Houseguest (1995)

reviewed by
E. Benjamin Kelsey


HOUSEGUEST
(PG)
Directed by Randall Miller
Running Time: 113 minutes
Originally Released: January 6, 1995
Reviewed by E. Benjamin Kelsey
* * ½ (out of four)

Let's get one thing straight - I *loved* this film. Yeah, it's got some prime examples of shoddy film-making, but on the surface of all it's excessive cheeziness, it's really funny. It's one of those movies I embarrassingly liked so much, I would quickly recommend it, even if it's more worthy of a Razzie than an Oscar. With that out in the open, let me tell you why HOUSEGUEST, a hilarious film, is so bad.

HOUSEGUEST stars the one-name comedian Sinbad as Kevin Franklin, an orphan who grew up on the poor side of town with big dreams he never let go. Even as an adult, no matter how much people tell him to "get real", Kevin is determined to make something of himself. He cruises around in a laughably compact car playing out scenarios of famed acclamation like a young boy pretending to be a superhero. He looks for answers in lottery tickets and "get rich quick" infomercials, all the while keeping his meager lifestyle barely afloat thru organized crime connections, but when things begin to catch up with him, a $50,000 debt for example, Kevin finds himself needing to skip town.

At the airport on the verge of escape, two thugs (Paul Ben-Victor and Tony Longo) determined to collect the debt begin a chase after Kevin. When it seems he can go no further, Kevin overhears a family discussing the man they are supposed to be picking up. The father of the group, Gary Young ("SNL" alumnus and current co-star of "NewsRadio" Phil Hartman), explains that the man is an old friend whom he hasn't seen in decades. He's also black, and that's all it takes to convince Kevin to pose as someone he knows otherwise nothing about.

The Young's take Kevin into their posh suburban home, and thru overly silly comedic events, he discovers more and more about the man he has taken the identity of - renowned dentist Derek Bond (Ron Glass). But Kevin is quite different from Derek, and his laid-back, party-hearty attitude is quite a jolt to the otherwise serious-minded community he finds himself in. Seemingly uncouth at first, Kevin becomes more and more of a mentor and therapist to the unprioritized Gary, the confidence-lacking son Jason (Chauncey Leopardi), and the misunderstood/misguided daughter Brooke (Kim Murphy).

Kevin's true identity is constantly at risk of being revealed, but despite his deceitful actions, he has a heart of gold. The Young's charitable hospitality makes it even more difficult on Kevin, who develops a genuine fondness for the family - after all, they're the closest thing to a real family Kevin has ever known. But as we wait for Kevin to be painfully brought into the open, we are hit hard with cornball humor, and I must admit, I loved every minute of it. Thru intentionally campy acting and amateurish, hyper editing, I was easily entertained with the cinematic equivalent of cheese puffs. There wasn't a lot of substance, but it tasted good, and I enjoyed binging on all the brainlessness.

HOUSEGUEST suffers terribly from blatant incontinuities and cartoonish film- making, and I'm surprised the producing credits didn't go to McDonald's after the most obvious display of product placement movies have ever taken. But even though the whole film could be viewed as a two-hour commercial for Mickey D's, it would still be a funny enough commercial to make it worthwhile. The acting was campy, but surprisingly, the one who stood out like a sore thumb was the one who took his role the most seriously - Stan Shaw. As Kevin's best friend Larry, Shaw seems a bit too serious about the project, which in turn makes him hard to swallow. It doesn't demean him as an actor, but it does make him very off-balance from the rest of the cast. Serious performances should still be light in a film like this, and Kim Griest as Emily Young (the mom of the family) is the one who does it right.

>From a wholly artistic viewpoint, HOUSEGUEST probably doesn't even deserve two stars, but I laughed so much that I had to give it a recommendable grade. If you're looking for intelligent comedy, or even a half-decent film, this isn't really the way to go, but if you're looking for laughs, I think it's a great choice. It's really hard to predict how you'll feel about this film. Somehow it just rubbed me the right way, and I can't deny that even after seeing it a few times, I laugh when I see it again. Be forewarned, it's not for everyone, but at the same time, it resembles a good pizza: flimsy, cheap, and extra cheezy.

December 31, 1997

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