House Broken (2009)

In order to enjoy his retirement, a father takes drastic measures to get his twentysomething, slacker sons to move out and fend for themselves.

Director:

Sam Harper

Writers:

Sam Harper (screenplay), Meredith Preston (earlier screenplay)

Stars:

Danny DeVito, Katey Sagal, Skyler Stone

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Danny DeVito	...	Cathkart
Katey Sagal	...	Mom (as Mrs. C)
Skyler Stone	...	Quinn
Caitlin Crosby	...	Sarah
Ryan Hansen	...	Elliot Cathkart
Brie Larson	...	Suzy Decker
Matthew Glave	...	Hector
Thomas F. Wilson	...	Fire Chief Henry Decker (as Tom Wilson)
Tony Yalda	...	Gilroy
Adam Herschman	...	Shirtless Boy
Parvesh Cheena	...	Zerban
Michael Bofshever	...	Husband Camper
Corryn Cummins	...	Babs Tawber
Kiernan Shipka	...	Tammy Tawber
Nick Nervies	...	Brando

Storyline

Cathcart retires from the fire department and wants to live alone with his wife, which means he has to get his two sons, Quinn and Elliot, who are approaching 30, to move. They are unemployed slackers; their mom does everything for them. Cathcart takes her camping while leaving the boys a house without food, money, or electricity. Will the lads get the message, find jobs, and move out, or will they cling to life at mom and pop's at all costs? They take in boarders, who may be their salvation. Meanwhile, mom wants to come home and continue babying her sons. Can the house survive?

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Plot Keywords:

slacker | retirement | camping | cans | electricity | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for crude and sexual content and language throughout

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

No Place Like Home

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Capacity Pictures, Home

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

User Reviews

House Broken, or Broken House?

After you've watched this movie, you can call it both ways, especially after Danny Devito's 2 sons, Ryan Hansen as Elliot, and Skyler Stone as Quinn, are done. Talk about what have to be the most nerdy, brainless, half-witted, clueless and screw-balled airheads - these 2 and their pack of equally dumb friends. Their girlfriends weren't much better either.

It was a pleasure, though, to see Danny DeVito once again. After all these years, he proves that he hasn't lost his touch, ever so excellent. That expression he has when arching his brow and puckering his lips, signaling he's about to drum up something, cracks me up still just as it did way back when he made Twins with Arnold Schwarzenegger. In this movie, boy does he have a handful with his dysfunctional misfits, an airhead of a wife not willing to live without "her boys", a wacky neighbor in the persona of Tom Wilson (yes, the very same "Biff" from Back to the Future), and a firefighter friend he hires with a pet snake to scare off the Brady bunch (John Farley as "Nate").

But our hero, now ex-Fire Chief and Firefighter Captain, has no intention of spending his retirement accompanied by screwballs, be they his sons or not. Oh no! he has a whole plan drawn up to teach these guys to be men, and move on. Does he succeed? Well, you'll have to find out.

What I take exception to is the constant and varied sexual innuendos, not played down either - but really crass and crude. There were several moments where public references to both male and female genitalia were made; I do not see what this had to do with the plot, or how it contributed to the story, other than cheapening it unnecessarily. Lots of dildos illustrating their function - at one time, the elder plays at putting one in his brother's mouth while sleeping. There was a scene with a dummy which I thought sick and unnecessary, and the list goes on.

This, primarily, is what prompted my low score. It isn't a flick you'll want to watch with your family, especially not young kids. So if you watch this, make sure whomever is with you (if anyone) is mature enough and will not take undue offense at such portrayal of what nowadays is called 'humor'.

That being said, a few laughs and giggles are on the menu, tainted, sadly, with a lot of mindless humor and crude language/behavior.