Thirty-three years ago, a teen comedy named “House Party,” featuring the hip-hop duo Kid & Play, amused and delighted young and older audiences alike. It was fun, relatable, entertaining and infectious – just like its two dynamic leads – and went on to become a cultural comedy classic.
Unfortunately, the reboot that premiered in theaters on Friday, also entitled HOUSE PARTY, isn’t as relatable and infectious for those of us of a certain age but might be more appealing and entertaining to younger audiences – although I don’t see it obtaining the classic status of its predecessor.
A reimagining of the teen story with a more mature narrative, the new “House Party” follows friends Damon (Tosin Cole) and Kevin (Jacob Latimore), two house cleaners who are down on their luck and in need of fast cash. Enter a job cleaning the home of basketball superstar and philanthropist LeBron James, whose trip out of town assists the duo in devising a quick money-making scheme to throw an over-the-top house party in his home.
With plenty of celebrity cameos – including Snoop Dog, Mya, and Kid Cudi to name a few – the Stephen Glover and Jamal Olori, both writers on the series Atlanta, pinned work boasts a lot of entertaining moments and several laughs, but falls short of the charm and savviness of its namesake. Was it fun to watch? Yes, I was entertained, especially by the outtakes in the credits, but I accepted the film for what it was and the humor it provided – and I certainly don’t have a need to add it to any queue or watch again.
I rate the film 2.5 out of 5 on the MMTrometer.
You can watch the MMT clips below from the AAFCA House Party Roundtable – featuring Tosin, Latimore, DC Young Fly, who portrays Vic a comedic DJ reminiscent of the Martin Lawrence character from the original, and Rotimi (Coming 2 America) whose character is a part of a crew that terrorizes Damon a la Full Force’s bullies in the first film – and hear more about behind the scenes and what songs DC Young Fly and Rotimi are choosing to get a party started.
HOUSE PARTY opened in theaters on Friday, January 13.
Until next thought, Thomasena
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