If you can’t beat the house, be The House. In this film, (Will Farrell) and (Amy Poehler) star as Scott and Kate Johansen, parents to a college-bound teenager, Alex. At a town hall meeting, they learn that their daughter’s scholarship fund is being taken away and put towards the new town swimming pool. Desperate to fulfill Alex’s college dreams, Scott knows he has to come up with a lot of money, and quickly.
After linking up with family friend, Frank, (Jason Mantzoukas) they decide the best way to make money is to open a Las Vegas style casino inside of Frank’s spacious house, open to the neighborhood gamblers. This provides the main setting for the movie, and also sets the stage for most of the jokes in the film. Although the depth of this script is noticeably thin, Will Farrell and Amy Poehler really carry this film based totally on their natural comedic talent and wild personalities.
Before I give my full personal opinion of this one, I think it’s important to add that Will Farrell has long been one of my favorite comedians. Growing up I had the ‘Saturday Night Live – Best of Will Farrell’ DVD in my room. The movie ‘Elf’ came out when I was 9 years old, and it couldn’t have been more perfect timing. Everything at this time was hilarious. I went on to watch and enjoy Farrell’s other hits such as Old School, Anchorman, and Talladega Nights, and Step Brothers. I love these movies because they are funny, easy to watch, and extremely quotable.
I also enjoyed Amy Poehler on Saturday Night Live. I remember her from the movie Mean Girls, and definitely have seen how funny Poehler is on her own. However, many aspects of ‘The House’ seem to rely too heavily on our two lead act’s natural humor, and lose some humor that could have come from the plot / added to the story.
There is no doubt that ‘The House’ had its moments, and does get a few laughs. Unfortunately, many of the funniest moments could have just been skits or clips, entirely separate from the plot. That said, ‘The House’ deserves credit for their topical humor throughout this movie. From Walking Dead jokes, to price of college jokes, and more, this movie definitely has an awareness of current society, and delivers some really funny, modern jokes. The plot was simply too thin for this one to be ranked highly among Will Farrell’s best.
While ‘The House’ might not be the biggest box office hit, I still recommend everyone give this movie a chance. Farrell and Poehler really are great together, and you get a sense that two friends made this movie together. It’s not their funniest work, but I guarantee at some point ‘The House’ will make you laugh.
Available in Blu-Ray, DVD, and Digital, this is a great set packed with some awesome
special features:
– The House: Playing With a Loaded Deck
– If You Build The House They Will Come Deleted Scenes
– Extended/Alternate Scenes
– Gag Reel
– Line-O-Ramas
The special features paired with this movie are fantastic. It’s important to remember that Farrell and Poehler both came from SNL. They’re known best for their natural humor, and talent performing live skits. Watching the bloopers, and behind the scenes you get a great sense of these actors relationship, and how effortlessly funny they can be.
Available October 10th, 2017, this movie is definitely worth a watch. Average by Will Farrell standards, but you will laugh.
