner scene where "The Queen" was serving the family and their guest in a maid costume. She should have worn an "Aunt Jamima" costume, scarf in all. And then the old woman began singing a slave song. Ughhhhh!Finally, the most offensive thing is reading these reviews. People are calling this movie "a great family comedy". Is this how white people think of us? Lazy, shiftless ex-cons. Watch Spike Lee's "Bamboozled". This movie makes Spike's point.
What a waste...
posted on 19 Jul 2009My wife insisted on viewing this tripe. While Steve Martin usually delivers entertaining performances, the whole premise of this movie and its subsequent execution is a waste of celluloid, magnetic tape, and cds. If you are looking for a good comedy, heck even a lightly humorous comedy, look elsewhere.
Racist, pointless, not funny
posted on 17 Jul 2009This is a stupid, pointless, racist movie, offensive to both blacks and whites. It all begins with Peter (Steve Martin) and Charlene (Queen Latifah) connecting in a legal chat room and deciding to meet. Peter, thinking Charlene is a thin blonde lawyer, is surprised to open his door and see an unrefined black convicted felon looking not for a date, but for free legal help. Peter is understandably angry about being deceived, and tries to get rid of her, but she refuses to leave.It would have been simple enough for Peter to call the police and have her arrested, but she threatens to show his boss the e-mails they had exchanged. Presumably, Peter's boss and associates are so racist that they would fire him merely for associating with a black woman, so he agrees to help her. Most of the "comedic" moments come from Peter's desperate attempts to hide Charlene's presence from his racist boss, a neighbor (who's the boss's sister), an important client, and a WASPy ex-sister-in-law. For some reason, Peter can't simply explain that Charlene is trying to get legal assistance, so Peter pretends that she's his nanny, maid, and/or representative from a Baptist church. Although Charlene is generally rude, obnoxious, and selfish, she begins to grow on Peter (but not in a romantic way) and his two children, and Peter inexplicably ends up risking both his life and career to clear her name. The entire film makes little sense and isn't even funny. (3/10)
Disapointing
posted on 15 Jul 2009I found the movie Bringing Down The House very disappointing. It was not as good as I thought it would be. There were a few funny parts in the movie, but not as many as I thought there would be. The acting was alright. Steve Martin could have done a much better job. I'd rate this movie 5 out of 10.
who are you doing here?
posted on 05 Jul 2009Peter Sanderson is a divorced, straight-laced, uptight attorney who still loves his ex-wife and can't figure out what he did wrong to make her leave him.However, Peter's trying to move on, and he's smitten with a brainy, bombshell barrister he's been chatting with online. However, when she comes to his house for their first face-to-face, she isn't refined, isn't Ivy League, and isn't even a lawyer.Instead, it's Charlene, a prison escapee who's proclaiming her innocence and wants Peter to help her clear her name.But Peter wants nothing to do with her, prompting the loud and shocking Charlene to turn Peter's perfectly ordered life upside down, jeopardising his effort to get back with his wife and woo a billion dollar client.another predictable comedy, in which a middle class families life is turned upside down by a total opposite.it's been done hundreds of times before, but thanks to the efforts of Martin, Latifah and Levy, the film is just above average. if this movie was in the dictionary, it would be under stereotypes, as their is not on missed in this movie.it could be deemed as offensive to some people, but it's heart is in the right place, and Martin swallows his pride in the final act to become a 'homie'.there are some funny lines in this movie and some funny set pieces, but it's forgettable stuff at the end of the day.
