The House of Yes (1997)

A mentally unbalanced young woman - who is convinced she is Jackie Kennedy - flies into a murderous rage when her brother returns home to reveal he is engaged.

Director:

Mark Waters

Writers:

Wendy MacLeod (play), Mark Waters (adaptation)

Stars:

Parker Posey, Josh Hamilton, Tori Spelling

1 win & 6 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Parker Posey	...	Jackie-O
Josh Hamilton	...	Marty
Tori Spelling	...	Lesly
Freddie Prinze Jr.	...	Anthony
Geneviève Bujold	...	Mrs. Pascal (as Genevieve Bujold)
Rachael Leigh Cook	...	Young Jackie-O
David Love	...	Young Marty (voice)

Storyline

'Jackie-O' is anxiously awaiting the visit of her brother home for Thanksgiving, but isn't expecting him to bring a friend. She's even more shocked to learn that this friend is his fiancée. It soon becomes clear that 'Jackie-O's obsession is nothing compared to her obsession with her brother, as it also becomes clear she isn't the only member of the family with problems...

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Plot Keywords:

female protagonist | brother brother relationship | mental illness | eccentricity | sexual fantasy | 

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Taglines:

Enter at your own risk.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, perverse sex-related situations, and an image of violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

Parker Posey plays a woman who has a twin brother. In real life, Parker Posey actually has a twin brother Christopher Posey.

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Goofs

When Jackie-O says, "Goo is what makes it tape instead of paper," someone can be seen moving in the background (to the right), apparently attempting to get out of the shot.

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Quotes

Mrs. Pascal: Oh my God, I sounded just like a mother! Didn't I sound just like a mother?
Marty: You are a mother.
Mrs. Pascal: I know, but I still can't believe it. I look at you people and wonder, how did you ever fit in my womb?

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Crazy Credits

Some prints of the film feature the 1998 Miramax skyline logo at the beginning, while others have the older 1987 Miramax logo.

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Alternate Versions

Miramax re-released this film on DVD with the alteration of the closing monologue, replacing it with a scream.

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Connections

Referenced in Beverly Hills, 90210: Skin Deep (1998)

User Reviews

incredible

Seldom does a movie manage to be at the same time this dark and this funny. Nearly every line of dialogue is wickedly sarcastic--as a playwright, I spent of the time during my first viewing wishing that I could write such biting dialogue.

Parker Posey is wonderful, as is Josh Hamilton as her brother-with-benefits. The mother (the actress' name escapes me right now) is also wonderful, despite her deficient screen time. Even Tori Spelling--pariah of good actors everywhere--does a great job as Hamilton's stupid/naive fiancee (a bit of helpful typecasting). In fact, only Freddy Prinze jr. really didn't do that well in this movie, but his performance was by no means bad enough to ruin it. He seemed handily the most awkward of the bunch.

At any rate, I wound up watching it again, two days after the first time, and would recommend that anyone who hasn't done so follow my lead. Not only doesn't it lose anything on second screening, but the whole thing gets better (check out the Posey/Spellling "Marty's first girlfriend" scene)...

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 October 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

The House of Yes

Box Office

Budget:

$1,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$63,266, 12 October 1997

Gross USA:

$626,057

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$626,057

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bandeira Entertainment, Spelling Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1