User reviews

OK, so the white-yuppie-and-black-ghetto-person-joining-up idea has been used a number of times in movies, but the dialog between Steve Martin and Queen Latifah makes this one worthwhile. Probably the best scenes are Betty White's nasty comments, Queen Latifah teaching Missi Pyle a lesson, Steve Martin dressed - and attempting to talk - like a rapper (especially because of what Joan Plowright ends up doing in that scene), and of course, Eugene Levy's statements ending with "Boo". "Bringing Down the House" really does bring down the house. Completely silly, but fun nevertheless.

Who ever would have imagined Joan Plowright (aka Laurence Olivier's widow) doing what she did and saying what she said in the rapper scene?

Steve Martin and Queen Latifah (and Eugene Levy) are an odd combo, but certainly a funny one! Coming out in 2003, "Bringing Down the House" was a movie about two different worlds coming together; probably not the first, and the result is some hilarity! Steve Martin plays a divorced lawyer trying to juggle his work-life and spending time with his two kids, and Queen Latifah is an escaped prisoner (as you probably already know). The plot of Martin's lawyer trying to find love and unexpectedly running into Latifah's straight-up "sister" personality results in a pretty hilarious film! Add in Eugene Levy's "down white guy" persona, and you have the makings of some very funny moments! Some may argue that this film relies too much on typical plot lines, "been-there-done-that" routines, and stereotypes, but that's not the case.

This movie is a very funny and enjoyable romp. Meaningless fun. A laugh out loud. Don't get me wrong, Steve Martin does shine especially in the scene where his daughter is relaying the events of a party that a dad just doesn't want to hear. Following Latifa's character's advice to stay cool to gain her trust, he bites his tongue and instead of going mad, says, "That was some party"! Overall, 'Bringing Down The House' is funny and very entertaining film that you will not regret watching, although it could have been a little better with a better script, the acting was brilliant all round, and it does work pretty well, especially with Steve Martin as the main character who is very funny as usual.

Overall rating: 7 out of 10.

If the idea of one of the "whitest" comedians in Hollywood (Martin) teaming up with one of the "blackest" divas (Latifah) appeals to you, then you might enjoy "Bringing Down the House". The film has Martin as a divorced tax attorney while Latifah plays a jailbird on the run who needs an attorney to prove her innocence and gives Martin plenty of "tude" along with some lessons in getting real as they raucously wend their way through countless comedic contrivances. Personally I enjoyed this busy top-of-the-marquee comedy romp a lot. However, it requires being able to find humor in the juxtaposition of Martin and Latifah which, judging from comments elsewhere on this website, not everyone did. (B)

This is pretty much another one of those typical culture clash comedies where a streetsmart character meets the classy rich character, there's conflict and then the conflict is resolved and friendship blossoms, then there's another conflict but that too is resolved by the end. The story has been told x number of times. But what makes 'Bringing Down The House' likable is Queen Latifah, Steve Martin and Joan Plowright. These three provide some laugh-out-loud moments some including Martin and Latifah's dance number, Martin dressing and talking 'black', Queen Latifah and Missy Pyle's catfight and doing a break-dance, Plowright's pompous and stuck up character getting stoned, Peter's neighbour catching him and Charlene in a compromising position. The chemistry between Latifah and Martin is convincing and both have a good comic timing. Thus, even though the story has nothing new to offer, the funny moments make 'Bringing Down The House' fun to watch.

Bringing Down the House is a very funny movie and your bound to have a good time. Peter Sanderson (Steve Martin) is a lawyer who is having trouble getting his life back on track after his wife, Kate ( Jean Smart), divorces him; he's also adjusting to his new status as a single father. Peter tries an internet dating site and virtually meets "lawyer-girl," an attractive and single fellow attorney. Peter makes a date with her, but the woman who arrives at his door turns out to be Charlene Morton (Queen Latifah), who not only isn't a lawyer, she turns out to be an escaped convict. Charlene explains to Peter that she's strung him along because she's innocent of the crime for which she was convicted, and she needs a top-notch attorney to help prove her case. After some persuasion, Peter agrees to help Charlene out. Though the plot sounds stupid, the execution turned out to be really funny. The story is a little weak though and they could have worked a little more on that. The movie isn't very realistic so you shouldn't go in expecting one. The cast is great and they make this somewhat old material funny. The funniest person is Eugene Levy and he is finally getting the recognition he deserves. Steve Martin returns for his first wide release film in four years. He doesn't disappoint and gives a very funny performance. Queen Latifah is also funny, but she also starts getting annoying by the end of the movie. Jean Smart plays the ex wife of Peter and she's pretty good. The rest of the supporting cast includes Kimberly J. Brown, Joan Plowright, Betty White and Missi Pyle. Adam Shankman directs and this is a large improvement over A Walk to Remember. The racist jokes in the film are a little outdated and sometimes this film does go over the top. I still laughed though as some of the dialog in this film is very funny. While this isn't he funniest film of 2003, its still worth watching. Its 105 minutes long and it starts getting a little boring since they add some unnecessary things. Another good thing about this film is that they didn't use all the jokes in the preview. In the end, this film is worth watching even if its not very memorable. Rating 7.4/10, a funny comedy that's worth checking out.

