House Arrest (1996 film)

Last updated
House Arrest
House arrest movie poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Harry Winer
Written by Michael Hitchcock
Produced byHarry Winer
Judith A. Polone
Starring
Cinematography Ueli Steiger
Edited byRonald Roose
Music by Bruce Broughton
Production
company
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date
  • August 14, 1996 (1996-08-14)
Running time
108 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$5 million[ citation needed ]
Box office$7,032,782 [1]

House Arrest is a 1996 American comedy film directed by Harry Winer, written by Michael Hitchcock, and starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Pollak, Jennifer Tilly, Christopher McDonald, Wallace Shawn, and Ray Walston with supporting roles done by Kyle Howard, Amy Sakasitz, Mooky Arizona, Russel Harper, and an up-and-coming Jennifer Love Hewitt. It tells the story of two children who lock their parents in the basement upon their plans for a separation as the other children they know get involved by locking their respective problem parents in there as well.

Contents

The film was released on August 14, 1996 and went on to gross just over $7 million at the box office. It was panned by critics.

The film was shot at various locations in the U.S. states of California and Ohio. Monrovia, California was the location for several exterior house scenes while most interior shots were done at the CBS/Radford lot in Studio City, California. The story was set in Defiance, Ohio, although Chagrin Falls, Ohio actually doubled for it.

Plot

The Beindorf family, consisting of Ned, Janet, Grover, and Stacy, live a supposedly happy typical family life in the suburbs of Defiance, Ohio. In fact, Ned and Janet are not happy and are separating, although they tell Grover and Stacy it is not a divorce.

Grover and Stacy first try to recreate Ned and Janet's honeymoon in the basement, but this fails to bring any happiness into their relationship. Grover and Stacy then leave the basement, telling Ned and Janet they must get another surprise for them upstairs. They go up, close the door, and nail it shut. They vow to keep it so until Ned and Janet work out their problems and get their marriage back on its feet.

The next day, Grover tells his best friend, Matt Finley, what he has done and T.J. Krupp, the wealthy local bully, overhears them. Matt goes over to the Beindorfs' house to look at Grover and Stacy's work and is impressed. T.J. shows up to have a look and actually installs a newer, more secure door to keep Ned and Janet trapped.

T.J. and Matt then leave to collect their parents and bring them there to lock them up as well. Matt's father, Vic, never keeps a wife for more than two years and is on his latest one, Louise. T.J.'s father, Donald, does not treat his wife, Gwenna, well.

Matt also brings his bulldog Cosmo, and two little brothers, Jimmy and Teddy, who come armed with sleeping bags and T.J. brings his boa constrictor, Spot. When Grover asks what is going on in response to his friends setting up camp at his house, T.J. says, "Our parents could be down there for months!"

Ned and Janet almost talk Grover into letting them out, but Donald threatens him with legal action. Grover finds out that his dream girl, Brooke Figler, is also having parental problems: her mother, Cindy, acts awkward, going so far as to trying to hang out with her friends. Grover invites her to lock Cindy up with the rest.

The children begin to help their parents solve their problems. They try to find a way out of the basement while getting along and seeing what each of their problems are. The children also work out their differences with each other above. They eventually give in and up to the police led by Chief Rocco. Their parents are set free.

Some time later, Ned and Janet reconcile and took a second honeymoon to Hawaii. Vic and Louise's marriage lasts past the two-year mark and they are expecting another child. Donald and Gwenna get divorced, though she later goes back to law school and they open up a law firm together. Cindy starts dating other guys instead of intruding on Brooke's dates. Also, Grover and Brooke became a couple and she passionately kisses him in front of their classmates at school. He concludes that if Ned and Janet ever try to get divorced again, he might think of locking them in the attic.

Cast

Reception

Critical response

The film received negative reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes it has an approval rating of 10% based on 30 reviews. The site's consensus states: "Constructed out of cliches, thinly written characters, and fundamental misunderstandings of human nature, House Arrest is a dull (and borderline irresponsible) waste of a talented cast." [2] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave it a grade "B+" on scale of A to F. [3]

Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune gave the film 0 out of 4 and called the film: "One of the year's worst movies...at least I hope so, or it's going to be a very bad year." [4] Joe Leydon of Variety magazine called it "A tepid and repetitious comedy." [5]

Awards

Related Research Articles

<i>Fifteen</i> (TV series) Canadian-American teen drama television series

Fifteen is a teen drama television series that aired on YTV in Canada and on Nickelodeon from 1991 to 1993. Created and produced by John T. Binkley, the series was Nickelodeon's only teenage soap opera. The show was shot on videotape, similar to most daytime dramas.

