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Conference bookie::movies

Title:Movie Reviews and Discussion
Notice:Please do DIR/TITLE before starting a new topic on a movie!
Moderator:VAXCPU::michaudo.dec.com::tamara::eppes
Created:Thu Jan 28 1993
Last Modified:Thu Jun 05 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1249
Total number of notes:16012

779.0. "Man of the House" by WMOIS::LYONS_S () Tue Mar 07 1995 12:27

    
    Has anyone seen this yet?  Is it worth the price of admission.  I know
    it was number one at the box office this weekend.  My husband, his
    brother and I tried to see it on Friday but it was sold out 20 minutes
    before show time.  I'm curious to see if Chevy Chase still "has it".  I
    haven't really liked any of his recent material and hoping this movie
    will change things around.
    
    My brother-in-law wants to go see it just to see "Norm" (George Wendt)
    in something other than Cheers.
    
    So...any opinions on this one?
    
    
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
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779.1seems bathroom-joke-intensiveUSCTR1::WOOLNERYour dinner is in the supermarketTue Mar 07 1995 16:077
    Haven't seen it, but since they're hoping trailer items like "squatting
    dog" and tomahawk-in-the-groin are going to send us crushing into the
    theater, I know it's the wrong flick for me.
    
    Tell your b-i-l that Wendt has a new TV show.
    
    Leslie
779.2SWAM2::SMITH_MAWed Mar 08 1995 14:234
    I probably won't rush out to see this one but I am curious about the
    chemistry between Chase and Fawcett.  Probably wait for cable, though.
    
    MJ
779.3WDFFS2::SHOOKthe river is mineThu Mar 09 1995 06:333
    
    the newspaper ads in the detroit paper don't even have farrah fawcett's
    name on them, just chevy and the kid.  very unusual...
779.4Don't let trailer stop youQUARRY::reevesJon Reeves, UNIX compiler groupMon Mar 13 1995 23:1314
This had one of the most misleading trailers in recent memory; it would really
make a good example for a thesis on montage.

It was actually better than I expected, with Chevy Chase actually doing more
than pratfalls and showing a nice relationship with the J.T. Thomas character
(though I could have done without the Mafia goon subplot).

Don't let the apparent American Indian stereotyping in the trailer put you off
too much; another example of the misleading trailer.  I'd say the racist/ethnic
problems are worse against Italians here.  (The Amerind stuff is turned neatly
on its head in the actual movie.)

I still think The Secret of Roan Inish is the best kid's movie out there
right now, but you could certainly do worse than this.
779.5USCTR1::WOOLNERYour dinner is in the supermarketTue Mar 14 1995 17:2511
    Well after having entered .1 I was informed by my daughter (age 10)
    that the trailer *is* misleading; she went to see it on an overnight
    with a bunch of kids.  The two items I pointed out (tomahawk and the
    "squatting dog" comment) apparently were the two lowest points in the
    film.  Alex wants to take me to see it!  (Okay, okay, "uncle"!)
    
    The group is at the age where they *had* to sit in the FRONT ROW away
    from the chaperones (natch) and Alex says most of them were *swooning* 
    over Jonathan Taylor Thomas  :-}
    
    Leslie 
779.6***/*****USCTR1::WOOLNERYour dinner is in the supermarketFri Mar 17 1995 15:3920
    Saw it last night with Alex (& sat in the front row to get the full
    10-year-old POV!).  I fully agree with the comment that the trailer
    is NOT a good representation of the movie.  While it's not the greatest
    flick of the year, it has many wonderful moments--sad and sweet as well
    as funny.  Jonathan Taylor Thomas is a very good young actor; his big
    disappointment scene really tore me up.  I like Chevy Chase; I don't
    think this was his finest oeuvre by any means, but his campfire story I
    found *hilarious*.  I'm not a big fan of Farrah Fawcett (and didn't like
    her character here) also I thought she looked *horrible*, face all leathery
    and drawn, and extremely silly hair!  Wendt had the most "normal" role,
    excepting Fawcett's (which was Mom-who-caves-in-to-son's-whines) and
    was fine in it... but I don't think much writing time or talent was
    expended on his character (the other two dads in the Indian Guides were
    well drawn and very funny).
    
    Agree on the ethnic stereotyping--I don't know why they had to be
    *Italian* dunderhead hit-men.  The Native American stuff was fine--and
    funny, when Ben met Jack's N.A. client.
    
    Leslie