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A Slice of Life
by Francine Brokaw
Bringing Down the House
Steve Martin turns in another humorous performance in this comedy about a conservative attorney who has an online relationship with a woman then when they meet, he realizes she is not the woman he thought she was. For one thing, she's not the tall, thin blonde Peter Sanderson was led to believe he was conversing with. She's not tall or thin. Or even blonde. She's black. Charlene (Queen Latifah) has been in prison for what she says is a crime she didn't commit. And now, she moves in with Peter and won't budge until he clears her record. She maintains she is innocent of all charges.
Well, Peter is not too convinced about her innocence. He has other problems in his life at the moment and having Charlene in tow is not helping him win over a stodgy client (Joan Plowright). Between work, taking care of his kids, and Charlene, there are plenty of laughs in this moderately amusing film. Charlene manages to turn everything upside down. Peter's perfectly manicured life changes and he finds himself hip-hopping and dancing with soul. But trying to learn the street lingo is a bit much for him. Sure, he can dance, but can he talk the talk and walk the walk?
With a bigoted neighbor (Betty White) and an ex-wife he still loves (Jean Smart), Peter has his hands full keeping Charlene under wraps. She is not the kind to keep her mouth shut for very long. Eugene Levy is entertaining as Peter's co-worker who is smitten with Charlene. Now, he's the one who can walk the walk and talk the talk. He's got his street language down pat. Besides the lingo, there's a lot of physical comedy in this film from both Martin and Latifah.
Bringing Down the House rated PG-13 for language, sexual humor and drug content.
© 2003 Francine Brokaw
All pictures ©2003 Touchstone Pictures. All Rights Reserved.
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