Garde rapprochée

I am very well known for scoffing at my husband for taking me to see movies that are not "Oscar Worthy". I have learned not to go to the movies with my teenagers because most of their choices, in my opinion, are dull and poorly made. Thus they didn't like that I drug them to "Mystic River" last year. They didn't understand why I like it.

Although "Man of the House" was not a well made movie and did contain a lot of clichés' I enjoyed it. The lines were quite funny and Tommy Lee Jones being the wonderful actor he is pulled off the "hard nosed guy with a soft side" very well. The interaction between him and the girls was believable and the girls all had their own distinct personalities.... the Latin hot head, the studious good girl, the dumb blonde, the beautiful ex-bad girl hick and the level headed but stubborn leader.

I might have enjoyed it because it has a touch of GIRL POWER in it.... (kinda like Thelma and Louise). I might have liked it because I love Tommy Lee Jones, and I might have liked it because I am an ex-cheerleader and currently a cheer coach (which would ACTUALLY be a reason NOT to like it because the cheerleading in it was for SHOW ONLY. Not a realistic portrayal of our sport by any means). None the less I tend to be hard nose where movie making is concerned and I liked it.

Its a safe bet as a rental. Watch your teenage sons.... there are A lot of half dressed girls (think "Coyote Ugly" but worse).

If you are looking for a "Bring it On" type movie... THIS IS NOT IT. This is more along the lines of "Sugar and Spice".

Another routine film where Texas cheerleaders witness a murder and are then protected by Marshal Tommy Lee Jones. Jones shows a thick Texan accent and is aging. The guy looks like he has not had a good night sleep in a while.

Naturally, while they are confined, the girls learn a lot from Jones and he in return learns from them.

Nice seeing Anne Archer back in films after a hiatus for her. As English literature professor, Molly McCarthy, her part is small but she shows real professor-like teaching in her class. She is good at giving out the assignments.

The last scenes are exciting when the killer catches the daughter of Jones and the cheerleaders are able to get her off the bus. While the girls are not exactly brilliant, they know do some degree what life is all about. The former also best describes this film which has a few funny moments. Cedric the Entertainer appears in the first and last scene as a preacher with a jaded past.

No, it wasn't Oscar material. It wasn't even comedic genius. But it will make you smile and laugh and you will be entertained.

Tommy Lee Jones turns in his customary performance as a blunt, laconic albeit lovable curmudgeon. The plot is predictable, but then this isn't a Shakespearean tragedy, so how involved is it supposed to be? The girls are cute, little, perky provide enough eye candy to send you into diabetic shock. Of course, I could have done without the Texas Longhorn connection being a USC graduate and all. But that aside, I smiled, and I laughed, and when it was over, I felt good.

So sue me.

We aren't exactly talking rocket science here; in fact, in some ways "Man of the House" represents what is wrong with the American movie industry. It seems the movie was cobbled together by a bunch of movie execs. and preview audiences, so the movie feels vaguely familiar. Of course, each of the cheerleaders represents a typical stereotype: the dumb blonde, the too tightly wound pre-med major, the sassy black girl, the fiery Latina, and the "bad" girl. I felt like I was watching a movie script that was written by MadLibs. Hey, we need a laugh, so lets make Tommy Lee Jones buy tampons and watch the hilarity ensue! (Cause nothing says funny like men's reaction to icky feminine products!) The movie also misses the opportunity to properly utilize the talents of Pagent Brewster (so adorable as Chandler's love interest on "Friends"), who has only a few lines as the uber-perky cheerleading coach, Binky, and Ann Archer, who brings a quiet dignity to her underdeveloped role as a professor/object of TLJ's affection.

For those of you cheers fans, you will be woefully disappointed by the lack of actual cheerleading that is shown. Besides one ridiculous dance-off between the girls and Cedric the Entertainer (whose presence in the movie seems to be there purely because it is hilarious to see a large man dance in too small cheerleading uniform), which looks more like drill team practice to me, there is nary a tumbling pass or pyramid to be seen. Sadly, this is no "Bring It On." And, for all -the rah-rah girl power the movie feigns to promote, the girls are portrayed as bubble headed, appearance crazed, weight obsessed exhibitionists.

That being said, the movie wasn't all bad. The laughs were obvious, the characters broad, the plot unbelievable, but there were still the chuckles that come from a fish out of water comedy where you crack a smile in spite of yourself. Tommy Lee Jones does a good job of looking like an exasperated hard-ass, though you can't help but wonder if he's really acting or just cannot believe his agent actually sent him the script. By the way, he is a good example to young kids of why you should always wear sunscreen -- the man has NOT aged well! All in all, not a total waste of time, but I wouldn't suggest building your weekend plans around a viewing!

I'll be honest. My two main motivations for checking out this movie were the great Tommy Lee Jones and a bunch of hot cheerleaders. I expected a fluffy, predictable comedy, and that's what I got. But it works. There are few "laugh-out-loud" moments, but it's charming and fun the whole way through. Of course, I have to give much of the credit to Tommy Lee Jones. When you're dealing with a broad comedy of this sort, it's good to have a talented veteran actor at its center to give it some validity. John Cleese once said that watching a crazy person is not nearly as funny as watching someone reacting to a crazy person. Well, Jones does a great job at reacting to this group of wacky cheerleaders, and helps make the film even more amusing. I'm sure real-life cheerleaders hate the way they're almost always portrayed as ditsy morons in movies. Well, this movie isn't any different, so cheerleaders may be offended by much of the humor. I didn't think it was necessary for "Harold and Kumar's" Paula Garces to play a stereotypical Latina, phony accent and all. But unfortunately, it's hard to be of Latin descent of Hollywood without getting those degrading roles. Just look at Lupe Ontiveros, who was born in the U.S., yet has been stuck playing the typical Spanish maid throughout most of her career. But with all that aside, I think one of the reasons why the movie succeeds is because it doesn't often resort to crude and low-brow humor. There's one joke involving Jones sticking his hand up a cow's behind, but other than that, there isn't any real bathroom humor. And on top of it all, we have a nice action subplot, including an exciting finale. "Man of the House" is good, light-hearted fun, as long as you're not expecting too much.