Who's That Girl - Queen Latifah
posted on 17 Jun 2009"Bringing Down The House" was not as funny as I expected it to be. Sure, it had its moments. Queen Latifah was funny, sassy, and sexy as ever, and Steve Martin, always the hilarious funnyman, had some great scenes as the uptight, conservative lawyer that Latifah hires to take on her case. I also liked Eugene Levy as Martin's partner who lusts after Latifah. You gotta love the "You got me straight trippin', Boo" line, which is probably the funniest in the whole movie. I didn't care much for the prejudiced characters like Betty White as the nosey neighbor across the street from Martin or Martin's high profile client Mrs. Arness. I realized this was meant to be funny, but instead seemed kind of offensive. There were scenes that I knew were meant to be funny, but I didn't find myself laughing. The scene where Latifah teaches Martin's son to read from a girlie magazine and the "talking dirty" scene on the couch could have been done without. The catfight scene between Latifah and Martin's rich bitch, golddigging sister-in-law was funny, in an over-the-top, screwball way.This movie reminded me very much of Madonna's "Who's That Girl". Both Latifah and Madonna play characters who were in the slammer for four years who were framed for crimes they didn't commit. Both have a "rich bitch" character, an "uptight, conservative lawyer" character, a "young stud" character, a "rich old lady" character, and both movies have the laywer character in a scene where he has to go down to the ghetto to rescue the heroine. But, I digress. If you're a Queen Latifah fan, you'll definitely love this movie as she steals the show. Not the one of the funniest movies I've ever seen, but not one of the worst either. I rate it five out of ten.(Interesting note: The score was done - surprisingly - by Lalo Schifrin, who composed the "Mission Impossible" theme).
Bringing Down Two Thumbs
posted on 05 Jun 2009What can I say? even if you're a Steve Martin fan, this movie just doesn't have it. I don't know what happened, the trailer seemed funny, but the actual movie it's just awful, the story, the performances, and the characters were all poorly made. Besides the offensive racist jokes and stereotypes, the white rapper wannabe sketch just came 10 years later for Steve, he doesn't look funny, he looks ridiculous, and not in a positive way, you actually feel pity for him. And Queen Latifah really took the down road with this one, she's so annoying, mainly because she really tries to make you laugh, but fully fails at the attempt. Please stay away from it, this is the worst Martin's performance since Sgt. Bilko. I give it a 6 out of 10, just because it had a few funny moments, but in general, the movie deserves two thumbs down.
a horrible experience (some minor spoilers)
posted on 03 Jun 2009This film was one of the most offensive films that I have watched in years. There is a big difference between racial jokes and racist jokes and this film crossed the barrier. I do not know it the director Mr Shankman was trying to illustrate some of the racism that is still present with in certain communities. The only thing that I know is that he failed on the attempt and all that he had to show for was a film filled with tasteless jokes, if he needs some help in directing a smart film he can consult Spike Lee a master in intelligently illustrating racial interactions. From the beginning when Steve Martin discovers that his blind date is with a black woman rather than with a "blonde" he starts acting like is the end of the world. And to add insult to injury the jokes made by the conservative neighbour (Betty White) were horrible. As a Latin woman I'm offended by jokes like the ones referring to the Latin community which suggests that all of us are only capable of being maids or gardeners. The stupid racist jokes did not stop there but continued all through out the movie... the worst of them being made by Mrs. Arness played by Joan Plowright, during supper at Steve Martin's house. What is most amazing to me is that this time and age a racist film like this can make it to theatres and encounter no opposition! what message is this sending that is ok to be racist during two hours if you put a sweet finale where everybody gets along!! I think not!!
Steve Martin Knows Funny
posted on 01 Jun 2009This movie has a pretty silly premise, however, that does not ruin the overall enjoyment of the movie. Steve Martin is his old, comedic, self in this comedy about a tax attorney being forced to help an ex-con clear her name by her refusal to just disappear from his life. Situations involved were hilarious at times, and just plain funny the rest. This movie made the entire audience laugh from start to finish. If you're looking for a simple, fun movie, with a lot of laughs, then this movie is for you. You will love Steve Martin doing his thing...
