Man of the House (1995 film)

Last updated
Man of the House
Man Of The House 1995.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by James Orr
Screenplay byJames Orr
Jim Cruickshank
Story byDavid E. Peckinpah
Richard Jefferies
Produced by Bonnie Bruckheimer
Marty Katz
Starring
Cinematography Jamie Anderson
Edited by Harry Keramidas
Music by Mark Mancina
Production
companies
Distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Release date
  • March 3, 1995 (1995-03-03)
Running time
96 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$22 million
Box office$40,070,995

Man of the House is a 1995 American comedy film starring Chevy Chase, Farrah Fawcett, Jonathan Taylor Thomas (in his debut film appearance) and George Wendt. The film is about a boy (Thomas) who must come to terms with his potential stepfather (Chase), a well meaning lawyer who is unknowingly the subject of a manhunt by relatives of a man he helped land in prison. It was shot in Los Angeles, California and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Contents

Plot

Five-year-old Ben Archer watches silently as his father starts up his car and drives away with his secretary, and they both offer only a wave out the window in parting. His mother, Sandy, can only watch heartbroken from the window of their house as her ex-husband leaves them. Ben's father promised to visit him, yet never comes back. They are both upset, but they decide to have a fresh start, so they move into a loft apartment in downtown Seattle to begin a new life with just the two of them. Sandy makes creative efforts to turn it into a home for them. They gradually overcome his father leaving and foster a very close bond with important rituals and routines, including making a collage with beach debris. Sandy develops an interest in dating, but her suitors never fit well and do not last long, which allows Ben's ideal relationship with his mother to resume. Five years later, however, Sandy decides she is ready for marriage again, and begins seriously dating U.S. Federal Prosecutor, Attorney Jack Sturges.

In Federal Court, Jack successfully prosecutes mobster Frank Renda for drug trafficking. Before being sentenced to fifty years in federal prison at Sheridan, the elderly Frank makes a veiled threat of revenge towards Jack. After court is adjourned, Frank's son Joey rephrases the threat in a more intimidating manner, but Jack does not back down and then dismisses him entirely. Sandy and Jack discuss his moving in, of which eleven-year-old Ben does not approve despite his mother's reassurance that it is only a trial period. Jack is confident he can win him over, telling Sandy he has read every book on stepparenting he could find.

The transition does not go smoothly for Ben, as he resentfully feels he is the one suffering all of the adjustments and that his mother is making the same mistake she made with his father, so he resorts to ensuring Jack is as uncomfortable and unwelcome as possible. Jack tries taking the subterfuge in stride, not realizing it is deliberate, but his efforts to connect with the boy are met with irritation as he only succeeds in disrupting Ben's customary lifestyle. After meeting a boy named Norman Bronski at school, Ben feigns interest in joining the Indian Guides – a YMCA father son program – with Jack to secretly drive a wedge between them and get rid of him. Despite reluctance, Jack goes along with it at Sandy's insistence, and he and Ben join Norman's "tribe", the Minotauks. Neither of them like the club, but Ben manages to effectively humiliate Jack at meetings.

Once it starts interfering with his job, Jack tells Sandy he can no longer be part of it. Ben fakes distress by this and compares it to his father leaving to turn Sandy against her boyfriend. Jack goes to apologize, and instead overhears Ben bragging about everything over the phone to his best friend Monroe. Although he is disheartened by this revelation, Jack does not tell Sandy about it and instead seeks advice from high school woodshop teacher and fellow stepfather Chet Bronski, who is The Indian Guides chief. Chet tells Jack the reason why Ben is doing this is because he is afraid Jack will take his mother away from him. Chet was like Jack himself — Norman and Chet never got along, but the Indian Guides help them have a great relationship. Jack decides that this is what he will do. He then redoubles his efforts to bond with Ben by improving the Indian Guides. Meanwhile, Ben starts to connect with Norman and they become close friends after a sleepover. Just as Jack starts to strengthen his relationship with Ben, Joey's threat catches up with him: the brakes on his Ford Explorer are cut, but Jack manages to avoid a more serious crash and ends up in Puget Sound. This causes him to miss an important canoe trip he promised to attend. Ben, having finally opened up, is genuinely hurt by this perceived betrayal to the point of tears, as it brings up bad memories of his father's broken promises.

Ben returns home at the same time Jack does, he tells Ben that he had car trouble and was unable to get to the canoe trip on time and that he's sorry, but then Jack tells Ben that Chet had planned a camping trip for the Indian Guides on the 4th of July and that Jack promises Ben that they will go on the trip no matter what happens. Jack conceals the truth and refuses his boss Bob's order to transfer to Portland, Oregon so he can redeem himself to go camping. His initial attempts are unsuccessful, and he feels the situation is hopeless. Joey and his two goons, Murray and Tony, are then discovered in the woods with rifles by Ben planning to kill Jack, and Jack confesses the truth behind his "car trouble" which garners Ben's forgiveness and understanding as he now knows Jack did not intentionally betray his trust like his father. Jack sends the rest of the Indian Guides to the ranger station while he and Ben (who returned to help him) improvise to distract the criminals.

