Houseguest

This movie surprisingly works and is very funny and enjoyable and it's also, what I think to be the litmus test of a good movie, always good for repeated viewing without losing its charm. I pass by the film on cable and find myself watching it again and still laughing. I know this seems hard to believe especially since the story is ridiculous and the script is pretty banal. I've come to the conclusion that it's the genuine talent of Sinbad, an exceedingly funny man who unfortunately seems to have disappeared from show business as of late. Phil Hartman adds a great deal to the film with his always impeccable delivery but I can't help but think of his horrible tragedy and kind of fall out of the movie's whimsy at times.

I always liked this movie. It manages to rise above most Hollywood comedies that are inevitably annoying and dispensable. This movie is fun and has great acting which makes up for the fact that it is, by nature, just a screwball comedy. It's a total guilty pleasure but I say go for it.

Most family movies seem hastily thrown together but HOUSEGUEST is an exception. The dialogue sparkles, the direction isn't just 2-takes-and-go, the cinematography is whackily speeded up in some places and the editing is rapid fire. And unlike most family movies, it lasts for 110 minutes. That's about half an hour longer than is usual. I know this hardly seems like a valid point but I reckon it proves the movie's got more content than fart jokes etc.

My only gripe is the obvious McDonalds plugging about 40 minutes in. If you can just turn away for these 10 seconds then it's not so bad. It's a shame that it's there tho because it tarnishes the credibility of the movie.

Sinbad is always good and the late, great Phil Hartman can make any film watchable so they really add to this brilliantly entertaining comedy. Do yourself a favour and watch it. It's not just for kids. I watched my VHS a zillion times and I was so impatient for this DVD to be released.

So it's barebones, but who cares? I'm just glad to have it. The 1.78:1 anamorphic picture is super and the Dolby 2.0 surround track is decent enough. After all this is a dialogue driven comedy but some sound effects and music are presented pretty well. My subwoofer even go a big kick from a gunshot near the end.

Pick this one up whenever you see it. No matter what age you are, you and your kids will enjoy.

The comic genius and timing of stars Sinbad and Phil Hartman take what could have been a run-of-the-mill dumb comedy film and turn it into a wonderfully likeable tour-de-force. The premise has been done time and time again, it's basically a "fish out of water" story. Yes, the gangsters are dumb almost to the point where they're annoying. Sure, we see the message coming from a mile away.

But there are a few things that separate this film from other comedies, and elevate to the status of excellence. First of all, it's hilarious. There are few jokes that don't work and they are immediately forgotten as this fast-paced romp wastes no time. The speed-up of scenes and the quick editing (several shots seem to last for no longer than a few seconds) do get a slight bit irritating, but it serves its purpose by catering to the fast-paced story and Sinbad's style of comedy. Take for instance, the party scene in which Sinbad is explaining what the "GFH" on his suit jacket stands for. Slow down the scene, and it loses the humor.

Since the McDonald's issue has been cited again and again in reviews with varying degrees of criticism, let me address it briefly. First of all, there are a lot of people who love to eat McDonald's food. It's not healthy for you, but you'd be lying if you say that it tastes awful. Now, Sinbad's character is established as the lazy, unhealthy, always-eating slacker from the very beginning as he comes home to his apartment and enjoys his McDonald's and 2 liter bottle of soda. The real Derek Bond is completely contrasted with the impostor Derek Bond's lifestyle. Hence the fish out of water comedy. Sinbad's character is put in a desperate situation where he assumes this other man's life and the man he is pretending to be is the complete opposite of him. He's got a successful career as a dentist and he maintains a strict diet of vegetables and muescli cereal. So, when Sinbad's Kevin Franklin character, in this awkward and unfamiliar situation of staying with a suburban family's house and pretending to be someone who everyone expects to be a health-conscious stuffy professional, manages to escape for a moment and sees the familiar golden arches, he's so happy that he feels like he's in a commercial. He knows McDonald's and in many places, McDonald's seems to be an unchanging, constant source of familiar greasy food. McDonald's works in the context of the film because it's a real fast-food place that we can relate to, because we've all eaten there at one time or another. To me, if there was some fictional place like "Lou's Hamburgers", it wouldn't work. The character design might come through, but there could be no jingle resounding in our heads, and it'd take you out of the reality of the story (which I discuss in next paragraph). Yes, McDonald's is a real fast-food joint, and Kevin Franklin loves to eat there. Does that make "Houseguest" a McDonald's commercial? I don't think that it does, I think it maintains an element of reality that we as viewers can relate to. Perhaps we needn't always be so cynical as some professional film critics are.