That is not to say all of Steve Martin's films are terrible, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, The Jerk, Man with Two Brains and Roxanne were gems, Father of the Bride is better than it is given credit for and the Cheaper By the Dozen movies while deeply flawed were watchable. But for several reasons, Bringing Down the House was just awful. Steve Martin isn't necessarily bad in it, he does try hard, as does Queen Latifah, but their chemistry is badly forced and they are further hampered by an awful script and a predictable story. Eugene Levy is usually excellent but he is wasted here, and the direction is lacklustre too. The film looks okay, with some nice cinematography and scenery, and the soundtrack has its moments that I accept, but the above points and the stereotypes and unintentional yet apparent racism and homophobia really spoil what could have been a decent comedy making it almost unwatchable. 2/10 Bethany Cox

Steve Martin plays tax attorney Peter Sanderson who meets Charlene Morton (Queen Latifah) on an "law and legal issues" internet chat room, believing her to be a "slim blonde" fellow lawyer, the two get on well and eventually arrange a date.

All is not what Peter expects, as Charlene is not only a large African American lady with a larger than life attitude - shes not a lawyer, but an ex con! - and brings with her a heck of a lot of trouble for him, bribing him into helping her clear her name for a crime she says she didn't commit.

The many over the top ridiculous scenarios that follow are truly very funny and do more than enough to paper over the cracks in a pretty thin storyline.

Martin, Latifah - and especially Eugene Levy, as Martins fellow lawyer friend - clearly really enjoy themselves here and it really shows in their excellent performances.

all in all good fun.

Sorry that I'm even commenting. Plunked down the money to see this film with my fiancee, and we both walked out of the movie about 45 minutes into it. The premise was highly suspect, but we were willing to suspend our disbelief long enough to let it work. Unfortunately, it didn't, and it didn't even come close.

Queen Latifah's character was simply obnoxious, and the situations that the writer put forth just were too unbelievable to work as a story. To make matters worse, in 45 minutes of story, there were no redeeming qualities to either of the main characters, save for Steve Martin's funny trick to win over a client by bribing a waiter. The few enjoyable moments in the film were Eugene Levy's, and those were too rehashed and too inconsequential to be worth sticking around for.

Voted 1 out of 10, and hope not to see anything this bad again.

Lets get one thing straight right away: Steve Martin can never be doubted. The Comedic Legend is an actor with tremendous charm & his sense of timing is no news to anyone. And in the 2003 Super-Hit 'Bringing Down The House', the Legend shines, yet again!

'Bringing Down The House' Synopsis: When a lonely guy meets a woman on the internet who happens to be in prison, she breaks out to be with him, and proceeds to wreak havoc on his middle-class life.

'Bringing Down The House' is a predictable, safe comedy, that goes through the narrative jumps & hiccups. Its mostly Martin's liveliness & command over the screen, that keeps the jokes coming in & the energy intact. Jason Filardi's Screenplay is nicely done, although it would've benefited from better jokes. Adam Shankman's Direction is appropriate.

A Special Mention for Queen Latifah, who with Martin, takes part in the silly jokes & delivers a loud, but likable performance. And the on-screen chemistry between Martin & Latifah, is perfect.

On the whole, 'Bringing Down The House' certainly works.

People 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.

This film, although badly reviewed by many people, proves to be a fun time at the movies. Adam Shankman and Jason Filardi have teamed up to give the viewers lots of laughs. It's hard not to be amused by what's being presented even though it might not be the greatest, or the funniest picture.

Queen Latifah has more charisma in her ample body than any other actress working in American films these days. She never gives a bad performance. This is quite a stretch from her role in Chicago; in fact, she steals the film with her charm. She can hold up her own against her co-star.

Steve Martin seems to blend himself into this joke of a lawyer, who is so uptight and anal that he never has enough time for his children. He has some hysterical scenes at the hip hop club playing an Eminem-type character, outdancing everyone. Mr. Martin's experience in the chat room brings him a lot more than he bargained for: the irrisistible Charlene, who turns his life upside down.