The pair is eventually cornered in front of an abandoned mine shaft entrance rigged with dynamite, until they are rescued by the Minotauks and the crooks are disabled. Ben is impressed and finally gives his approval of Jack and consents to Jack proposing to Sandy. The two complete the beach collage, which symbolizes that the three of them are finally whole as a family. Jack and Sandy marry, with the Minotauks in attendance at the wedding, and despite nothing being perfect, all are happy.

Cast

Soundtrack

A soundtrack by Walt Disney Records was scheduled to coincide with the film's release, but never came to fruition due to the fact Disney could not procure the rights to several of the songs for a soundtrack release, most notably C+C Music Factory's "Gonna Make You Sweat" and Enigma's "Return to Innocence". Despite this, "Hit the Road Jack", a song by R&B artist Percy Mayfield, was cleared for release on the soundtrack that, ultimately, never made it to market.

The soundtrack was advertised on promotional materials from mid 1994 to the beginning of 1995. "Return to Innocence (Short Version)" was used in Jack and Sandy's wedding during the film, "Return to Innocence (Single Version)" was to be used on the unreleased Man of the House soundtrack, and "Return to Innocence (380 Midnight Mix)" was used in the two Man of the House promo television spots.

Reception

The film was panned by critics, and has a rating of 13% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 15 reviews. [1]

Entertainment Weekly critic Owen Gleiberman awarded the film a D+, describing it as a "a lethargic family comedy" and castigating Chase's acting abilities, remarking that "as a performer, Chase hasn't lost his air of foggy detachment; he still delivers his lines as if he were reading them off a teleprompter mounted somewhere in the next room. This time, though, he attempts to pass off his deadpan quizzicality as concern. It's an eerie sight. I mean, does anyone really want to watch Chevy Chase try to be heartwarming? He had more conviction reporting the death of Franco." [2]

Also not a fan of the acting in the film was The Baltimore Sun's Stephen Hunter, who remarked that "the performances, if anything, lower the quality of the film. Chase seems caught in despair between Old Self (clumsy goofball who destroys things) and New Self (sensitive actor), and so he comes across as No Self. He's so muted he's hardly there. Jonathan Taylor Thomas is tiresomely obnoxious. Fawcett has very little to do except appear wise and concerned. George Wendt, as one of the Indian wannabes, is occasionally funny, as is the movie. Very occasionally." [3]

Stephen Holden of The New York Times had a more favorable opinion of Taylor's performance, but opined that "Man of the House, the newest slick confection from the Disney cookie-cutter school of family comedies, follows the formula of many of its predecessors in trying to be two different movies at once. The better of the two is a warm-hearted comedy about an embittered child of divorce who makes his future step father jumps through hoops before accepting him into the family. Attached to this story is a perfunctory Home Alone offshoot in which slapstick thugs are trounced and humiliated by clever children." [4]

Walter Addiego of the San Francisco Examiner awarded the film a one-and-a-half star rating out of four, and called it a "feeble Disney comedy [that] mixes a ludicrous tale of bonding between a youngster and his mother's new boyfriend with heavy doses of witless joshing." [5]

Despite the poor critical reception, audiences polled by CinemaScore had a slightly more favorable view of the film, which they gave an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale. [6]

Box office

The film did moderately well at the box office, grossing about $40 million domestically. [7] [8] The film was released in the United Kingdom on June 9, 1995. [9]

Home media

The film was first released on VHS on August 8, 1995, then on DVD on March 4, 2003. The film was released on Blu-Ray on July 13, 2021. It is also included on Disney's streaming service, Disney+.

Related Research Articles

<i>Chasing Amy</i> 1997 film by Kevin Smith

Chasing Amy is a 1997 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Kevin Smith and starring Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, and Jason Lee. The third film in Smith's View Askewniverse series, the film is about a male comic artist (Affleck) who falls in love with a lesbian (Adams), to the displeasure of his best friend (Lee).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chevy Chase</span> American comedian, writer and actor (born 1943)

Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase is an American comedian, actor, and writer. He became the breakout cast member in the first season of Saturday Night Live (1975–1976), where his recurring Weekend Update segment became a staple of the show. As both a performer and a writer on the series, he earned two Primetime Emmy Awards out of four nominations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buddy Ebsen</span> American actor and dancer (1908–2003)

Buddy Ebsen, also known as Frank "Buddy" Ebsen, was an American actor and dancer. One of his most famous roles was as Jed Clampett in the CBS television sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies (1962–1971); afterwards he starred as the title character in the television detective drama Barnaby Jones (1973–1980).

