By: debbie lynn elias
Opening March 7, 2003 in theaters everywhere, the joint will be jumpin’ and the roof a rockin’ with “Bringing Down the House.” Starring the unlikely combination of Steve Martin and Queen Latifah, you’ll find yourself rolling in the aisles at the antics of these two. Described as a “divorced, straight-laced, uptight attorney” (hey, most of them are – either that or of an ilk that warrants words we can’t print here), Peter Sanderson still loves his ex-wife and for the life of him can’t figure out what she would ever leave him. (He’s an attorney – need he more of an answer than that?!) Despite being consumed with this inner turmoil, loneliness and no one in his life except his children, Peter decides to move on. That’s right. Move on, date, find another Mrs. Right. And he’s doing it over the Internet! While chatting around, he becomes enamored with “lawyer girl” (sight unseen, of course) whom he believes is blonde, thin, bright and beautiful and probably the next Mrs. Sanderson. Unfortunately, that opinion changes – for the worse – when one Charlene Morton shows up at the door. Anything but the refined, elegant woman Peter imagined, Charlene is black, bold, brash, buxom, urban, uneducated AND a convicted felon who wants Peter to help clear her name and expunge her record. (Naturally, she’s innocent….aren’t they all!)
Needless to say, Charlene infiltrates the Peterson household like a bat out of hell, going against the grain and Peter’s very ordered – and ordinary – suburban life. From teaching his daughter how to read “sexually explicit magazines” to throwing neighborhood pool parties to palling around with Peter’s best friend Howie (who is madly in love with her) to shocking the prudish and bigoted next door neighbor who likes to sing slavery songs, Charlene turns Peter’s life upside down – and right side out – intermingling some very important life lessons about his ex-wife, his children, relationships and business, all the while having a laugh a minute. Steve Martin is at the top of his game. No one does the fatherly family comedy better than him. Just think, “Father of the Bride” and “Parenthood” and you’ll know what I mean. But the beauty of this role is that Martin seamlessly meshes this goofy fatherly frustration with the over-the-top expressiveness, vocalization and characterization that made us love him in “Saturday Night Live” and achieves absolute perfection. This is never more obvious than his ghetto impression in an African-American nightclub. Tears will be streaming down your cheeks when you see this one.
But the real talent here is Queen Latifah who, hot on the heels of her Oscar nominated performance in “Chicago”, gets a change to showcase her vast comedic skills which are only enhanced thanks to her chemistry with Martin. Genuinely charismatic and downright hilarious, the Queen is a welcome addition to the film comedy genre.
But let’s not overlook a fine supporting cast. Eugene Levy, one of the best known scene stealing supporting players in the business, is in great form, doing his best dead pan ever as Peter’s best friend Howie Rosenthal. Jean Smart, as Peter’s ex Kate, is, as always, delightfully enjoyable while Betty White as the bigoted next door neighbor Mrs. Kline is, as comes as no surprise, a riot. Even the venerable Joan Plowright as a potential billion dollar client to Peter’s law firm, with her very British “stiff upper lip” persona, seems to feed off the comedic energy here and goes for the guffaw.
Shot in beautiful tree-lined Pasadena and downtown South Central LA, Julio Macat’s cinematography is critical to the film’s overall style, balance and contrast with the clash of the urban and suburban worlds of Peter and Charlene. Macat, a comedy veteran, does an admirable job here, using brighter, fuller lighting to allow the director to capture the richness of the characters emotions and actions. And it works like a charm.
Although not a particularly spectacular or technically special film, director Adam Shankman, also responsible for “The Wedding Planner,” deserves credit for knowing when to stand back and just let the actors take over. Written by newcomer, Jason Filardi, despite all the gags and inspired set-ups aplenty, the storyline itself fails coming across like a multi-part tv sitcom (without the rest of the parts), as Filardi seems to have a problem with continuity and follow through – a shortcoming that Shankman obviously couldn’t cure but for letting Martin and Latifah go hog wild. Were it not for them, the film would not have the momentum and at times, easy flow, and undisputable hilarity that it does.
Steve Martin and Queen Latifah? Who woulda thunk it! But kudos to that brainchild!
Steve Martin: Peter Sanderson Queen Latifah: Charlene Morton Eugene Levy: Howie Rosenthal Jean Smart: Kate Sanderson Joan Plowright: Mrs. Arness Betty White: Mrs Kline Directed by: Adam Shankman
