Man of the House (1995)

14% of critics liked it
(14 reviews)
39% of users liked it
(54,932 ratings)

A young boy attempts to sabotage his single mother's relationship with her new fiancé in this family-oriented comedy. Ben Archer (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) has become protective of his attractive mother Sandra (Farrah Fawcett) since they were abandoned by his father, and he resents the intrusion of… More A young boy attempts to sabotage his single mother's relationship with her new fiancé in this family-oriented comedy. Ben Archer (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) has become protective of his attractive mother Sandra (Farrah Fawcett) since they were abandoned by his father, and he resents the intrusion of anyone else into their lives. Despite his disapproval, however, Sandra has built up a relationship with district attorney Jack Sturges (an extremely low-key Chevy Chase), who eventually pops the question. Ben decides that marriage is out of the question, and he sets out to drive the lawyer away through a variety of schemes. These plans culminate in an effort to trick Struges into participating in the "Indian Guides," a scouting program involving all sorts of strenuous father-son activities. As one might expect, things do not quite go as Ben planned, as Jack proves himself a more suitable father figure than either expected. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 37 min.
Directed By: James Orr
Genres: Comedy, Kids & Family

In Theaters: Mar 3, 1995 Wide
On DVD: Mar 4, 2003

Critic Reviews

Martin Scribbs, Low IQ Canadian
Only the smoldering sexual tension between Chevy Chase and George Wendt keeps Man of the House from being a complete waste of time.
Shawn Bowers, Kansas City Star
Pretty weak little family comedy...doesn't hurt but doesn't help.
Clint Morris, Moviehole
Chevy Chase can save most movies from the dog they might otherwise be
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com
...as if you need to be warned away from a movie starring Chevy Chase and Jon Thomas.

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Featured Audience Ratings

Conner R

Hilarious, well I thought it was anyway. It has Chevy Chase as the worst/greatest step dad to ever live. It's practically the only movie Disney ever released involving broken homes so it automatically gets points for being original. The Mob killing plot that somehow fit in to… More
Hilarious, well I thought it was anyway. It has Chevy Chase as the worst/greatest step dad to ever live. It's practically the only movie Disney ever released involving broken homes so it automatically gets points for being original. The Mob killing plot that somehow fit in to Indian clubs and bonding sessions was a little extreme, but it made sense in the 90s. If only more mainstream movies were this oddball.
Jason O

In "Man of the House," Jonathan Taylor Thomas stars as Ben, a kid who's dad moved out when he was real young. Now Ben is 11 and his mom (Farrah Fawcett) is the only person or thing that he's concerned about right now. His mom starts dating Jack (Chevy Chase), and… More
In "Man of the House," Jonathan Taylor Thomas stars as Ben, a kid who's dad moved out when he was real young. Now Ben is 11 and his mom (Farrah Fawcett) is the only person or thing that he's concerned about right now. His mom starts dating Jack (Chevy Chase), and Ben does everything he can to get rid of Jack because he doesn't want Jack to get in the way of his and his mom's usual routine and way of life. To drive Jack away, Ben wants to enroll himself and Jack into a new hobby that involves learning more about things Indians do. Will Jack take the hint and run away like Ben's father did, or will Ben and Jack get a lot closer? "Man of the House" does have its hilarious parts, mostly by Chevy Chase's clumsy antics, but I liked it more because it dealed with a type of family struggle that I could relate to a lot, and the movie does a real good job of it. My parents got a divorce when I just turned 9 and I had to live with my dad. When my dad started dating new women instead of my mom, it was hard for me to get used to it for a long time, not because I was real close to my dad, but because I felt like most of the new women were trying to take the place of my mom. That's why I could really relate to this movie a lot and enjoy it for more than its comedy. I recommend anybody who likes good comedy movies that are funny, but have a deeper message to them to get "Man of the House," it's a great movie. NOTE: That was my Amazon review from the year 2001.
Megan S

sadly i own this movie on vhs because of my adolescent obsession with jonathan taylor thomas. i thought it was pretty amusing at the time...
danny d

severely corny but entertaining
ashley h

This was cute when I was like 11,but I haven't seen it since
a b

Ranks high on my list of favorite Jonathan Taylor Thomas movies.
Joseph E

Classic!
Sarah P

Yes, I understand this isn't movie magic, however it was one of my favorites as a child (I was in 5th grade when this came out!) and I guiltily admit I still enjoy it now.
Sunil J

Probably the only time I've ever found Jonathan Taylor Thomas tolerable.