Rating: 
Summary: Junk...
Review: What is Hollywood's aversion to funny movies? Why does every comedy need scenes full of fake drama, and/or unfunny violence? What is the point? These scenes have always left me cold and take any charm out of the movies that desperately need it. A perfect example of this phenomenon is Disney's latest crappy comedy BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE.Here is a movie that had so much potential. The concept could have been great satire. It is the story of Peter Sanderson (Steve Martin, The Jerk) a white tax lawyer whose been meeting women on the Internet. One of the women he meets is Charlene (Queen Latifah, Set It Off) an African-American women who solicits his help, rather rudely, to clear her name for a crime she didn't commit. Charlene is a larger than life badass mamma, and is in this reviewer's opinion THE MOST ANNOYING WOMEN WHO EVER LIVED. Peter is a straitlaced honky and the most boring man whose ever lived. So of course the one-dimensional broad stereotypes come out to play. In a satire, this play on characters could be really effective. Hey, it worked in BULWORTH. But in this light family comedy it all falls flat. Because the movie tries it's damnedest not to offend. There is one laugh in this entire movie. It begins as a nice dinner and ends with Joan Plowright (Avalon) singing a Negro spiritual. It is designed to make every rich white lady into an ignorant racist. I just found it funny because I have an Aunt who did something similar during dinner a few weeks ago. Old people can be so funny. But aside from the fact that just about every other joke falls flat, every character is a cardboard stereotype, and the script by Jason Filardi, is a testament to the wasted potential of a really interesting concept. It's biggest problem is the scenes of people being held at gunpoint, a pretty violent chick fight (that I think was supposed to be funny, but isn't), and various other scenes that belong in a drama. Not a lighthearted comedy. What is the point of these scenes? I think somebody felt this movie needed realistic conflict. Here's a wild idea, why not make these scenes funny instead of dramatic? Why make the fights look painful, when a comedic chick fight was what the scene called for? Save drama for good movies, and let comedies be comedies. I also kept asking myself the most important question I could come up with during the movie. This is of course. Why Steve Martin? Why did you sell your soul to be in this movie? This is the man who once `grew up as a poor black man in the south', and now he's playing the old white man in southern California. Martin shouldn't be in this movie; he is far funnier and ten times more intelligent than this material. You want to see him shine in a more recent film than THE JERK, I recommend Bowfinger. Queen Latifah on the other hand was made for this kind of movie. She has potential of following in Nell Carter's shoes. She's annoying, unfunny, and as sassy as Kevin Costner in fishnets. Why people have been throwing roses at this one note hack is beyond me. She's the David Spade of large and in charge women. She has the acting range of Pauley Shore and the charisma of a block of wood. The film also squanders Eugene Levy's talent. Thanks are to Christopher Guest for allowing him to grow in better and funnier movies. Because ever since AMERICAN PIE he's been boxed into stupid mindless supporting roles, that can be funny, but are starting to get old. What I'd like is for Hollywood to make comedies the way they used to. Let's make funny movies. I'm not asking for high art, just silly comedies that don't include realistic scenes of violence. Let's also screw the mainstream and start making movies that are Satirical instead of just safe. I want my movie one way or the other, and not just a hodgepodge of garbage. Avoid BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE at all cost.
Rating: 
Summary: I'm not sure on this one
Review: I'm giving it 4 stars for being funny but I found this movie to be extremely racist. I'm getting tired of white people being portrayed as racist, bigoted morons. Every white person in this movie is a moron. And all but a few are racist. Betty White hates everybody who isn't white and heterosexual. Racial jokes can be funny and they are in this movie but I just don't think it's fair to stereotype white people this way. We're not all stupid and bigots.
Rating: 
Summary: This Is A Funny Movie!
Review: This movie is gr8 but not what I expected. In this movie, Peter (Martin) and Charlene (Latifah) meet in a on line chat room and then finally meet in person. Peter is a lwayer. I like how Peter thinks Charlene is a white woman. He sees a picture of A news reporter reporting. Charlene is in the background being arrested for armed robbery (she is innocent). She escapes from jail and asks for Peter's help to prove her innocence. I really like Peter's racist neighbor {Bettie White} (who is also his boss' sister). She is haliorus. I like how Peter's son is illerate and can barley read and Charlene gets him to read a porn magazine. I like the fight that Charlene and Peter's ex-wife's sister get into in a woman's bathroom. This is a gr8 movie and must own for any Steve Martin or Queen Latifah fan. This movie is halarious!