I love Steve Martin Movies
posted on 28 May 2009I had some trepidation on seeing this movie. Thought it would be sort of sillyI was wrong I had forgotten that Steve Martin is the master of the foot in the mouth patter. By this I mean he can take a verbal mistake and turn it into semi sensible babbleWatching him in the first 5 minutes going from ` Hello would you like some cham poo. Is what he does best.Queen Latifah is very good in this as well. Eugene Levy is a master straight man to some degree. He is funny with a dry sense of humor. Watch out for him Taking a semi straight laced lawyer and having him say' You got all the cool points out the window and you got me all twisted up in the game.' Well you have to admit is not normalNow back to Steve Martin. He plays tax attorney Peter Sanderson. Who is hoping to land a major client for his law firm. In this law firm you must be the ultimate yuppie. Enter Charlene Morton aka Queen Latifah. A falsely imprisoned woman. This woman turns Peter Sandersons life upside down. But in the end it is not so much upside down as it is releasing him from his yuppie prison Go out and enjoy the movie if you haven't see it yet
Funny funny movie
posted on 20 May 2009Bringing Down the House was one of the funniest movies I've seen in a long time. Steve Martin and Dana Owens aka the Queen have great chemistry in the movie. Euegene Levy steals every scene he's in although I wish he would have had a bigger part. Some people have been complain that the film is racist but as a Black Amercian I didn't find it racist it all. The film pokes fun at old school views on racism. If you want a good fun film check this one out.
Cliched but watchable fluff...
posted on 06 May 2009Everyone has their favorite funnymen. One of mine is Steve Martin. He brings more of a naivety to his comedic roles. He is often someone thrown into the midle of something. Or someone the target of laughs. He can play the Average Joe amazingly well. Check out "Planes, Trains and Automobiles," "Father of the Bride," etc. He can be stupid ("The Jerk"), he can be smart ("The Spanish Prisoner"), he can be ruthless ("Dirty Rotten Scoundrels"), and he is versatile. And when it all comes down to it, I can't really explain. He's just (one of) my personal favorite(s).In "Bringing Down the House," Martin plays Peter Sanderson, an uptight white American lawyer who enunciates words like a white person, walks like a white person, and generally acts like an upper-class white man. He has an ex-wife (who actually looks his age, something Hollywood usually doesn't do), and two kids. Being a busy businessman, or a cliched character in a cliched screenplay, Peter of course has no time for his family. How many times have we seen the father late for the baseball game ("Hook")? How many times has the busy bee worker not known his daughter has been sneaking out of the house at night? I'm getting ahead of myself.In the beginning, Peter connects with another female lawyer via the Internet. This woman calls herself Lawyer-Girl, and her name turns out to be Chelsea. After chatting for what we are to believe has been a considerably short time, Peter agrees to meet Chelsea for a blind date. He describes himself as having "boyishly light hair." She describes herself as "athletic." Imagine his surprise when he finds out she is really an obese black woman, played by Queen Latifah. Chelsea is out to prove her innocence over a case of armed robbery, which she says she did not commit. Peter, shocked by the entire situation, throws her out of his house, but after she basically blackmails him, Peter has no choice but to help her out.Soon, with the help of his lovestruck friend (Eugene Levy), Peter finds out Chelsea is innocent, but how to prove this to the Feds? Meanwhile, Chelsea it showing Martin how to find time for his kids, not scold his daughter so that she confide in him more, and to get back his ex-wife. How many times has this been done, Reader? I ask of you--how many times have you seen The Uptight Businessman be turned around by a Lower-Class Minority Person Who Knows it All?Thank God this didn't turn into a courtroom comic-drama towards the end with cheesy sentimentality. When I heard that Chelsea wanted to be represented by a lawyer, I figured that it would end in court. It didn't. I praised God it avoided this. The film also avoids another big cliche: Martin doesn't get romantically involved with Latifah. This can be considered good or bad. If you ask me, it's better. I don't want to see Martin making it with Queen Latifah, I guess I just have something against skinny white men with obese black women. Call me racist. Or maybe it's just out of decency and personal relief for the audience.There are a lot of funny moments in this movie, but also a lot of unfunny ones. There are long stretches to the good gags. Among the good gags is when Martin dresses up as a black rapper (or is it "rappa"?) and enters a strictly-blacks-only nightclub, grabbing his testicles and saying, "Y'all got a bathroom in here?", and then parading around in his outfit and dancing with some girls.But "Bringing Down the House" is a spot dry, a bit of a disappointment. It avoids some cliches, but gathers a lot more on its way to avoiding the primary ones. We know exactly what is going to happen. The Black Woman is going to teach the Uptight White Man to relax, because as the Black Woman, she has got it all going on. She knows the meaning of life. The Uptight White Man doesn't.While "Bringing Down the House" is definitely worth seeing, it's not a particularly well-crafted comedy, and is a tad bit disappointing. It's entertaining and watchable, and a great 100 minute waste, but don't expect anything too original. Please, no "Bringing Down the House Again"...3/5 stars -John Ulmer
perfect inflight film
posted on 16 Apr 2009Thank god someone finally made a film that gets a laugh out of uptight white people colliding with black pop culture. I hope this starts a trend cuz the potential for this kind of joke is limitless.I hope Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy get together again and make an honest effort to be actually FUNNY once more before they die (Bowfinger was a nice try). They should invite Michael Palin along too.