Now, I mention the 'reality' of "Houseguest" and you must think I'm absolutely crazy. Houseguest is an unrealistic film that requires you to throw logic out the door entirely if you wish to enjoy it, right? Well, not necessarily. I think looking back at this film, eight years after it was made, we can look at the family suburban life depicted, and notice the real-ness of the characters. Phil Hartman's character Gary Young is a hard-working businessman at a law firm. He sucks up to his boss and the boss's wife and spends more time with his job than his family. Gary's wife tries to be there for her family, but she's taken on a career with frozen yogurt stores and it's turning out to be far more time-consuming than she imagined.

Then, there are the three children. The oldest girl is distancing herself from her family, trying to find comfort in a "Goth" phase, taking pleasure from sad poetry and a boyfriend who seems to think that he's a tough kid from the hood. The middle child is the only son, Jason. He tries to win his father's approval by playing basketball and hoping to be good. The youngest daughter seems not to be getting any attention, either. Her busy parents don't have time for her, and she's been getting lessons from television programs instead.

The dysfunctional middle-class family serves as a foil for Kevin Franklin, pretending to be someone he is not, who will ultimately find the desire to help these people, who have unknowingly opened up their home to him, a complete stranger. Kevin Franklin doesn't have a job, a family, or kids, and yet it his interactions with the Young family that allow both them and he to better themselves.

Now, if you've seen the movie, you're probably reading this and thinking, "This guy's nuts. He's completely overanalyzing some stupid comedy." Well, perhaps I am. "Houseguest" is indeed a silly, hectic fish-out-of-water comedy; somewhat formulaic, but very much successful. However, to dismiss the film as 'bad' or a 'stupid comedy' is a superficial assessment of a film that really has a lot going for it.

Sure, the film is glossy and not without faults, but then, so is life and the people that we interact with. "Houseguest" is a winning comedy, and one of my favorite films of the 1990s. It presents laughs but also provides a realistic look at individual and family life in the '90s, even if this comes out of an unrealistic set-up of a man assuming another identity to avoid the mob.

Much-maligned and underappreciated, "Houseguest" is a gem of a family comedy that I certainly hope you will give a chance. Or if you initially didn't like it, some more thought on these matters and maybe a second chance.

Phil Hartman and Sinbad star in Houseguest a 1995 comedy about what happens when one stranger pretends another person's best friend and the close relationship these two form even after the truth is revealed.

Phil Hartman has starred in great movies like "Blind Date", "The Coneheads" , and "Jingle All The Way", but this is probably his least seen movie although it's a funny one.

Phil Hartman plays Gary Young, a young executive who has problems with his wife and young kids . Hartman dislikes his boss but doesn't have the guts to stand up to him.

Sinbad plays Kevin Franklin, a guy who has yet to pay a debt to the mob for $50,000, Instead of paying the debt, Franklin goes on the run and proceeds to impersonates one of Young's best friend, a dentist named Derek Bond. Young hasn't seen Bond in a long time, so he has no clue what Bond looks like. Franklin does a good a hilarious job of fooling Young that he is Derek Bond. In one instance, Young invites Franklin to a party and asks him to look at the teeth at one of his guests, a beautiful young woman. When this beautiful woman starts to smile, Franklin sees she has lost a couple of teeth, and responds "Oh!!! Geez", it's a funny scene that had me laughing. Pretty soon Franklin starts showing Gary Young's guest how to boogie and dance, using the black soul in him. I enjoyed this moment, because although the movie doesn't state it, part of it's enjoyment is the togetherness of the black culture of Franklin with the white culture of Young. When both guys starts partying together, we see both white and black people can exist together in peace. Anyhow, more fun ensues as Franklin is asked to perform an important dental procedure to an old friend of Young, and proceeds to do utterly stupid stunts with great results. Franklin then bonds with all the kids of Mr. Young including Jason, Joey, Sarah Young. In one scene, he takes the kids to play basketball against a couple of young bullies and he and the kids proceeds to beat up these kids playing tough basketball. The kids love Franklin with all his warmth and humor, than even at the end when they find out his real name it doesn't matter, because they know he is a good guy.

We get more laughter close to the end, as the Young family helps Franklin get rid of the mob idiots that are following him. By the end of the movie Young, is a totally different, he is more secure and confident, thanks to his best friend, that he stands up his boss and becomes closer to his family. Only 2 people reviewed this movie, so that tells me, that alot of people still haven't seen it. I recommended this great movie to everyone

Since today is Sinbad's 50th birthday, I wanted to talk about one of his movies. "Houseguest" is probably the sort of movie that can only appeal to eleven-year-old boys, but it has its moments. Portraying a debt-ridden man (Sinbad) posing as the friend of a suburban man (Phil Hartman) and moving into his house to avoid some gangsters, it's pretty silly, but not harming anything. A particularly goofy scene is the whole "washing balls" sketch.

So, it's the sort of movie that you watch with best buds. Don't expect a religious experience, just expect to laugh (I'm sure that you will). Among other things, it goes to show what we lost when Phil Hartman was murdered. Also starring Kim Greist and Jeffrey Jones.