Bringing Down the House (2003)
The reason this is called "Bringing
Down the House" and not "Bringing Down the Hizouse"
is that the film is meant to appeal to 30 year olds
and not anyone remotely hip. Employing every feel-good
device that has been slammed into the head of the
populi for 10 or 20 years now, this film sits limply
up on the screen and dies one agonizing death after
another. It's sometimes painful.
The saddest thing is that Steve
Martin and Queen Latifah are really, really good together.
They've got chemistry like a mizotherfizucker. The
scenes where they inter-relate without the trappings
of children or standard one-dimensional fuddy- duddy
characters and try to elevate the material above the
required PG-13 mentality are quite funny and likeable.
I'd much rather see these two in a mature R-rated
comedy about a rich middle-aged white guy who falls
in love with a black woman (maybe his hair stylist
or temp secretary) than the TV sit-com plot we get
here. Scripter Jason Filardi has never written anything
before and it shows. He doesn't write here; he plagiarizes.
This is the typical story of an unconventional person
thrown into the life of a anal- retentive person.
The wild and crazy one teaches the persnickety one
to loosen up and go for his dreams. In the end, he
gets what he wants (i.e. learns money and a job are
not happiness) and in the process makes his wife and
children and friends happy because he's a nicer person
who doesn't get uptight. Yawn.
Eugene Levy does a very nice job
as the love interest for Queenie (as we discovered
she is called at the 2003 Oscars, at least by close
pal Catherine Zeta-Jones). Here's an actor who takes
chances and works really hard to make something happen
that is unique and interesting. He is the only adult
character worth mentioning in the "American Pie" series
and he steals the show every time Christopher Guest
casts him in a mockumentary. Unfortunately, here,
he has too much ground to make up for in this stinker
and he cannot accomplish the deed. He's still good
but it's not hard to look good when compared to his
co-starring second bananas. W this film does to poor
Betty White, Joan Plowright, Jean Smart (at least
we get to see her in something that wasn't made-for-TV)
and Steve Harris (totally miscast) is just nauseating.
(here's the idea of the jokes here: White is a bigot
and Plowright is a rich old bitch who turns nice after
she smokes a "doobie"). The supporting cast here is
just a fizucking mizess.
Director Adam Shankman is way out
of his league. He directs this film like a 60 year
old man might. It is obviously a film made by a studio
and not a filmmaker. The choice of music is just abysmal.
The score by Lalo Schifrin is abhorrent. And the editing,
pacing and art direction make the film seem like some
sort of vehicle for elderly and weak- hearted. It's
like the new millennium Lawrence Welk show. It's just
awful.
Shankman is a former choreographer
so he throws tons of dance sequences into the film
with absolutely nothing interesting or amusing happening
in them. And the choice of music was obviously made
by a 50 year old producer or something. This stuff
makes Kenny G seem like a real rocker.
"Bringing Down the House" doesn't.
Queen Latifah is a producer here and she must have
listened to too many white people. This film is as
innocuous as a load of Wonder Bread that's sat on
the shelf for a few days. Maybe after getting rave
reviews for "Chicago" she won't have to try and put
projects as lame and ill-advised as this one together
in the future. As for Martin, he seems to have sold
his soul to the devil. His next project with Shankman
is a remake of the old "Topper" film, itself a franchise
piece that may lead to several collaborations between
the two in the future.
Shankman has generated two standard,
formulaic, lame films for Hollywood now with "The
Wedding Planner" and this film. (I haven't seen his
"A Walk to Remember" with Mandy Moore but the trailer
made it look typically weak as well). Until he figures
out how to have style and panache and takes some chances,
he'll never be a filmmaker. But, really, who gives
a fizuck. He can crank out rank Steve Martin comedies
for 20 years for all I care.
Here's hopping Queenie moves on
and never looks back.
Note:
Also with Missi Pyle and Smalls.
Viewed in Austin in March 2003 with
Ashton.
