Running time: 105 minutes
Starring: Steve Martin, Queen Latifah, Eugene Levy, Joan Plowright, Jean Smart, Missi Pyle
Rating 4 out of 10
Steve Martin is a smart and funny guy, so it's puzzling to see him restrict his talents to such banal and crass fare. Bringing Down The House harbors the occasional titter, but too often its attempts at humour come at the expense of lame and offensive racial stereotyping. Any guilty pleasure derived from 'uptight whitey meets downhome mama' gags wears thin very rapidly. And surely the days of stooping to the use of "negro" to solicit a laugh should be over.
Steve Martin plays recently divorced tax attorney Peter Sanderson whose internet search for romance brings him into contact with Charlene Morton (Queen Latifah). Among the many pertinent details Charlene fails to disclose during their online chats is that she is an escaped prisoner. She forces Sanderson into helping her overturn her wrongful conviction and, in the process, imposes her ebullient presence on his well-ordered life. While Sanderson considers Charlene an uncomfortable imposition, his work colleague Howie (Eugene Levy) finds her irresistible. His efforts to woo her with lines like "I'd like to dip you in cheese and spread you over a cracker," provide the film with many of its best moments.
Pitting Martin's comic genius alongside that of the multi-talented Latifah was inspired casting, but giving them nothing but hackneyed material to work with is a crime. Martin has done his geeky dance too often and donning gang attire and trying to pass himself off as a homeboy wasn't amusing the first time around when Warren Beatty did it in Bullworth. Latifah brings less of a legacy. Her schtick is still relatively fresh and it's hard not to be won over. Her abundant charm becomes more evident in Charlene who slowly starts to erode Sanderson's initial fears, while his kids instantly take to her sassy, streetwise manner. She even offers Sanderson invaluable lessons on how to win back the affections of his ex-wife (Jean Smart).
Any comedy dealing with race is in danger of taking cheap shots and screenwriter Jason Filardi rarely misses an opportunity to pop one off. But including a scene with Joan Plowright as an elderly wealthy heiress reciting a slave-owning song while being waited on by Queen Latifah's character posing as the archetypal black housemaid, is as excruciating as it sounds. It's not a question of being morally offensive - we are only talking about a broad Hollywood comedy here - it's simply a question of what is and isn't funny. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of those involved, too much of Bringing Down The House just isn't funny.
Steve Martin plays recently divorced tax attorney Peter Sanderson whose internet search for romance brings him into contact with Charlene Morton (Queen Latifah). Among the many pertinent details Charlene fails to disclose during their online chats is that she is an escaped prisoner. She forces Sanderson into helping her overturn her wrongful conviction and, in the process, imposes her ebullient presence on his well-ordered life. While Sanderson considers Charlene an uncomfortable imposition, his work colleague Howie (Eugene Levy) finds her irresistible. His efforts to woo her with lines like "I'd like to dip you in cheese and spread you over a cracker," provide the film with many of its best moments.
Pitting Martin's comic genius alongside that of the multi-talented Latifah was inspired casting, but giving them nothing but hackneyed material to work with is a crime. Martin has done his geeky dance too often and donning gang attire and trying to pass himself off as a homeboy wasn't amusing the first time around when Warren Beatty did it in Bullworth. Latifah brings less of a legacy. Her schtick is still relatively fresh and it's hard not to be won over. Her abundant charm becomes more evident in Charlene who slowly starts to erode Sanderson's initial fears, while his kids instantly take to her sassy, streetwise manner. She even offers Sanderson invaluable lessons on how to win back the affections of his ex-wife (Jean Smart).
Any comedy dealing with race is in danger of taking cheap shots and screenwriter Jason Filardi rarely misses an opportunity to pop one off. But including a scene with Joan Plowright as an elderly wealthy heiress reciting a slave-owning song while being waited on by Queen Latifah's character posing as the archetypal black housemaid, is as excruciating as it sounds. It's not a question of being morally offensive - we are only talking about a broad Hollywood comedy here - it's simply a question of what is and isn't funny. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of those involved, too much of Bringing Down The House just isn't funny.
