Bringing Down The House (2003)
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34% of critics liked it
(147 reviews) -
60% of users liked it
(361,155 ratings)
A man looking for a woman just like himself ends up with someone quite different in this farcical comedy. Peter Sanderson (Steve Martin) is a lawyer who is having trouble getting his life back on track after his wife, Kate (Jean Smart), divorces him; he's also adjusting to his new status as a… More A man looking for a woman just like himself ends up with someone quite different in this farcical comedy. Peter Sanderson (Steve Martin) is a lawyer who is having trouble getting his life back on track after his wife, Kate (Jean Smart), divorces him; he's also adjusting to his new status as a single father. Looking for companionship, Peter tries an internet dating site and virtually meets "lawyer-girl," an attractive and single fellow attorney. Peter makes a date with her, but the woman who arrives at his door turns out to be Charlene Morton (Queen Latifah), who not only isn't a lawyer, she turns out to be an escaped convict. Charlene is also a brash and brassy African-American, while Peter is perhaps the most tightly wound white guy in L.A. Charlene explains to Peter that she's strung him along because she's innocent of the crime for which she was convicted, and she needs a top-notch attorney to help prove her case. Peter isn't the least bit interested at first, but Charlene isn't the sort of woman to take "no" for an answer, and in time she wears him down and agrees to help. As Charlene moves into Peter's home, she helps him to loosen up and unleash his inner groove, which quite surprises Kate, and her down-to-earth advice comes in handy for Peter's son and daughter. But Charlene may end up going too far when Peter is asked to entertain Mrs. Arness (Joan Plowright), a wealthy woman looking for a new law firm. Bringing Down the House also features Eugene Levy as Howie, one of Peter's friends who takes a keen interest in Charlene, and Betty White as one of Peter's neighbors. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Adam Shankman
- Written By
- Jason Filardi
- Genres
- Comedy
PG-13,
- In Theaters
- Mar 7, 2003 Wide
- Studio
- Touchstone Pictures
Critic Reviews
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Jami Bernard, New York Daily News
A comedy that successfully plays with stereotypes, both racial and personal.
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Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
You have somebody as smart as Steve Martin, and as smart and appealing as Queen Latifah in a movie like this. To have such an awful, offensive story is a real disappointment.
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Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News
A comedy constructed from tapped-out ideas.
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Jane Dark, Village Voice
A Film in Which Steve Martin Will Appear in Full Hip-Hop Drag With Appropriate Slang for Not Less Than Six Minutes.
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Peter Rainer, New York Magazine
The material is thin and pandering and almost criminally negligent in bypassing opportunities for humor.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Steve Martin
as Peter Sanderson
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Queen Latifah
as Charlene Morton
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Eugene Levy
as Howie Rosenthal
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Joan Plowright
as Mrs. Arness
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Jean Smart
as Kate
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Missi Pyle
as Ashley
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Kimberly J. Brown
as Sarah Sanderson
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Steve Harris
as Widow
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Angus T. Jones
as Georgey Sanderson
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Michael Rosenbaum
as Todd Gendler
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Betty White
as Mrs. Kline
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Michael Ensign
as Daniel Barnes
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Tracey Cherelle Jones
as Sofia
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Matt Lutz
as Aaron Blair
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Victor Webster
as Glen
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Sundy Carter
as Flygirl
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Alonzo Bodden
as Bear
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Aengus James
as Mike
