As a Chevy Chase comedy, Man of The House is far from his funniest; however, it works well as a family drama.
The story's sort of an inverted "Courtship of Eddie's Father." In this case it's the boy's mother (Farrah Fawcett) who is single, and the boy (Jonathan Taylor Thomas of Home Improvement, Tom and Huck, etc.) is wary of her new fiancee, a prosecutor named Sturges (Chase). Still feeling burnt by his ex-dad, the boy tries everything to get rid of the prospective one. Some of this is funny, like when he paints Sturges's face with Indian war paint that won't come off, and the parts that aren't funny are still interesting and help develop the characters and story. I think the film is most effective in that it demonstrates the persistence of faith necessary to build a family, as Sturges doesn't give up on the boy, but continues to try to win his friendship after each prank by the boy, and each failure of his own. Competent acting by Thomas helps the film succeed on this score.
The subplot is about a hoodlum Sturges sent to prison, and his son and his thugs trying to get revenge on the prosecutor. Mostly this is supposed to be funny, but doesn't live up to Chase's usual standards. However, it does weave a bit of suspense into the story and provides a catalyst for Sturges to finally win over the boy's sympathies, as well as a climax with some action.
The supporting cast includes George Wendt (Cheers), who's mostly serious in this role, and Art LeFleur, who's funny as an Indian Guides martinet.
If you're looking for a hilarious comedy, don't look here; but if you're in the mood for a light family drama with a well-devoloped message and some humor, Man of the House will foot the bill with one family values caveat: Chase and Fawcett move in together before they're married.
Please avoid at all costs
Chevy Chase is dreadful in the lead as Farrah Fawcett's fiance and Jonathan Taylor Thomas is annoyning as the bratty kid that's just annoyning and a loser child actor(what movies has he starred since this one). The childish plot revolves around a single mom and her brat son who hates her new fiance and then he looks for ways to have fun with the bratty son and then the movie fails to entertain and the movie is basically a Disney movie with no point,plot,or substance that you will enjoy your time doing something better like mow the lawn,build a puzzle,or trying to match the cubes on a Rubik Cube. Even Max Keeble was more funny than this unfunny,unwatchable mess. [...]
Sheer Garbage
I give this movie an "A" for "avoid." Definitely the worst movie I've ever had the displeasure to watch (and yes, I've seen "Angel Eyes" so I do have a valid point of reference). Chevy plays a guy makin' bacon with Farrah Fawcett (yes, I did just vomit) while Jonathon Taylor "Buy a Last Name" Thomas plays the petulant little crapface son who is anti-Chevy from the start (let's face it, who isn't?) and makes his life a living hell. The acting is atrocious, the characters are poorly developed and hideously predictable, Farrah's nose appears poised to melt off at a moment's notice, and that little brat from "Home Improvement" couldn't be more annoying. There is only one moment that is midly amusing (when JTT names Chevy "squatting dog" as his Indian Guide name), but too bad I heard that punchline in a joke my dad told me in 1982. This movie is so bad that when Chevy drives his SUV off a bridge while rushing home to fulfill a promise to JTT you actually find yourself praying he can't open the window to escape. If you enjoy banging your head against a wall, eating glass shards, or applying a curling iron to your bare skin, this is the flick for you. Otherwise it is pure, unadulterated waste that a coprophagic dog would even avoid. Trust me, if you value your retinas, avoid, avoid, avoid.
Being a good friend can be difficult, but the rewards are great. Two unruly boys, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, pledge their friendship to one another in anticipation of days filled with fun and laughter. Instead, the two witness a graveyard murder and swear an oath of silence to protect their own lives. Treasure hunting and Tom's budding friendship with his classmate Becky pale when the boys' silence threatens to allow an innocent man to hang for the crime, and Tom must choose between keeping his pact with Huck and justice for his friend Muff Potter. This 1995 Disney presentation of Mark Twain's classic The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, featuring Jonathan Taylor Thomas as Tom and Brad Renfro as Huck, reaffirms the notion that "When a friend's in trouble, you can't just... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Jonathan Taylor Thomas - Brad Renfro - Charles Rocket Director(s): Peter Hewitt DVD Release Date: Released the 06 May 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
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That chemistry does not make up for Tim Allens selfish profomance and the plot sucked. I hated the part when the kid crawls on top of the statue of liberty. That would not fly to day, The police and the govnment would think he is a terroist and kill him. I thought the humor was bland and it is a stupid crapy movie and I hate it. More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Tim Allen - Martin Short - JoBeth Williams Director(s): John Pasquin DVD Release Date: Released the 08 October 2002 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Jonathan Taylor Thomas stars as Jake, a shallow huckster attending college in Los Angeles who finds troubles aplenty and, eventually, redemption on a road trip home in this youth-oriented Christmas vehicle. The action begins with Jake dumped in the desert dressed in full Kris Kringle regalia as payback for a scheme gone wrong, making Taylor Thomas the second Home Improvement cast member to don a Santa suit for film. (The first, of course, was his TV dad Tim Allen in The Santa Clause, for those of you who snoozed through recent Christmases.) With Jake stuck in the dunes, his stranded girlfriend (Jessica Biel from TV's Seventh Heaven) accepts a ride from his rival and thus begin the cross-country shenanigans that lead to a Christmas sleigh ride in their shared... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Jonathan Taylor Thomas Director(s): Arlene Sanford DVD Release Date: Released the 12 December 2000 Usually ships in 24 hours
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12 year old Gerry Garner joins a group of "heavy" kids that are sent to their favorite fat camp for the summer, "Camp Hope" (a place where they're supposed to lose weight, but instead have a fun time). The kids find out that the camp has been sold to a crazy fitness instructor named Tony Perkins (Ben Stiller), so now, the camp has turned into a living hell for the kids. No more candy, or fun things like Go Karts and "The Blob". Tony wants the kids to lose weight, so he'll be able to make a profit from his fitness TV commercials (he has a camera man follow him around the camp). However, the kids rebel against Tony, because they want to have fun, not exercise, therefore, Tony starts to go crazy (in a hilarious way), so he decides to counter their actions, for example: one day, he takes... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Tom McGowan (II) - Aaron Schwartz (II) Director(s): Steven Brill DVD Release Date: Released the 04 March 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
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A clever idea, to produce a new spin on the summer camp movie involving the kids inventing their own camp and conning their unsympathetic parents to part with the necessary cash after they've been hoodwinked by the kids' token "grown-up", Christopher Lloyd, in various guises.
Some moral lessons, lightly delivered, but the highlight of the movie is Jonathan Jackson's performance, with a young Andrew ably Keegan supporting.
The high-speed turnarounds, when the parents come visiting expecting completely different camps, provide an exciting denouement & round off a fun movie for all the family. More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Jonathan Jackson - Christopher Lloyd Director(s): Jonathan Prince DVD Release Date: Released the 05 August 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
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