It definitely has its moments but it suffers from an uneven script
posted on 04 Apr 2009My Rating: **1/2 out of ****. In a year of disappointing movies, Bringing Down The House is kind of a breath of fresh air. I say "kind of" because the film has some definite weaknesses. It definitely has its moments but it suffers from an uneven screenplay. Uneven Screenplays are actually quite common in comedies today. Liar Liar was a comedy that suffered from this but it had a consistently hilarious performance from Jim Carrey that I could forgive this. Sadly, while the performers here do good jobs they dont match Carrey's performance. Bringing Down The House's comedic parts of the script are good but the dramatic parts are not so good. They are sub-par writing and you want them to be over fast.The actors seem to be having a good time. Steve Martin shows his comedic talent here and he is the most consistently amusing one in the film. Queen Latifah does good but is overshadowed by Martin. Surprisingly, Eugene Levy doesn't do any scene-stealing work. He has his moments but nothing really great. Joan Plowright is very smug in her role. Bringing Down The House is a reasonably entertaing movie and it is worth watching. But its nothing I would have the desire to see again. Really, if you take away Steve Martin, you will have a ** star movie at best.
Queen Latifah Rules, but Can't Save this Sinking Ship
posted on 30 Aug 2009Not only is Queen Latifah the best thing about this movie, she's almost the only good thing. The direction is pathetic and the writing never rises above sitcom, but she's great.The writer does have important things to say, but lacks the skill to say them effectively. I kept wishing that Spike Lee or someone else with a sharp edge had made it.And I do give him credit for creating a comedy about intelligent people. Actually, writing comedy about dumb characters is easier because you can make them do almost anything.Instead, the movie asks us to believe that Charlene, who we find to be an absolutely brilliant woman, would break out of prison and go to a wealthy attorney's house on false pretenses and then invite all her friends over for a noisy party when he's gone. And that she would show up at exclusive country clubs and fancy restaurants and do everything she can to draw attention to herself.Steve Martin is largely wasted in a part he could do in his sleep, and he seems to be doing just that. And there's a scene late in the third act where he goes into a night club in the 'hood and tries to act 'soulful' that goes on so long as to really test the audience's patience.And goodness only knows why Charlene shows up at the club to rescue him accompanied not only by her boyfriend but by a wealthy, elderly woman and her dog whom they have kidnapped for no discernable reason.However, having the old lady in the club setting does lead to some solid laughs, especially her exit line when everything has been resolved.There's no consistency of tone to the film. Sometimes it's a slapstick comedy, then characters pull guns and the whole focus shifts.I laughed a lot. But with talent like this in front of the camera, I feel like I should have gotten a lot more laughs for my $6.50. I can only hope that I'll get to see these two teamed again in stronger material, maybe a remake of one of the old Preston Sturges movies. But I'm still glad I saw it because the Queen gave me more than $6.50 of entertainment. She's a class act. God bless her.