<i>Fast Times at Ridgemont High</i> 1982 film directed by Amy Heckerling

Fast Times at Ridgemont High is a 1982 American coming-of-age comedy film directed by Amy Heckerling from a screenplay by Cameron Crowe, based on his 1981 book Fast Times at Ridgemont High: A True Story, and starring Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold, Phoebe Cates, Brian Backer, Robert Romanus, and Ray Walston. Crowe went undercover at Clairemont High School in San Diego and wrote about his experiences.

<i>Wonderful Town</i> Musical

Wonderful Town is a 1953 musical with book written by Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and music by Leonard Bernstein. The musical tells the story of two sisters who aspire to be a writer and actress respectively, seeking success from their basement apartment in New York City's Greenwich Village. It is based on Fields and Chodorov's 1940 play My Sister Eileen, which in turn originated from autobiographical short stories by Ruth McKenney first published in The New Yorker in the late 1930s and later published in book form as My Sister Eileen. Only the last two stories in McKenney's book were used, and they were heavily modified.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randy Jackson (Jacksons singer)</span> American singer-songwriter and musician

Steven Randall Jackson is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and dancer. Randy is best known as a former member of his family band The Jacksons. Randy is the youngest Jackson brother and the second-youngest Jackson sibling before his sister Janet Jackson. He is the ninth child in the Jackson family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dean Wicks</span> Fictional character from the British soap opera EastEnders

Dean Wicks is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders played by Matt Di Angelo. He made his first appearance on 2 January 2006. It was announced on 18 August 2007 that the characters of Deano and his sister Carly Wicks were being axed by executive producer Diederick Santer. Deano made his final appearance on 7 February 2008. On 15 January 2014, it was announced that Deano, now called Dean, would be returning and he first reappeared on 11 April of that year. Di Angelo took a three-month break from the soap from January to April 2015, with a one-off appearance in February to tie in with the show's 30th anniversary celebrations. In October 2015, it was announced that Di Angelo would be leaving the show in early 2016. The character is arrested for attempted rape with his final scenes set in court airing on 4 and 5 February 2016. On 19 August 2016, Dean is acquitted of attempted rape after standing trial off-screen. On 30 October 2023, Di Angelo made an unannounced return as Dean.

<i>Speed Zone</i> 1989 film by Jim Drake

Speed Zone is a 1989 American action comedy film set around an illegal cross-country race. The plot follows the race sponsors, who must line up new contestants after the previous racers are all arrested before the race begins.

<i>Dennis the Menace</i> (1993 film) 1993 film by Nick Castle

Dennis the Menace is a 1993 American family comedy film based on the Hank Ketcham comic strip of the same name, directed by Nick Castle, written and coproduced by John Hughes and distributed by Warner Bros. under its Family Entertainment label.

Terry Woods (<i>Emmerdale</i>) Fictional character from Emmerdale

Terry Woods is a fictional character from the British television soap opera Emmerdale, played by Billy Hartman. He was one of the longest-serving characters in the show up until he was killed off alongside Viv Hope in early 2011, after 16 years.

Cindy Williams (<i>EastEnders</i>) Fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders

Cindy Williams is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, that has been played by four actresses since being introduced in 1998. She makes her debut in episode 1692, originally broadcast on 9 November 1998. Cindy is brought up by her maternal grandmother and aunt off-screen after her mother, Cindy Beale, supposedly dies off-screen in prison while in labor. In 2023, Cindy Beale makes a return in France alongside Ian Beale which confirms she had not died during childbirth – rather she went into Witness Protection, still unbeknownst to Cindy Jr. The characters most prominent storylines see her learn of the murder of her sister Lucy, enter a relationship with Liam Butcher, and struggle as a teenage mother to daughter Beth Williams. Cindy made an unannounced departure on 17 August 2015.

