Bringing Down the House (film)
| Bringing Down the House | |
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 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Adam Shankman |
| Produced by | David Hoberman |
| Written by | Jason Filardi |
| Starring | Steve Martin Queen Latifah Eugene Levy Joan Plowright Jean Smart Missi Pyle and Betty White |
| Music by | Lalo Schifrin |
| Cinematography | Julio Macat |
| Editing by | Gerald B. Greenberg |
| Studio | Hyde Park Entertainment |
| Distributed by | Touchstone Pictures |
| Release date(s) | March 7, 2003 |
| Running time | 105 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $33 million |
| Box office | $164,729,679 |
Bringing Down the House is a 2003 American romantic comedy film, written by Jason Filardi and directed by Adam Shankman. The film stars Steve Martin and Queen Latifah.
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[edit] Plot
Peter Sanderson (Steve Martin) is a workaholic tax attorney corresponding with an online friend known only as "lawyer-girl". On their first blind date, Peter learns that "lawyer-girl" is Charlene Morton (Queen Latifah), a wrongfully convicted bank robber claiming her innocence who wants Peter's help in getting the charges dropped. Peter also must deal with Virginia Arness (Joan Plowright), an eccentric English billionaire, to bring her business to his firm, as well as competitive colleagues and bosses. His neighbor, Mrs. Kline (Betty White), who happens to be a sister of one of the senior partners, is a nosy bigot. Peter attempts to juggle these issues as well as reconcile with his ex-wife (Jean Smart) and children (Kimberly J. Brown and Angus T. Jones).
[edit] Cast
- Steve Martin as Peter Sanderson, The film's protagonist. An uptight lawyer who reluctantly helps Charlene with her case. They eventually bond, becoming close friends.
- Queen Latifah as Charlene Morton, The film's deuteragonist. An escaped convict who was framed seeks Peter's help in proving her innocent. Over the course of the film, she bonds with Peter and the family as she poses as their nanny. Howie's love interest.
- Eugene Levy as Howie Rottman, Peter's over-sexed best friend and colleague. He falls madly in love with Charlene upon meeting her.
- Jean Smart as Kate Sanderson, Peter's ex-wife
- Missi Pyle as Ashley, Kate's evil sister. She sleeps with old men for their money. One of the film's antagonists.
- Joan Plowright as Virginia Arness, An arrogant client of Peter's. One of the film's antagonists, though she reforms at the end.
- Betty White as Mrs. Kline, Peter's racist neighbor
- Kimberly J. Brown as Sarah Sanderson, Peter's daughter and oldest child.
- Angus T. Jones as George "Georgie" Sanderson, Peter's son and youngest child.
- Michael Rosenbaum as Todd Gendler, Peter's arrogant colleague
- Steve Harris as Widow, Charlene's shady ex-boyfriend
- Matt Lutz as Aaron
- Victor Webster as Glen
[edit] Soundtrack
A soundtrack containing hip hop and R&B music was released on March 4, 2003 by Hollywood Records. It peaked at 111 on the Billboard 200 and 23 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.
[edit] Reception
[edit] Critical
The film received mixed reviews from critics. It holds a 34% rotten rating on rotten tomatoes.
[edit] Box office
On a budget of $35 million the film became a surprise hit. It earned $132.6 million in the United States and an international gross of $32 million, bringing its worldwide gross to $164.6 million.[1] As of March 2009, it is ranked #231 of the All Time Top Grossing USA Motion Pictures.[2]
[edit] Awards and nominations
Queen Latifah
- Won – Teen Choice Awards 2003 for Choice Movie Actress Comedy
- Won – NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture
- Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance
- Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Best Fight
Steve Martin
- Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Best Dance Sequence
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Bringing Down the House (film) |
- Official site
- Bringing Down the House at the Internet Movie Database
- Bringing Down the House at Box Office Mojo
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