Madhouse

This is one of those late 80's comedies with low stakes, minor stars, and a few laughs. It's even got an animated opening credits. It doesn't aim high, but there's a few good bits so it's not a total waste of time. Don't get me wrong, this ain't shakespeare, but it's a pleasant enough diversion if you like the era.

This was one hilarious movie to begin the 90's. I've always been a fan of John Larroquette since he appeared on Night Court. This movie rocks! And I was just a pre-teen kid when I saw this in the theater, and it's still funny to me now that I'm an adult!

It's about John Larroquette and Kirsty Alley playing these yuppies who have some relatives visiting, and then before we know it, practically the whole neighborhood becomes their houseguests! Also the news interviews were amusing, too!

So, if you're in a mood for a screwball comedy from this past decade, you're in for a ride with this one! I highly recommend it!

This movie sucked really bad, not only was John L's acting pretty amateur and stiff, it was quite obvious that Dennis Miller belongs on a prime time talk show. None of it was funny, and the cat bit was really cheap. The ending was predictable, and the plot was a little shaky, some kids smuggling dope by using John L's office? Yeah right... not now, and not even then (1990) folks... the only part i like is the parts where they interview people on the street, but even that kind of sucked because the "Question Girl" played by that chick who was in that movie with john travolta, her acting was worse than John L's, my rating, a 0 out of 10

MADHOUSE, in my opinion, is an excellent feel-good screwball comedy which will leave you smiling! If I had to deal with a bunch of uninvited guests the way that Mark (John Larroquette) and Jessie (Kirstie Alley) did, I would go just as crazy as they did. Still, I say it's always a good idea to be a good Samaritan. Last night, before I had to leave to go somewhere, I watched half of this, and this morning, I watched the whole thing, and I must say that I really enjoyed it. I even purchased it last night. Anyway, if you want to know what kind of mayhem ensues, see the movie for yourself. I guarantee you that you will have a smile on your face afterward.

This engagingly nutty farce stars TV icons John Larroquette and Kirstie Alley as Mark and Jessie Bannister, an average, fairly successful L.A. couple who've just moved into their dream home. Wouldn't you know it: their serenity is almost immediately interrupted by a nonstop barrage of uninvited house guests. Circumstances spiral way out of control, ensuring that these human pests are obliged to stay at Mark and Jessies' place for an extended period of time.

At best, the material by debuting writer / director Tom Ropelewski is no more than mildly amusing. It's certainly not for everybody, considering just how abominable some of these characters are, such as Jessica Lundys' obnoxious Bernice, the wife of Marks' cousin Fred (John Diehl), bratty psycho in training C.K. (Aeryk Egan), the son of the next door neighbour Dale (played by The Exterminator, a.k.a. actor Robert Ginty), or Jessies' spoiled rotten, stuck up, gold digging sister Claudia (Alison La Placa). But the cast is so good that they keep this wacky comedy watchable for 91 minutes.

By the time the movie has ended, we'll see a baby elephant running amok, a pet cat that steadily uses up a number of its nine lives, a police raid, an on air nervous breakdown for reporter Jessie, a harness designed for the pregnant Bernice when she slips and falls, and some remodelling (when Dale and his brood move in, he takes it upon himself to make bleachers (!) for the TV set).

This talented cast makes the most of the situation; Larroquette, Diehl, and La Placa are particularly funny. Also appearing are Bradley Gregg as Claudias' no-good son Jonathan, and Dennis Miller (making his film debut), sporting his ridiculous early 90s hair as Marks' co-worker Wes.

It's all too easy to sympathize with our heroes as they try to take back their house.

Six out of 10.