<i>The Swimmer</i> (1968 film) 1968 drama film by Frank Perry

The Swimmer is a 1968 American surrealist-drama film starring Burt Lancaster. The film was written and directed by Academy Award-nominated husband-and-wife team of Eleanor Perry and Frank Perry (director). The story is based on the 1964 short story "The Swimmer" by John Cheever, which appeared in the July 18, 1964, issue of The New Yorker. The 95-minute movie adds new characters and scenes consistent with those in the original 12-page short story.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devon Werkheiser</span> American actor (born 1991)

Devon Joel Werkheiser is an American actor and musician. As an actor, Werkheiser is known for his starring role as Ned Bigby on the Nickelodeon sitcom Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, and for his role as the lead character Nolan Byrd in the 2007 Nickelodeon television movie Shredderman Rules. Werkheiser also played Peter Parkes in the fourth and final season of the ABC Family series Greek.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gigi Morasco</span> Soap opera character

Gigi Morasco is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live. She was portrayed by Farah Fath from October 24, 2007, through January 12, 2012.

<i>The Unseen</i> (1980 film) 1980 film by Danny Steinmann

The Unseen is a 1980 American slasher film directed and written by Danny Steinmann, and starring Stephen Furst, Barbara Bach, Sydney Lassick, and Lelia Goldoni. Its plot follows three female news reporters who arrive in Solvang, California, to cover the town's annual Danish festival, and end up staying in the Victorian home of a middle-aged couple harboring a dark secret in their basement.

The Fuller Brush Man is a 1948 American comedy film starring Red Skelton as a door-to-door salesman for the Fuller Brush Company who becomes a murder suspect.

<i>Our Idiot Brother</i> 2011 film by Jesse Peretz

Our Idiot Brother is a 2011 American comedy-drama film directed by Jesse Peretz and starring Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel and Emily Mortimer. The script was written by Evgenia Peretz and David Schisgall based on Jesse and Evgenia Peretz's story, and tells the story of a dimwitted but idealistic and well-meaning man who intrudes and wreaks havoc in his three sisters' lives.

<i>The Sleeper</i> (2012 film) 2012 American film

The Sleeper is a 2012 American slasher film written and directed by Justin Russell.

<i>Fort Defiance</i> (film) 1951 film by John Rawlins

Fort Defiance is a 1951 American Western film directed by John Rawlins and written by Louis Lantz. The film stars Dane Clark, Ben Johnson, Peter Graves, Tracey Roberts, George Cleveland and Ralph Sanford. The film was released on October 9, 1951, by United Artists.

<i>Spider-Gwen</i> US comic book series

Spider-Gwen is an ongoing comic book series published by Marvel Comics that began February 2015. The series revolves around Gwen Stacy of Earth-65, an alternate universe version of Gwen Stacy that debuted in Edge of Spider-Verse #2 as part of the 2014–2015 Spider-Man storyline "Spider-Verse". Spider-Gwen explores a universe where Gwen Stacy was bitten by the radioactive spider instead of Peter Parker, leading her to a career as the Spider-Woman of her world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Ohio</span>

The 2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Ohio were held on November 8, 2016, to elect the 16 U.S. representatives from the state of Ohio, one from each of the state's 16 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections. The primaries were held on March 15.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingpin (Matt Murdock)</span> Marvel Comics supervillain

The Kingpin is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by Jason Latour and Robbi Rodriguez. The character debuted in Edge of Spider-Verse issue #2 as part of the 2014–15 "Spider-Verse" comic book storyline as the archenemy of Gwen Stacy / Spider-Woman, continuing into the ongoing series Spider-Gwen that began in 2015. The "Kingpin" name is a reference to the crime lord title in Mafia slang nomenclature.

References

  1. "House Arrest (1996)". Box Office Mojo . Archived from the original on 2017-11-13. Retrieved 2019-08-27.
  2. "House Arrest (1996)". Rotten Tomatoes . Archived from the original on 2019-05-06. Retrieved 2019-08-27.
  3. "Cinemascore". Archived from the original on 2018-12-20. Retrieved 2019-08-27.
  4. Siskel, Gene (August 16, 1996). "FRESH COMIC ROMANCE TAKES POLISHED 'TIN CUP' BEYOND WORLD OF PRO GOLF". Chicago Tribune . Archived from the original on 2013-12-19.
  5. Leydon, Joe (12 August 1996). "House Arrest". Variety. Archived from the original on 27 August 2019. Retrieved 27 August 2019.