Bronx à Bel Air

OK, so the white-yuppie-and-black-ghetto-person-joining-up idea has been used a number of times in movies, but the dialog between Steve Martin and Queen Latifah makes this one worthwhile. Probably the best scenes are Betty White's nasty comments, Queen Latifah teaching Missi Pyle a lesson, Steve Martin dressed - and attempting to talk - like a rapper (especially because of what Joan Plowright ends up doing in that scene), and of course, Eugene Levy's statements ending with "Boo". "Bringing Down the House" really does bring down the house. Completely silly, but fun nevertheless.

Who ever would have imagined Joan Plowright (aka Laurence Olivier's widow) doing what she did and saying what she said in the rapper scene?

If the idea of one of the "whitest" comedians in Hollywood (Martin) teaming up with one of the "blackest" divas (Latifah) appeals to you, then you might enjoy "Bringing Down the House". The film has Martin as a divorced tax attorney while Latifah plays a jailbird on the run who needs an attorney to prove her innocence and gives Martin plenty of "tude" along with some lessons in getting real as they raucously wend their way through countless comedic contrivances. Personally I enjoyed this busy top-of-the-marquee comedy romp a lot. However, it requires being able to find humor in the juxtaposition of Martin and Latifah which, judging from comments elsewhere on this website, not everyone did. (B)

Steve Martin and Queen Latifah (and Eugene Levy) are an odd combo, but certainly a funny one! Coming out in 2003, "Bringing Down the House" was a movie about two different worlds coming together; probably not the first, and the result is some hilarity! Steve Martin plays a divorced lawyer trying to juggle his work-life and spending time with his two kids, and Queen Latifah is an escaped prisoner (as you probably already know). The plot of Martin's lawyer trying to find love and unexpectedly running into Latifah's straight-up "sister" personality results in a pretty hilarious film! Add in Eugene Levy's "down white guy" persona, and you have the makings of some very funny moments! Some may argue that this film relies too much on typical plot lines, "been-there-done-that" routines, and stereotypes, but that's not the case.

This movie is a very funny and enjoyable romp. Meaningless fun. A laugh out loud. Don't get me wrong, Steve Martin does shine especially in the scene where his daughter is relaying the events of a party that a dad just doesn't want to hear. Following Latifa's character's advice to stay cool to gain her trust, he bites his tongue and instead of going mad, says, "That was some party"! Overall, 'Bringing Down The House' is funny and very entertaining film that you will not regret watching, although it could have been a little better with a better script, the acting was brilliant all round, and it does work pretty well, especially with Steve Martin as the main character who is very funny as usual.

Overall rating: 7 out of 10.

This is pretty much another one of those typical culture clash comedies where a streetsmart character meets the classy rich character, there's conflict and then the conflict is resolved and friendship blossoms, then there's another conflict but that too is resolved by the end. The story has been told x number of times. But what makes 'Bringing Down The House' likable is Queen Latifah, Steve Martin and Joan Plowright. These three provide some laugh-out-loud moments some including Martin and Latifah's dance number, Martin dressing and talking 'black', Queen Latifah and Missy Pyle's catfight and doing a break-dance, Plowright's pompous and stuck up character getting stoned, Peter's neighbour catching him and Charlene in a compromising position. The chemistry between Latifah and Martin is convincing and both have a good comic timing. Thus, even though the story has nothing new to offer, the funny moments make 'Bringing Down The House' fun to watch.

This movie was amazing, Steve Martin and Queen Latifah are a great team they made the whole movie so much fun. When Peter Sanderson (Martin) expects a date with a classy lawyer at his home, instead a large loud woman just out of prison Charlene (Latifah), appears on his doorstep and comes into his home and his life with a bang! At the end of this hilarious movie after a whole lot of havoc Charlene and Peter actually build up a good relationship despite their differences. All of the cast were brilliantly picked including Peters hilarious assistant (Eugene Levy) Mrs Arness (Joan Plowright) and The Sanderson kids, they all contributed to making this film the movie of 2003!