<i>Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence</i> 2004 film by Mamoru Oshii

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, known in Japan as just Innocence, is a 2004 Japanese animated cyberpunk film written and directed by Mamoru Oshii. The film serves as a standalone sequel to Oshii's 1995 film Ghost in the Shell and is loosely based on the manga by Masamune Shirow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Wendt</span> American actor (born 1948)

George Robert Wendt Jr. is an American actor. He is best known for playing Norm Peterson on the television sitcom Cheers (1982–1993), which earned him six consecutive nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. After Cheers, he starred in his own sitcom, The George Wendt Show (1995), but it was cancelled after only a few episodes. His numerous film roles include Airplane II: The Sequel (1982), No Small Affair (1984), Fletch (1985), The Little Rascals (1994), Spice World (1997), Outside Providence (1999), Santa Buddies (2009), and Sandy Wexler (2017).

<i>The Age of Innocence</i> 1920 novel by Edith Wharton

The Age of Innocence is a 1920 novel by American author Edith Wharton. It was her eighth novel, and was initially serialized in 1920 in four parts, in the magazine Pictorial Review. Later that year, it was released as a book by D. Appleton & Company. It won the 1921 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, making Wharton the first woman to win the prize. Though the committee had initially agreed to give the award to Sinclair Lewis for Main Street, the judges, in rejecting his book on political grounds, "established Wharton as the American 'First Lady of Letters'". The story is set in the 1870s, in upper-class, "Gilded Age" New York City. Wharton wrote the book in her 50s, after she was already established as a major author in high demand by publishers.

<i>Three Men and a Baby</i> 1987 film by Leonard Nimoy

Three Men and a Baby is a 1987 American comedy film directed by Leonard Nimoy. It stars Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, and Ted Danson as three bachelors as they attempt to adapt their lives to de facto fatherhood with the arrival of the love child of one of the men. The script was based on the 1985 French film Trois hommes et un couffin.

<i>Caddyshack II</i> 1988 film by Allan Arkush

Caddyshack II is a 1988 American sports comedy film and a sequel to the 1980 film Caddyshack. Directed by Allan Arkush and written by Harold Ramis and PJ Torokvei, it stars Jackie Mason, Robert Stack, Dyan Cannon, Dina Merrill, Jonathan Silverman, Brian McNamara, Marsha Warfield, Paul Bartel, and Randy Quaid with special appearances by Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd. It tells the story of a wealthy and widowed real estate developer who goes up against Bushwood County Club's snobbish president in a golfing tournament.

<i>Jack</i> (1996 film) 1996 film by Francis Ford Coppola

Jack is a 1996 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film co-produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The film stars Robin Williams, Diane Lane, Jennifer Lopez, Brian Kerwin, Fran Drescher, and Bill Cosby. Williams plays the role of Jack Powell, a boy who ages four times faster than normal as a result of a unique medical condition.

<i>Foul Play</i> (1978 film) 1978 comedy thriller film by Colin Higgins

Foul Play is a 1978 American romantic neo-noir comedy thriller film written and directed by Colin Higgins, and starring Goldie Hawn, Chevy Chase, Dudley Moore, Burgess Meredith, Eugene Roche, Rachel Roberts, Brian Dennehy and Billy Barty. In it, a recently divorced librarian is drawn into a mystery when a stranger hides a roll of film in a pack of cigarettes and gives it to her for safekeeping.

<i>National Lampoons Christmas Vacation</i> 1989 film by Jeremiah S. Chechik

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation is a 1989 American Christmas comedy film and the third installment in National Lampoon magazine's Vacation film series. Christmas Vacation was directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik, written and co-produced by John Hughes, and starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, and Randy Quaid with supporting roles by Miriam Flynn, William Hickey, Mae Questel, Diane Ladd, John Randolph, E.G. Marshall, Doris Roberts, Juliette Lewis, and Johnny Galecki.

<i>Snow Day</i> (2000 film) 2000 American comedy film by Chris Koch

Snow Day is a 2000 American comedy film directed by Chris Koch, written by Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi, and produced by Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies. It stars Chris Elliott, Mark Webber, Jean Smart, and Chevy Chase with supporting roles by Schuyler Fisk, Pam Grier, Zena Grey, Josh Peck, Emmanuelle Chriqui, and David Paetkau. The film premiered on January 29, 2000, and was theatrically released on February 11, 2000. It takes place during the events of a record snow day in upstate New York, depicting various subplots including a group of kids planning to thwart a snowplow driver in an attempt to get a second snow day. This is the first of two films to star both Josh Peck and Zena Grey, the other being Max Keeble's Big Move, released the following year.

