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jim [ 4.0 ]
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The attempt at broad humor based on racial stereotypes is often embarrassing, but only sometimes embarrassing enough to be funny. The plot wanders all over the map, which certainly doesn't help matters.
There are a few good laughs, mostly involving physical comedy, but one can't help but think that both Steve Martin and Queen Latifah are funnier and (a lot) smarter than the material they're given.
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DokBrowne [ 0.0 ]
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Hmmm...
shanster: "Steve Martin gets another hit on his hit-and-miss resume."
- No he doesn't. He hasn't had a "hit" quality-wise since "Bowfinger", which, granted, was basically the last movie he made before this one (not counting "Novocaine", since it was more of an indie sidetrack for him), but it was 4 whole years ago. Watch the scene where he pretends to be a black stereotype, with the baggy clothes and ebonics accent, and then try to justify any part of this lame comedy, including why it was made in 2002 rather than 1987. I don't think any of it was racist, but I do think it was gratuitous and unnecessary to make Queen Latifah's African-American, uh, -ism, the subject of literally 100% of the jokes. Like there's no other humor to be mined from the pairing of her with Steve Martin? I guess the race thing is an obvious target in emphasizing their differences, but to have it be the film's one and only type of comedy is excruciating (especially when it forces all of the antagonistic white characters, like Missi Pyle and Joan Plowright, to act with extreme implausibility like casual bigots)
movieadmiral: "it shows the amazing difference between white and black people and both races will laugh hysterically"
- No it doesn't. It shows that white people are stuck-up jerks and squares and black people are just as idiotically wacky as any old episode of "In Living Color" will attest. It shows the amazing difference between antiquated stereotypes is what it does
astrosheil: "what a disappointment."
- No it wasn't. I agree, it was unfunny, trite, and predictable (the workaholic dad who's a slave to his cell phone at the expense of his wife and kids will throw out the phone at the end of the movie to prove his loyalty. Yeah, I've seen "Hook" and every "there's no compromise between work and family because movies exist in a reality-simplifying vaccum of basic black and white logic" family movie in-between for the last 12 years), but to say it was disappointing suggests that this movie's very concept wasn't an obviously fundamental mistake from the first time we saw the trailer. Not to mention that everything unfunny, trite, and predictable about it was perfectly evident from said trailer. Unless you mean it was disappointing that they even made this movie, period, in which case I couldn't agree more. And now it's a big hit at the box office thanks to "Chicago", when I really believe that it would have deservedly tanked and been immediately and permanently forgotten otherwise. Which, on top of everything else, is yet another reason to resent this year's Best Picture. There's probably talk of a sequel already. Poor dumb Steve Martin
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shanster [ 9.0 ]
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Eugene Levy is outstandingly funny. Steve Martin gets another hit on his hit-and-miss resume. Queen Latifah amazes me; she could become a wonderful actress.
Dok: Steve Martin's last enjoyable comedy was 1994's Mixed Nuts. 100% of the jokes were about QL's African-Americanism? The Tae-bo trained fight scene? The poodle as hostage? The Porn as Hooked on Phonics Training? 97% Maximum!
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chapter11 [ 6.5 ]
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It's more than a little trite and predictable, and bursting at the seams with tired stereotypes, but "Bringing Down the House" made me laugh. Perhaps it was growing up in a largely integrated neighborhood that made a few of these black-white relation jokes hit home - especially Eugene Levy's ridiculous deadpan "you got me straight trippin', boo" - but I genuinely enjoyed the film. Granted, any scene in which Queen Latifah doesn't appear has little to no spark, simply because the film's energy thrives on the chemistry between QL and Steve Martin, but when they're together, they're an engaging comic pair. Fun stuff.
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jasonkrueger [ 9.0 ]
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My sis rented this and I enjoyed it thoroughly.I hate Queen Latifah but she did an admirable job and made the movie funny.Steve Martin was hilarious in many ways and I thought he did an outstanding job with this funny one.I really liked Betty White as the racist and annoying nosy neighbor she was funny.Especially when she told Martins son his hair looked like a fag!!!A wonderful and hilarious silly little comedy.
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| Weighted Rating | : 6.3 |
| No. Ratings | : 10 | |
| No. Reviews | : 8 | |
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