House Arrest (1996)

High-schooler Grover Beindorf and his younger sister Stacy decide that their parents, Janet and Ned, are acting childishly when they decide to divorce after 18 years of marriage, so they ... See full summary »

Director:

Harry Winer

Writer:

Michael Hitchcock

Stars:

Kyle Howard, Herbert Russell, Jamie Lee Curtis

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kyle Howard	...	Gregory Alan 'Grover' Beindorf
Herbert Russell	...	T.J. Krupp (as Russel Harper)
Jamie Lee Curtis	...	Janet Beindorf
Kevin Pollak	...	Ned Beindorf
Amy Sakasitz	...	Stacy Beindorf
Mooky Arizona	...	Matt Finley
Caroline Aaron	...	Louise Finley
Alex Seitz	...	Jimmy Finley
Josh Wolford	...	Teddy Finley
Wallace Shawn	...	Victor 'Vic' Finley
Jennifer Love Hewitt	...	Brooke Figler
Patrika Darbo	...	Cafetaria Cashier
Ray Walston	...	Chief Rocco
Christopher McDonald	...	Donald Krupp
Colleen Camp	...	Mrs. Burtis

Storyline

High-schooler Grover Beindorf and his younger sister Stacy decide that their parents, Janet and Ned, are acting childishly when they decide to divorce after 18 years of marriage, so they lock them up in the basement until they'll sort out their problems. Their schoolfriends also decide to do the same with their parents to solve their respective problems.

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Plot Keywords:

basement | divorce | children | operation game | juvenile hall | 

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Taglines:

There's More Than One Way To Keep A Marriage Together...

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Genres:

Comedy | Family

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic material and language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 August 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Areszt domowy

Filming Locations:

Monrovia, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$3,121,824 (USA) (16 August 1996)

Gross:

$6,970,578 (USA) (18 October 1996)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Rysher Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

There would be no cobwebs, and certainly no live rats, in a laundry chute that had been completely sealed years earlier as shown.

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Quotes

Gregory Alan 'Grover' Beindorf: Remember when you said I should lock my parents in the closet?
Matt Finley: Yeah...
Gregory Alan 'Grover' Beindorf: Well, I did! Only I didn't lock them in the closet, I locked them in the basement. Only, I didn't actually lock them in, I nailed the door shut. And I told them I wasn't letting them out until they worked out their problems.
Matt Finley: You're kidding right?
Gregory Alan 'Grover' Beindorf: No Matt, I swear, I swear... it was like, I had to do it.
Matt Finley: Dude, you kidnapped your parents? Jeez!

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Crazy Credits

As the closing credits roll, we are shown the various family members in Hawaii hula-dancing, often in native garb or something close to it, singly and in various combinations. The footage ends with Chief Rocco (Ray Walston) stumbling out of some bushes with a set of night-vision goggles with which he tries to observe the rest of the cast (in full daylight).

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Connections

References Sesame Street (1969)

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Soundtracks

"Kill Someone You Hate"
Performed by Redd Kross

User Reviews

So-So

A lightweight family comedy that also tries to impart some halfway serious messages about the dynamics of parents and children and keeping the family together. While the movie has its heart in the right place, it's also far-fetched and not terribly funny and at times too talky. Still, a passable time-killer (especially for kids), with a most agreeable cast.