Eugene Levy has some bright moments as Steve Martin's friend in the firm. Joan Plowright repeats herself into the role of the ogre with a heart of gold, once she loosens up with the right kind of smoke. The rest of the cast is good, working with the material they're given to perform.

If you are trying to get away from the horrible news being bombarded at us these days, this is the film for you.

Steve Martin can do anything. Here he is teamed up with Queen Latifah, and they are excellent together. Martin is divorced tax lawyer looking for a girlfriend on the internet, via a legal chat room. He encounters Charlene(Latifah), who has posted a photo of a blonde woman, and this leads to the first encounter which, of course, shocks Martin. She is a convict seeking a lawyer to clear her name in a case where she has been convicted of armed robbery. She winds up living in his house under the guise of being a nanny to his son and daughter. The story is rather silly, but due to the great chemistry of the leads, it worked for me anyway. Nothing profound here, but it provides a good escape from the real world for a while.

Is there an American Idol for screenwriters? I'm not up on my "reality" TV shows, but I have been noticing film after film written by some guy or girl who has no other movie to his or her credit. It's not that I'm against bringing new talent into Hollywood, but so far the "talent" part of the "new" equation hasn't happened.

Jason Filardi, the writer of Bringing Down the House, and the latest in a screenwriting sea of freshman ineptitude, has created one of the most laughably bad comedies this side of The Sweetest Thing; and none of the juvenile or racist jokes he throws in can save it. Filardi has managed to create a sort of bizarro world that would stink of racism as far back as the 1960s.

In Bringing Down the House, Peter Sanderson (Steve Martin) works at a law firm that appears to be segregated, attends a country club so uppity that his intrusive African American "friend," Charlene Morton (Queen Latifah) has to pretend that she's a nanny just to avoid trouble, and has a client who is the heiress to her husband's large fortune, who is such a bigot that she starts belting out an odious plantation song at the dinner table where she's being waited on by Charlene, who's still pretending to be a nanny and maid. Last, but definitely not least, is Sanderson's nosy neighbor, Mrs. Kline (Betty White). The woman is so prejudice that Sanderson, obviously not one willing or able to stand up for himself, hides Charlene when he sees Kline, to avoid any confrontation with his misguided neighbor. As they sneak the concealed Charlene into Sanderson's home, Mrs. Kline tells Sanderson that she thought she "heard negro," and he denies this by claiming that there's, "no negro here."

Are you laughing yet?

The fact that Queen Latifah would even act in this picture, much less act as one of its executive producers, boggles the mind. Maybe next she'll play Aunt Jemima in a series of ads for maple syrup. And how low will the once great Steve Martin go to save his dying career? If this racist little "comedy" makes a splash, maybe next we'll see him as a white businessman in a comedy musical version of Once Upon a Time... When We Were Colored. Eugene Levy has only a small part as Sanderson's partner in law, but, as he does with most films that he's featured in, manages to steal the show. Unfortunately, the only reason he steals this one is by delivering his stereotypical lines better than the rest of the cast. Maybe as a follow-up to this flick, he and Martin can put on some blackface and appear in an updated version of Amos 'n' Andy.

Intentional, or not, Bringing Down the House is a racist movie. By the time it's all over, this film borders on being as offensive and misguided as a slapstick version of Roots.

`Bringing Down the House' is the latest variation on that old comic chestnut in which a wisecracking, free-spirit type from `the lower social orders' invades the life of an uptight stuffed-shirt type - not only getting him to loosen up that collar and shed his inhibitions but also showing him a thing or two about what really matters in life. This is, basically, a primer for a Culture Clash Comedy 101 course, with a couple of veteran comic professors on hand to teach us all how it's done.

In this case, Steve Martin plays the uptight lawyer who is so obsessed with his career that he has already lost his wife over the issue and appears on the road to alienating his children as well. When Peter meets what he believes is a potential love interest in an internet chat room, he figures his life just might be turning around for the better. Peter is all set for a romantic evening – champagne, dim lights, `A Man and a Woman' playing softly in the background – when, at his door, who should appear but that Big Bad Mama, Queen Latifah, as Charlene Morton, an ex-convict who wants Peter to help her expunge from her record the crime she swears she did not commit. Peter is at first reluctant to accept this strange woman into his house and life, but Charlene is nothing if not persistent and she manages to horn her way in anyway.