Rating: 
Summary: Oh dear god... what was I thinking?
Review: What was I thinking when I got this movie? It's not funny. Not funny at all. The acting is decent, or at least the acting in the first 25 minutes. That's about as long as I ended up watching the movie before losing interest. Oh my was this horrible. Why couldn't this DVD magically transform into a great Steve Martin movie like "The Man with Two Brains"? Queen Latifah, is not funny. Steve Martin is not funny. This movie is not funny. I sure hope somebody liked this movie. After watching 25 minutes of this movie, I wanted to poke out my eyes with a hot poker and stick wet paper towels in my ears.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining Comedy With Non-Stop Laughs
Review: Steve Martin plays a dried-up lawyer who chats online, meets a convict (played by Queen Latifah), and his life goes through one of the biggest (and funniest) shake-ups to be seen. Queen Latifah's character repeatedly states that she was framed, so she blackmails Steve Martin's character into helping prove her innocence. Here, we witness Steve Martin tackling a role in which we've probably never seen him undertake (at least in his transformation from stiff lawyer, to lively person speaking in Eubonics), and Queen Latifah proves that she is one of the most versatile actresses in the business. I believe this woman can do anything she sets her mind to. The hilarious scenes tend to overshadow the underlying dialogue, which may be seen as a flaw in the film, but it really doesn't bother me too much. Also worth noting, racial stereotypes are poked at largely throughout the film, so some may be slightly offended (or annoyed) by this. Both African-Americans and Caucasians are not spared. But, this was all done in the funniest, most tongue-in-cheek kind of way, so it's not anything to be taken too seriously. Besides that, racial stereotyping has seemingly become standard these days in modern film (and TV), if you really think about it. Sometimes, you just have to laugh at stupidity (e.g. racism), as I believe the writers were poking derision at racists and ignoramuses in general. Not only that, as mentioned above, the racial stereotyping is something that can be found in quite a few movies today, but are done in lighthearted fashion. An attempt at parody, or a project falling into the routine of modern culture? You decide. A favorite funny scene: (1). Steve Martin's character is drunk as a skunk, and Queen Latifah is teaching him how to become more..desirable, by teaching him some "moves." One thing leads to another, and one of Steve Martin's associates catches the two lying on top of one another, and we all know what the scene suggested. I admit, that the outcome of the scene was quite predictable, as I knew what was going to happen. I would list more favorite funny scenes, but I refuse to, in fear of coming across as something in which I totally despise and disagree with. You get one guess at what I'm referring to! Actor Eugene Levy turns in quite a funny performance as well, as he admires Queen Latifah's brashness in character, and tries to emulate her as much as possible. Predictable, innovative or not, an hilarious film, in which I probably never would have watched, if my family hadn't asked me to watch it with them. This film can provide many with dozens of belly-laughs, and maybe, just maybe, some tender sentiment beneath the brashness. Lighthearted fun all-around.
