Bringing Down the House (2003)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Director:

Adam Shankman

Writer (WGA):

Jason Filardi (written by)

Release Date:

7 March 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Everything he needed to know about life, she learned in prison.

Plot:

When a lonely guy meets a woman on the Internet who happens to be in prison, she breaks out to be with him, and proceeds to wreak havoc on his middle-class life.

Plot Keywords:

Lawyer | Divorce | Ex Wife | Catfight | Dating Service

Awards:

3 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

Steve Martin	...	Peter Sanderson
Queen Latifah	...	Charlene Morton
Eugene Levy	...	Howie Rottman
Joan Plowright	...	Virginia Arness
Jean Smart	...	Kate Sanderson
Kimberly J. Brown	...	Sarah Sanderson
Angus T. Jones	...	Georgey Sanderson
Missi Pyle	...	Ashley
Michael Rosenbaum	...	Todd Gendler
Betty White	...	Mrs. Kline
Steve Harris	...	Widow
Jim Haynie	...	Ed Tobias
Aengus James	...	Mike
Jernard Burks	...	Widow's Bodyguard
Bronzell Miller	...	Widow's Bodyguard

Also Known As:

In the Houze (USA) (working title)
JailBabes.com (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for language, sexual humor and drug material.

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:L | Malaysia:U | UK:12 (video rating) | UK:12A (original rating) | South Korea:15 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Canada:PG | Finland:K-11 | Germany:6 | Netherlands:MG6 | New Zealand:M | Norway:11 | Peru:PT | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Zurich) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #39572)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Touchstone Pictures

Trivia:

The Russian title for the film translates as "House Upside Down".

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Peter is preparing to meet Charlene for the first time, he opens the glass refrigerator door and the reflections of the cameraman and another man can be seen.

Quotes:

Howie Rottman: I'd like to dip you in Cheez Wiz and spread you all over a Ritz cracker, if I'm not being too subtle.
Charlene Morton: Boy, you some kinda freaky!
Howie Rottman: Oh, you have no idea. You got me straight trippin', boo!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Film Geek (2005)

Soundtrack:

Move Somethin'

A Funny Comedy With Many Good Moments

Peter Sanderson (Steve Martin) is a divorced workaholic lawyer, who spends his time working and in a chat room for lawyers in Internet, where he meets the young lawyer Charlene Morton. He has a teenager daughter and a son, and misses his wife Kate (Jean Smart). One day, he schedules a dinner at his home with the pretty and blonde Charlene, of whom he has a picture only. When he opens his door, he sees that Charlene is indeed a huge Afro-American woman (Queen Latifah), who was in jail and wants him to defend her, claiming that she is innocent. Charlene forces Peter to lodge and defend her, and from this moment on, his life turns upside-down. This movie is a very funny comedy, with many good moments. For example, when his teenager daughter trusts on him and decides to tell him other hidden stories about her, it is hilarious. Or when Peter opens the door and sees Charlene for the first time. There are many other funny scenes. Of course there are also many clichés, this film is not a surrealistic art movie and certainly will not be indicated for an Oscar. But I laughed a lot with the situations created by Steve Martin, Queen Latifah, Eugene Levy and Joan Plowright. Highly recommended for laughing. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): 'A Casa Caiu' ('The House is Down')