Man of the House

I think it's a very sweet film.

Another Disney film from the 1990s that I and other reviewers evidently disagree on; an average rating of 2.2 on Letterboxd is very harsh, in my opinion. I found it charming and suitably acted.

I assume the major dislike of this film is the secondary plot featuring Joey (Richard Portnow) & Co., which I would agree is unimaginative and ill-fitting. However, that doesn't affect my overall feelings. Potentially - if anything, it mentions a few times the negative depictions; somewhat surprisingly, for a 1995 release anyway.

The story between Ben (Jonathan Taylor Thomas), Jack (Chevy Chase) and Sandy (Farrah Fawcett) is nice. It's simple, but it's one that works extremely well - I felt attached to them, they have good chemistry with each other.

There's not much more to be said. I truly did enjoy 'Man of the House'.

Chevy Chase gives an amiable performance as a prosecuting attorney who falls in love with artist Farrah Fawcett (who looks as great as ever). But she already has an 11 year old son (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) whose father ran out on the family. So the kid is wary of letting ANY man into his mothers' life, especially when the mom & child have gotten along perfectly well by themselves for years. Thomas schemes to eliminate Chase from his & Fawcetts' lives, and thinks that when he and Chase join the Indian Guides, Chase will get fed up and quit. But Chase digs in his heels and refuses to do so.

"Man of the House" is an admittedly lightweight, formula-bound family comedy that does at least have good messages in it about learning to have faith in other people. It benefits from some entertainingly quirky characters, like perfectionist Red Sweeney (Art La Fleur) and mute circus performer Lloyd Small (physical comedian David Shiner); both of them and their sons are part of the group.

A major subplot has to do with a mafia goon (Richard Portnow) who wants revenge on Chase since the attorney was able to send his father away for half a century. But being that this IS a Disney family comedy, this material never gets too intense, and Portnows' associates (Peter Appel, Richard Foronjy) are portrayed as bumblers.

In addition to those character actors mentioned, other notable performers such as Chief Leonard George, Ron Canada, John DiSanti, and the ever-endearing George Wendt all put in appearances. The cast is generally good, with young Thomas and his fellow child actors giving appealing performances. The plotting and the gags DO tend to be pretty predictable, but overall the movie works pretty well. Likability and good vibes do help to make up for the formulaic nature of the script, as well as the universal aspect of learning to accept step-parents and step-children in ones' lives.

Six out of 10.

I watched this today for the first time in years. As a kid during the 90s, I loved this flick. My best friend and I had a HUGE crush on JTT. As an adult, I think the movie is pretty cute but it brings back memories of being a nine year old laughing my butt off and going home looking through my Teen Beat magazine. This movie needs to be appreciated for the 90s movie it was. It's unfortunate people who cry about cultural appropriation try to ruin it for those of us who loved it as kids.

I'm just now watching this on TV, and find it an enjoyable but fairly standard Disney type plot, with the usual misunderstandings based on lack of communication. Eventually justice will triumph, I'm sure, with all the usual civilian-vs-bad-guy showdown and broken-relationships-cemented stereotypes, still enjoyable to watch in each new screenplay. I mainly wanted to comment on a cute cameo that I didn't find mentioned anywhere. At the very beginning of the film, establishing the relationship of Farah Fawcett and her son, he mentions how she dated a few guys but they were all losers. They show a few seconds of one of these dates, with the fellow clowning around at the beach. If you watch closely you will see it is Ryan O'Neal!

As usual, I'm in the minority.

I love this movie. Chevy is so funny as the step dad to Jonathan Taylor Thomas and would-be husband to Farrah Fawcet. I loved Chevy in this. He plays characters completely off the cuff, and I found his character endearing, but what I really liked about this movie was Farrah. She still shines after all those years, in a completely engaging performance.

Jonathan Taylor Thomas is perfectly precocious in his role as Fawcett's son, a boy who lost his father, and refuses to accept Chevy as an adequate substitute.

It's funny, heartwarming, and genuinely sweet.

It rates a 6.7/10 from...

the Fiend :.