Rating:
Summary: Actually would have been a better film without Steve Martin
Review: Some of the comments I heard about "Bringing Down the House" made me think that this was going to be the cinematic equivalent of when Ted Danson showed up at the Friar's Club in blackface to roast his then paramour Whoopi Goldberg. But I certainly did not find this 2003 comedy starring Steve Martin and Queen Latifah to be offensive, just not as funny as your would think it would be given the cast assembled for the festivities, which includes Eugene Levy, Joan Plowright, and Jean Smart. Actually, the problem with this film is the casting. Steve Martin should not have done this movie because his character, tax lawyer and divorced dad Peter Sanderson, is supposed to be the straight man surrounded by crazy people. When Martin gets the chance to do his shtick, primarily when he is getting lessons on being sexually aggressive and when he lays down his hip hop moves, it really runs against the grain of his character in the rest of the movie. Consequently, we are left in the strange situation where Martin is arguably the fifth funniest person in the film. Queen Latifah, as Charlene Morton, the woman Sanderson hooks up with on the Internet only to discover she is an ex-con looking to be cleared of a bum rap, has the best moments in the film. Levy, as Sanderson's freaky lawyer friend, does not quite carry off the ability to get down with the funk lingo, but his persistence becomes somewhat endearing. Lady Olivier has the funniest scene in the film when she starts singing an old Negro spiritual as she reminsceneces about the good old days. Even Missi Pyle as Sanderson's ex-wife's sister, Ashley, has a pretty good moment when she literally goes toe-to-toe with Charlene. Martin has those previously mentioned scenes where he tries hard, but none of them are really the best moments in the movie. "Bringing Down the House" is an interesting combination between two types of films because on the one hand you have a modern screwball comedy where an oddball couple come together, but on the other you have the Mary Poppins bit going on where the outsider comes into the home and turns everybody into better persons and recreates a happy family. It might have been more interesting if the film had stayed true to that first genre, but then we would have been in "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" territory and Hollywood is not going to go down that particular road with Martin and Latifah. At the end of this film I was thinking that Steve Martin needs to be a bit more selective in picking his film projects. But as for Queen Latifah, between this and "Chicago," it is clear that her majesty can do pretty good with any film project she wants to tackle. It is not surprising that she comes out of "Bringing Down the House" with her reputation enhanced. This is one of those films that grades out at 3.5 stars. A Steve Martin fan is going to round down, but a Queen Latifah fan will round up, and I remain her majesty's loyal subject.
Rating:
Summary: Bringing Down The Box Office
Review: Hm, Like "Mrs. Doubtfire", u could easily pass this movie by. You shouldn't, though. This movie has everything, comedy, romance, and even action. The scene when she whoops that ...is the best, and is a reflection of what Queen Latifah can do in the music buisness, too. Definetly a must have for your DVD collection!!
Rating:
Summary: Two very bright Hollywood stars get their groove on!
Review: Lets get things straight, Steve Martin and Queen Latifah kick some MAJOR tush! I don't care how bad of a script you give these two, they will make it hilarious and enjoyable.
I saw this movie in theaters, a full theater I might add. I had SUCH a wonderful time, because the audience was loving it. Hootin and hollering at the bizarre chemistry and double the laughs by these two stars. Lets not forget Eugene Levy, who provided more than his fair share of laughs too. I must say that I was a bit worried that the movie might turn out a bit racist (from the look of the previews). But from what I have seen, this movie appeals to all races and genders (you should have seen the theater audience). It actually pokes fun and shows us how rediculous racism is without being preachy. The movie does have its weak points of course. Sure it is not oscar material, and I can see how if you are watching it by yourself or with a drab crowd it might not be half as much fun. This is one of the best comedies of the year. Its nice to see the fabulous Steve Martin back in action, and Queen Latifah, well...you can't deny she is a powerhouse.
Rated PG-13 for Sexual innuendo, language, some drug use
I think this movie is alright for kids, most of the drug and sex jokes (which are not bad at all) will go right over their heads
Rating:
Summary: (a little) better than average
Review: Predictable? Yes, but still pretty funny. I liked Queen Latifah on Living Single and Steve Martin - enough said. But I really think that Joan Plowright steals the show. She plays an eccentric client Martin's tax lawyer character is trying to woo at the same time he is dealing with an escaped con he met online and thought she was a lawyer. She 'convinces' him to help clear her name, and when he does, hilarity ensues.
Martin's character is married to his job, divorced from the always adorable Jean Smart and has two kids. The funniest scene is the fight scene between Latifah and Martin's character's ex-sister-in-law. The supporting cast includes nosy neighbor Betty White and Eugene Levy as a fellow lawyer, and they provide some great comic moments.
My recommendation is somewhere in between 'buy it if it's on sale' and 'rent it'.
Rating: 
Summary: ok movie if you need something to do
Review: A WORKAHOLIC ATTORNEY [STEVE MARTIN] MEETS A FEMALE LAWYER ON THE INTERNET. BUT WHEN HE FINALLY MEETS HIS POTENTIAL SOULMATE, HE INSTEAD GETS A PRISON ESCAPEE [QUEEN LATIFAH] WHO NEEDS HER NAME CLEARED. AN OK FILM IF YOU NEED SOMETHING TO DO. THE FUNNIEST SCENES TAKE PLACE AT AN URBAN CLUB.
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