IMDb RATING
5.8/10
9.6K
YOUR RATING
Desperate to keep their various parents from getting divorced, a group of teenagers kidnaps them and holds them prisoner in a basement to force them to reconcile.Desperate to keep their various parents from getting divorced, a group of teenagers kidnaps them and holds them prisoner in a basement to force them to reconcile.Desperate to keep their various parents from getting divorced, a group of teenagers kidnaps them and holds them prisoner in a basement to force them to reconcile.
- Awards
- 1 nomination total
Herbert Russell
- T.J. Krupp
- (as Russel Harper)
Alex Seltz-Wald
- Jimmy
- (as Alex Seitz)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
I don't know why a lot of critics attacked this movie. What is there to attack? That's the problem with critics, they're always way too serious. Lighten up! No one said this would be Saving Private Ryan. It's not even Honey I Shrunk The Kids, but it's still cute.
I mean think about it, at one point (well, more than one) in our lives we all just wish we could lock our parents in the basement. The acting is not superb but it's cute and the kind you would expect from a movie like this. The one person I will hand it to is Jennifer Tilly, who really stole the show as Jennifer Love Hewitt's teen-like mother. Not bad at all, though not near to becoming one of the best. This movie will soon be forgotten but if it ever comes on TV watch it.
I mean think about it, at one point (well, more than one) in our lives we all just wish we could lock our parents in the basement. The acting is not superb but it's cute and the kind you would expect from a movie like this. The one person I will hand it to is Jennifer Tilly, who really stole the show as Jennifer Love Hewitt's teen-like mother. Not bad at all, though not near to becoming one of the best. This movie will soon be forgotten but if it ever comes on TV watch it.
This comedy, about a teenager and his younger sister who lock their parents in the basement until they work out their marital problems, is not as bad as it sounds. We wind up with a bunch of kids upstairs who know how to relate to one another but gradually have to work out how to keep practical things running, and a bunch of adults downstairs who are just the opposite. In truth, neither side does very well, but at least this is not the tired condescension of the kids screwing up and needing to be rescued by the adults: both groups are portrayed with a mix of severity and sympathy. Throw in a meddling retired chief of police across the street, and make him Ray Walston whom I think everybody loved most in "Picket Fences," and you have a film that is very entertaining, and also carries across some deeper meaning about what contributions young people and older ones can make to each other's ongoing development. Kyle Howard was 18 trying to play 14, which took a good deal of suspension of disbelief, but that miscasting seems to be an obsession Hollywood just can't seem to grow out of.
In the suburbs of Defiance, Ohio a sensitive and idealistic teenage boy is so shocked and distraught to learn that his parents are getting separated that he recruits his younger sister to help lock them in the basement in the desperate hope that they'll actually talk out their problems and come to a rational solution. It starts out as a good idea, until his friends bring over their parents and lock them into the basement as well. Film's premise is far-fetched and protracted, to be sure, but it benefits from a talented cast (especially Howard), believable characters, and a good sense of family values. Not easy to take seriously, but meaningful and really not bad for what it is. **½
This wasn't the best movie I've seen in recent times but it was a fun movie. I liked the concept of holding the oldies hostage while they sort their affairs out.
The bonus I guess is that if your're a fan of Jennifer Love Hewitt as I am she's in this movie and her role though minor is good, and hey she's kinda hot you know so that's a bonus.
I can't really fault the film and yes there's an awful lot of bad reviews around about it but I think it's well worth the 6/10 I gave it.
It's a fun film for everyone, without being too over sentimental or sugar filled. I was surprised to see Jennifer Tilly in this as I felt it too lightweight for her, but there you go guess she needed the work.
The bonus I guess is that if your're a fan of Jennifer Love Hewitt as I am she's in this movie and her role though minor is good, and hey she's kinda hot you know so that's a bonus.
I can't really fault the film and yes there's an awful lot of bad reviews around about it but I think it's well worth the 6/10 I gave it.
It's a fun film for everyone, without being too over sentimental or sugar filled. I was surprised to see Jennifer Tilly in this as I felt it too lightweight for her, but there you go guess she needed the work.
Now this movie was a good one seeing as though it did not reach the big screen. Jamie Lee Curtis leads an all star cast in this hilarious comedy about love, Hope and a little bit of luck.
House arrest a must see holiday flick.
House arrest a must see holiday flick.
Did you know
- TriviaDan Aykroyd, Jim Belushi, Billy Crystal, Tom Hanks, and Bill Murray were considered for the role of Ned Beindorf.
- GoofsStacey's nail gun would require air pressure to make it work. There is no air hose hooked to it, making it impossible to use.
- Quotes
Donald Krupp: Your son is truly certifiable!
Ned Beindorf: My son is certifiable?
Donald Krupp: Yeah, your son.
Ned Beindorf: How about when the yearbook comes out, your kid's picture is gonna be there "Most likely to be a serial killer"--That's your boy!
- Crazy creditsAs the closing credits roll, we are shown the various family members in Hawaii hula-dancing, often in native garb or something close to it, singly and in various combinations. The footage ends with Chief Rocco (Ray Walston) stumbling out of some bushes with a set of night-vision goggles with which he tries to observe the rest of the cast (in full daylight).
- SoundtracksLove Will Keep Us Together
Written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield
Published by Entco Music
Performed by Captain & Tennille
Courtesy of A&M Records
- How long is House Arrest?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $7,032,782
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $2,275,808
- Aug 18, 1996
- Gross worldwide
- $7,032,782
- Runtime1 hour 48 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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