<i>Glory Daze</i> (film) 1995 American film

Glory Daze is a 1995 American independent comedy film written and directed by Rich Wilkes and starring Ben Affleck, Sam Rockwell, Megan Ward, and French Stewart. It also features John Rhys-Davies, Alyssa Milano, and Spalding Gray in supporting roles. The plot concerns five college housemates in Santa Cruz, California who are facing graduation and make an attempt to prolong their carefree lifestyle before going their separate ways. Matthew McConaughey, Meredith Salenger, Matt Damon, Brendan Fraser, and Leah Remini all appear in minor roles. Music for the film was composed and selected by members of the punk rock band The Vandals, and the soundtrack features several punk rock bands of the era.

<i>Bambi II</i> 2006 film by Brian Pimental

Bambi II is a 2006 American animated drama film directed by Brian Pimental and produced by the Australian office of Disneytoon Studios as a followup to the 1942 film Bambi. Animation production was done by DisneyToon Studios Sydney, Australia. It premiered in theaters in Argentina on January 26, 2006, before being released as a direct-to-video title in the United States on February 7, 2006.

<i>House</i> (1985 film) 1986 American comedy horror film by Steve Miner

House is a 1985 American comedy horror film directed by Steve Miner, with a screenplay by Ethan Wiley, from an original story written by Fred Dekker. Produced by Sean S. Cunningham, the film is the first installment in the House film series, and stars William Katt, George Wendt, Richard Moll, and Kay Lenz. The plot tells the story of a troubled author who lives in his deceased aunt's house and soon falls victim to the house being haunted. It collected $22.1 million worldwide, and was followed by three sequels.

<i>Cops & Robbersons</i> 1994 film by Michael Ritchie

Cops & Robbersons is a 1994 American crime comedy film directed by Michael Ritchie, starring Chevy Chase, Jack Palance, Dianne Wiest, and Robert Davi.

<i>The Age of Innocence</i> (1993 film) 1993 film directed by Martin Scorsese

The Age of Innocence is a 1993 American historical romantic drama film directed by Martin Scorsese. The screenplay, an adaptation of the 1920 novel of the same name by Edith Wharton, is by Scorsese and Jay Cocks. The film stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer, Winona Ryder, and Miriam Margolyes, and was released by Columbia Pictures. It recounts the courtship and marriage of Newland Archer (Day-Lewis), a wealthy New York society attorney, to May Welland (Ryder); Archer then encounters and legally represents Countess Olenska (Pfeiffer) before unexpected romantic entanglements.

<i>Funny Farm</i> (film) 1988 film by George Roy Hill

Funny Farm is a 1988 American comedy film starring Chevy Chase and Madolyn Smith. The film was adapted from a 1985 comedic novel of the same name by Jay Cronley. It was the final film directed by George Roy Hill before his death in 2002.

<i>30 Minutes or Less</i> 2011 film by Ruben Fleischer

30 Minutes or Less is a 2011 American action comedy film directed by Ruben Fleischer, starring Jesse Eisenberg, Danny McBride, Aziz Ansari, Nick Swardson, Michael Peña, and Fred Ward. The story follows a pizza delivery boy who is strapped with a bomb and forced to, with the help of his friend, rob a bank in exchange for disarming it. Stuart Cornfeld, Ben Stiller, and Jeremy Kramer produced the film.

<i>Man on a Ledge</i> 2012 film by Asger Leth

Man on a Ledge is a 2012 American action thriller film directed by Asger Leth, starring Sam Worthington, Jamie Bell, Elizabeth Banks, Edward Burns, Anthony Mackie, Genesis Rodriguez, and Ed Harris. Filming took place in New York City on top of the Roosevelt Hotel. The film received generally negative reviews from critics and grossed $47 million against its $42 million budget.

References

  1. ↑ "Man of the Hose – Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  2. ↑ "Man of the House". Entertainment Weekly. 1995-03-17. Archived from the original on December 24, 2013. Retrieved 2012-06-07.
  3. ↑ "In Chevy Chase's 'Man of the House,' the lights are on but nobody's home". Baltimore Sun . Retrieved 2012-06-07.
  4. ↑ Holden, Stephen (1995-03-03). "FILM REVIEW; An Obstacle Course For a Future Stepfather". The New York Times . Retrieved 2012-06-07.
  5. ↑ Addiego, Walter V. (1995-03-03). "No call for this "Man of the House'". San Francisco Examiner . Retrieved 2012-06-07.
  6. ↑ "CinemaScore". CinemaScore. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Weekend Box Office". Los Angeles Times . 1995-03-07. Retrieved 2012-06-04.
  8. ↑ Natale, Richard (1995-03-13). "'Outbreak's' Success Only Goes So Far : Movies: Thriller leads the weekend box office with an estimated $13 million, but it's a steep drop to 'Man' in second". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2012-06-04.
  9. ↑ "UK Weekend Box Office 9th June 1995 – 11th June 1995". www.25thframe.co.uk. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.