Bringing Down the House is proving to be an awkward movie for me to
review. Heck, it was an awkward movie to watch. It's strictly a personal thing.
I've been sitting here at the keyboard for several minutes trying to start this
article. That NEVER happens to me. I always launch right into it.
Parts of the movie are funny. Really funny, actually. Steve Martin plays
Peter Sanderson, an uptight, white attorney whose world is turned upside down
when he agrees to represent Charlene Morton (Queen Latifah), a sassy,
black woman who recently escaped from jail for a bank robbery she claims she
didn't commit. Martin will help her prove her innocence, while Charlene will
get Steve to loosen up, enjoy his life more, reconcile with his ex-wife (Jean
Smart), and be a better, hipper dad to his two kids.
I think a movie like this essentially comes down to style and tone. To be honest
with you, I just really cringed nearly every single time a white person opened
his or her mouth in this movie. The film was written by a guy named Jason
Filardi, who from all indications has serious white-guilt issues. Scenes
play out in such a way that suggest a deep sickness at the screenplay level,
and I'm kind of surprised talented pros like Martin and Latifah didn't demand
a little sharper writing.
The entire first half-hour of Bringing Down the House is just an insulting
game of Hide the Black Person, as Peter is embarrassed to be seen with Charlene
in his neighborhood, at his law office, and (of course) at his country club.
So, he pushes her into shrubs, hides her behind inflatable rafts, and ushers
her out side doors before his Caucasian colleagues and clients can see the two
of them together. Director Adam Shankman springs TV legend Betty White
from whatever assisted-living facility she's living in nowadays to play an elderly
neighbor who insults blacks, Latinos, and homosexuals in every scene she is
in. And a truly awkward scene in the middle of the film has Joan Plowright
playing an elderly heiress who reminisces about her days when she was waited
on hand and foot by a Mammy-like black woman who used to sing an old Negro spiritual
titled "When is Massa Gonna Free Me?" And then she sings it!
Cringe! No, seriously, you could practically hear the tidal wave of white butt
cheeks shifting in their chairs during my recent preview of this film.
OK, I would be remiss if I didn't admit that I (and the preview audience) laughed
at quite a number of the bits in the movie. Martin still is a terrific physical
comedian, and he has a couple of dance numbers in the film that bring out his
old "wild and crazy guy" persona of yesteryear. His real strength
now, though, is as the put-upon father character he played so well in two Father
of the Bride films and Parenthood. Scenes where Peter has to deal
with his rebellious son and daughter are among the best in the flick, especially
after a heart-to-heart talk with his teenage girl after which Peter can only
go back to his room, pop a couple of prescription stress pills and scream into
a pillow.
Queen Latifah (currently Oscar-nominated for her turn as Mama Morton in Chicago)
is just waiting for the right vehicle to launch her into the stratosphere. As
Charlene, she gets to show her considerable charisma and charm, the kind that
will hopefully have screenwriters tailoring scripts for her specifically. In
the right film, she could be comic dynamite.
The real scene-stealer, though, is the great Eugene Levy as Howie Rosenthal,
a friend and colleague of Peter's who is instantly attracted to Charlene. Levy,
best known to today's young audiences as Jason Biggs' awkward dad in the American
Pie flicks, is just hilarious as he throws in street slang to express his
feelings for the woman ("You got me straight trippin, Boo" and "You
got me all twisted up in the game" are two keepers, as is Charlene's oft-repeated
response "Man, you are some kinda freaky!").
I just wish the rest of the characters were written as well, as intelligently,
and as funny as Howie. While I did laugh often during Bringing Down the House,
it just wasn't enough for me to recommend the film to my readers. The tone is
off, and I felt much smarter than too many of the characters in it.
Consider this "House" condemned for the time being.
Bringing Down the House is rated PG-13 for language, sexual humor,
and instances of drug use.
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