Man of the House (I) (2005)

A Texas Ranger must protect a group of cheerleaders who have witnessed a murder.

Director:

Stephen Herek

Writers:

John J. McLaughlin (story), Scott Lobdell (story),

Stars:

Tommy Lee Jones, Cedric the Entertainer, Christina Milian

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tommy Lee Jones	...	Ranger Roland Sharp
Cedric the Entertainer	...	Percy Stevens
Christina Milian	...	Anne
Paula Garcés	...	Teresa (as Paula Garces)
Monica Keena	...	Evie
Vanessa Ferlito	...	Heather
Kelli Garner	...	Barbara 'Barb' Thompson
Anne Archer	...	Professor Molly McCarthy
Brian Van Holt	...	Agent Eddie Zane
Shea Whigham	...	Ranger Holt
Terry Dale Parks	...	Ranger Riggs (as Terry Parks)
R. Lee Ermey	...	Captain Nichols
Paget Brewster	...	Binky Beauregard
Shannon Woodward	...	Emma Sharp
Liz Vassey	...	Maggie Swanson

Storyline

Texas Ranger Roland Sharp is assigned to protect the only witnesses to the murder of a key figure in the prosecution of a drug kingpin -- a group of University of Texas cheerleaders. Sharp must now go undercover as an assistant cheerleading coach and move in with the young women.

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Plot Keywords:

cheerleader | texas ranger | crooked cop | ends with a wedding | silencer | 

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Taglines:

Protecting witnesses is a challenge. Living with them is impossible.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for violence, sexual content, crude humor and a drug reference

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Pictures [uk] Sony Pictures [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 February 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cheer Up

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$58,633 (South Africa) (8 July 2005)

Gross:

$173,209 (South Africa) (15 July 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Revolution Studios, Bel Air Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Hex is an actual University of Texas tradition, enacted before the annual Thanksgiving game against Texas A&M University. The Texas A&M Aggies had their own pre-game tradition, the Bonfire, but after a combination of factors caused a collapse in 1999 and killed 12 students, the tradition is no longer university-sponsored, it is however, still organized by the student body and done off-campus.

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Goofs

When Roland and Heather are talking and the newspaper is on the table with the story about Roland's partner being wounded, Heather's hair goes from neat and combed to unkempt in successive shots.

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Quotes

Roland Sharp: I gave up alcohol about ten years ago.
Molly McCarthy: Didn't like yourself when you were drinking, huh?
Roland Sharp: Hell, I loved myself when I was drinking. It was the other people that had the problem!

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Connections

References Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)

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Soundtracks

"Wabash Cannonball"
Written by A.P. Carter
Performed by The University of Texas Longhorn Band

User Reviews

Not exactly "Witness" with pom-poms

We aren't exactly talking rocket science here; in fact, in some ways "Man of the House" represents what is wrong with the American movie industry. It seems the movie was cobbled together by a bunch of movie execs. and preview audiences, so the movie feels vaguely familiar. Of course, each of the cheerleaders represents a typical stereotype: the dumb blonde, the too tightly wound pre-med major, the sassy black girl, the fiery Latina, and the "bad" girl. I felt like I was watching a movie script that was written by MadLibs. Hey, we need a laugh, so lets make Tommy Lee Jones buy tampons and watch the hilarity ensue! (Cause nothing says funny like men's reaction to icky feminine products!) The movie also misses the opportunity to properly utilize the talents of Pagent Brewster (so adorable as Chandler's love interest on "Friends"), who has only a few lines as the uber-perky cheerleading coach, Binky, and Ann Archer, who brings a quiet dignity to her underdeveloped role as a professor/object of TLJ's affection.

For those of you cheers fans, you will be woefully disappointed by the lack of actual cheerleading that is shown. Besides one ridiculous dance-off between the girls and Cedric the Entertainer (whose presence in the movie seems to be there purely because it is hilarious to see a large man dance in too small cheerleading uniform), which looks more like drill team practice to me, there is nary a tumbling pass or pyramid to be seen. Sadly, this is no "Bring It On." And, for all -the rah-rah girl power the movie feigns to promote, the girls are portrayed as bubble headed, appearance crazed, weight obsessed exhibitionists.

That being said, the movie wasn't all bad. The laughs were obvious, the characters broad, the plot unbelievable, but there were still the chuckles that come from a fish out of water comedy where you crack a smile in spite of yourself. Tommy Lee Jones does a good job of looking like an exasperated hard-ass, though you can't help but wonder if he's really acting or just cannot believe his agent actually sent him the script. By the way, he is a good example to young kids of why you should always wear sunscreen -- the man has NOT aged well! All in all, not a total waste of time, but I wouldn't suggest building your weekend plans around a viewing!