I'll mince no words about "House Arrest": it is pure kiddie fare. The plot is ridiculous, the acting is outrageous, and the characters are overly colorful. Yet, the whole film is just plain fun!
For a basic plot summary, "House Arrest" sees young Grover Beindorf (Kyle Howard) lock his nearing-divorce parents (Jamie Lee Curtis & Kevin Pollak) in the basement in hopes of seeing them work out their problems. Predictably, insanity ensues and pretty soon three other "parental units" are trapped as well.
From beginning to end, the sight gags and goofy humor abound. The parents "down below" scheme to escape and bicker amongst themselves, the kids "above" struggle with their newfound freedom, and all the while a comically nosy neighbor tries to put the pieces together.
What always charms me about this movie is how it espouses such a great message at its core: kids just wanting their parents to get along. Incredibly sappy, for sure, but also innocent and sweet. Besides that, the auxiliary cast (especially Jennifer Tilly, Christopher McDonald, & Wallace "Rex from Toy Story" Shawn) really drives the humorous moments with their wacky antics and predicaments. Oh yeah, and a young Jennifer Love Hewitt will be every young boy's fantasy after watching this movie (!).
Thus, "House Arrest" may be cornball through and through, but director Harry Winer makes no bones about it and embraces the zany hilarity. Show this to your children and try to remember being a kid yourself!
For a basic plot summary, "House Arrest" sees young Grover Beindorf (Kyle Howard) lock his nearing-divorce parents (Jamie Lee Curtis & Kevin Pollak) in the basement in hopes of seeing them work out their problems. Predictably, insanity ensues and pretty soon three other "parental units" are trapped as well.
From beginning to end, the sight gags and goofy humor abound. The parents "down below" scheme to escape and bicker amongst themselves, the kids "above" struggle with their newfound freedom, and all the while a comically nosy neighbor tries to put the pieces together.
What always charms me about this movie is how it espouses such a great message at its core: kids just wanting their parents to get along. Incredibly sappy, for sure, but also innocent and sweet. Besides that, the auxiliary cast (especially Jennifer Tilly, Christopher McDonald, & Wallace "Rex from Toy Story" Shawn) really drives the humorous moments with their wacky antics and predicaments. Oh yeah, and a young Jennifer Love Hewitt will be every young boy's fantasy after watching this movie (!).
Thus, "House Arrest" may be cornball through and through, but director Harry Winer makes no bones about it and embraces the zany hilarity. Show this to your children and try to remember being a kid yourself!