The Jason Filardi screenplay pretty much plays it all by rote. We know, despite their tremendous differences in culture, background and personality, that these two comic titans will end up as great pals by the story's end. Nothing about `Bringing Down the House' surprises us, yet there is a certain amount of comfort to be derived from familiarity and predictability. It's an old formula but one that works fairly well here, thanks, primarily, to the assured, high-energy performances of Martin and Latifah in the starring roles. These two comic masters achieve a real chemistry working together, enough to compensate for the broad stereotyping that permeates the film. Filardi does achieve some moments of genuine hilarity by mixing slapstick and social satire in roughly equal measure. The satire isn't on a very high level of sophistication but it is good enough for a mass audience venture such as this one.

Director Adam Shankman is also blessed with a strong supporting cast that includes Eugene Levy as a nerdish - but `freaky' - business associate obsessed with wild black women like Charlene; Joan Plowright as a snooty, eccentric matron whose account Peter is determined to win for his firm; and Bette White as Peter's bigoted next door neighbor who is eyeing askance all the strange goings-on at the lawyer's house.

`Bringing Down the House' is at its best when it simply lets itself go, forgets about the plot, and allows its performers to dazzle us with their sheer likeability, i.e., Martin and Latifah dancing up a storm at an L.A. bistro, Martin breaking out into a spontaneous break dance routine while infiltrating an all-black nightclub. It is at its worst in the final scenes when the heavy-handed plot mechanics threaten to torpedo the whole project. Luckily, we have Martin and Latifah to help keep the thing afloat. The vehicle itself may creak at times, but the stars never do.

This is another typical Hollywood send up about how uncool white people are, even to the absurd remark that white people don't hug. It shows a world that might have existed in exclusive white California neighborhood 30 years ago, but not now. I feel sorry for any young white american who once again is made to feel ashamed of their very being by a film like this. While there are moments that could have been funny culture shock wise, they just don't appear. This film should be as offensive to white's as the roles Stepin Fethcit and Hattie McDaniel portrayed in the 30's and 40's were to blacks. If it wasn't, then to coin a black american phrase(I don't hyphenate groups with African-American or European-American, because if you are not american-get out!) you would then be a white version of an Uncle Tom. I feel good about my color and nothing the Queen Latifah's of the world say can make me ashamed of my race and people(except any involved with this racist filth). In case you think I am racist-think again, Densel Washington, Morgan Freeman, Cuba Gooding and Halle Berry are some of my favorite performers in today's films.

MM

Peter Sanderson (Steve Martin) is a divorced workaholic lawyer, who spends his time working and in a chat room for lawyers in Internet, where he meets the young lawyer Charlene Morton. He has a teenager daughter and a son, and misses his wife Kate (Jean Smart). One day, he schedules a dinner at his home with the pretty and blonde Charlene, of whom he has a picture only. When he opens his door, he sees that Charlene is indeed a huge Afro-American woman (Queen Latifah), who was in jail and wants him to defend her, claiming that she is innocent. Charlene forces Peter to lodge and defend her, and from this moment on, his life turns upside-down. This movie is a very funny comedy, with many good moments. For example, when his teenager daughter trusts on him and decides to tell him other hidden stories about her, it is hilarious. Or when Peter opens the door and sees Charlene for the first time. There are many other funny scenes. Of course there are also many clichés, this film is not a surrealistic art movie and certainly will not be indicated for an Oscar. But I laughed a lot with the situations created by Steve Martin, Queen Latifah, Eugene Levy and Joan Plowright. Highly recommended for laughing. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): 'A Casa Caiu' ('The House is Down')

Let's see. How do you spell "STINKER"? Could we call this movie charming diversion? Hardly. Witless and un-clever maybe. So predictable I defy you to bother seeing it to the credits. Who would need to? It's all so pat and obvious. What were they thinking when they made this movie? Or better yet, why did they bother to make this movie? Does it illuminate the human condition? Does it even amuse?

You'll be treated to women fighting with each other for 10 minutes and not getting injured... nice. Just the sort of thing that young girls need to see. Gunplay with no loss of life. Now that's realism. Enter the cell phone as both the Devil and Savior. What is so funny about violence? You'll witness Steve Martin jive talking. Oh the talent! Oh the humor! Oh pleeese! Steve, it's been done before...or didn't you see "Airplane"? Where are the people who made "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" now that we need them?

Every character is a stereotype. They're all shallow, silly people, certainly not humorous, just sadly lacking in real life issues. But hey, they live in Hollywood, so maybe they can be forgiven for being vapid and plastic all at once.

