The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

This movie is just a funny, feel good experience to revisit time and time again.

I'd say the movie demonstrates upper class living, with membership to the club with a pool and a golf course and driving nice cars? in Los Angeles? If this is middle class then my condo-owning workaday world with an 11 year old VW is the ghetto.Really fun movie, had to keep myself from switching channels a couple times but mostly watchable, and even a solid real laugh out loud from Queen's stellar performance. Nice to see August in something besides 2.5 men. Betty White was charmingly hilarious, as was Virginia Arness, who played the high-brow old-world slave-owning aging débutant to a 'T'. They 'fixed' all that with a club scene to remember!

Steve Martin to Me isn't very funny. I've never really got why many consider him to be a Comedy great and have never found myself laughing hysterically to anything hes either done or been in, and this film is no different. As its Queen Latifah and the Supporting cast, Mainly Betty White, Missi Pyle and Joan Plowright create the majority of laughs during the film. Martin plays a lawyer and Latifah Plays a convicted felon, who end up together following a meeting through an online dating site where Latifah pretends to be a fellow lawyer. And so Comedy Ensues (or so they think it does), and after a few laughs we end up with Steve pretending to be from the Hood and involved in a dance off with numerous gang members. This is easily the most excruciating moment of the film as quite frankly clearly knowing there hasn't been a laugh in 30 minutes the filmmakers resort to visual humour that would only amuse you if your either an 8 year old boy or have just sat down to your first movie after your first lobotomy. Despite this the plot is just interesting enough to keep your eyes forward and not wandering up to count the ceiling tiles, and although it does feel very "seen it all before", Latifah's character Charlene shines through and provides enough laughs for this to still be labeled as a comedy. In Summary, Laughs come from everyone but Martin who as the "Comedian" in the film does little to showcase his, to be honest, Overrated talent.

That is not to say all of Steve Martin's films are terrible, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, The Jerk, Man with Two Brains and Roxanne were gems, Father of the Bride is better than it is given credit for and the Cheaper By the Dozen movies while deeply flawed were watchable. But for several reasons, Bringing Down the House was just awful. Steve Martin isn't necessarily bad in it, he does try hard, as does Queen Latifah, but their chemistry is badly forced and they are further hampered by an awful script and a predictable story. Eugene Levy is usually excellent but he is wasted here, and the direction is lacklustre too. The film looks okay, with some nice cinematography and scenery, and the soundtrack has its moments that I accept, but the above points and the stereotypes and unintentional yet apparent racism and homophobia really spoil what could have been a decent comedy making it almost unwatchable. 2/10 Bethany Cox