I'm not sure what message this movie is trying to send about minorities. It sure seems sick to me. So many scenes reinforce idiotic views of Latin or Black people. Please don't let the kids see this junk. If they're not bored to tears, they'll be subjected to scenes where lying, and prevaricating to "get the contract" are justified. Witness the kids in the movie become liars as they are pressed into service to help Dad land "the Big one". See supposedly grown-up and intelligent people saying absolutely nothing to contradict racist neighbors. See Blacks once again portrayed as jail birds, evil backstabbing gangsters and Afro-American families as layabouts who will take over your home. We are supposed to find this funny. The producers of this film need a serious reality check.

The low standards of writing in this production make it as close to pornographic as you can get without showing any human flesh. Ships at sea wouldn't buy this flick.

Peter Sanderson (Martin) is a divorced, very straight laced, workaholic lawyer. When he meets Charlene (Latifah) in an online chat room claiming to be a Barrister, he is shocked to find she is in fact an escaped convict and she wants him to clear her name. We follow the story of the unusual couple as Charlenes dependency on Peter becomes a two way thing with a few laughs along the way.

This is certainly not one of Steve Martin's better films, despite his performance being very good along with Eugene Levy's, but i did find Queen Latifah became quite annoying by the end of the film.

As a comedy it is OK for a few laughs and is worth a watch.

6/10

While it is nice to see Steve Martin rising briefly out of straight-to-video hell, and Queen Latifah is fab, this is nevertheless at best a mediocre comedy with only about one laugh every twenty minutes, and at worst a dire, dirty movie.

As for the whole racism thing (the movie was quite controversial in the States) it's hard to tell who's being targeted: Black people, or White People. Maybe it's all just a satire ... but the movie manages to offend both Whites and Blacks, and is probably best avoided.

Steve Martin and Queen Latifah are in their full element as they Bring Down the House with laughter. It might not be a top notch comedy or one to remember for the books, but it's an easy going move that might make you laugh here and there. It is filled with lots of crude humor and it's a little racist, but most comedies are.

This is another one of those movies where we're forced to watch a clash of two extremely stereotypical groups based on culture, and as usual it's a white Anglo-Saxon protestant (WASP) male and his family who meets the street-smart black gangsta-ish ex-con woman. As usual the conflict arises when the two are forced to get along and develop a friendship while uptight neighbors/bosses/coworkers who aren't okay with mixed-race friendships watch disapprovingly.

Unfortunately, this movie has too few laughs to make up for the stereotypical crap. There wasn't a single white person in the movie that wasn't an uptight stereotypical nerd (except for the stereotypical party animal high schoolers), and there wasn't a single memorable black character who was articulate and didn't act like your stereotypical thug or party animal.

Steve Martin is one of my favorite comedians (since The Jerk, pick it up if you want to see a movie done right) and Queen Latifah is always a pleasure to watch (beautiful), but this movie just didn't do it for me. I get tired of movies where all the comedy stems from reinforcing stereotypes that are less accurate every year.

Yes, there are uptight WASPs in this country, but you know what? I don't know any. They're not as common as this movie portrays (which is everyone). Yes, there are black gangstas in this country but not every black person around. There are a lot of well-spoken, cultured blacks out there. One is Secretary of State. Another is running for President.

A little bit of believability would take this movie a LONG way. I don't find a lot of humor in racial stereotypes, not when on the one hand we're supposed to laugh at it here and on the other hand, it's taboo to mention things like this in public. The word Negro is used in this movie so many times but I haven't heard that word used in real life in years (except for some Mormons I went to school with).

Anyhow, I'm tired of the stereotypes. 2/10 stars.

I love this movie, it is one of my favorite movies. I think it is one of the funniest movies ever. The first time I saw it I was laughing so hard that I couldn't breathe. Steve Martin and Queen Latifah are so funny together. There are so many scenes in this movie that are so hilarious like the scene where Charlene and Ashley get in a fist fight in the ladies room, the scene where Mrs. Arness comes to Peter's house for dinner, the scene where Charlene is trying to teach Peter how to turn Kate on, and my personal favorite scene the scene where Peter goes undercover in the bar. The acting in this movie is great and it's just a really really funny movie, I'd urge anyone to see it cause I think it's one of the funniest movies ever.

This movie is awful. Another lame attempt to exploit black culture. One clichéd black/white joke after another. Unoriginal. How do people find this kind of movie entertaining? This movie drives home the point of just how "white" white people are and how hanging out with a hip cool black person can change all of that. Watching this movie makes you wonder if the equal rights movement ever happened. It makes black people seem as if their only place in society are housemaids, rappers, or felons. Personly if I were African-American i would be appalled at this movie. Do yourself a favor and never watch this movie. In fact burn every copy of it you come across.