When five perky
cheerleaders witness the murder of a drug bust informant, they
require 'round-the-clock surveillance to keep from being the next
victims. Enter tough-as-nails Texas Ranger Lt. Roland Sharp (Tommy
Lee Jones), who masquerades as their assistant coach and camps out
in their campus digs. But these feisty foxes just want to have
fun, and the buttoned-down Sharp learns it's no easy task to keep
the uncontrollable coeds in line and out of harm's way.
CRITIQUE
Man of the House
has very few redeeming qualities, but that doesn't mean it's not
worth watching. It's funny in spots, but there aren't many of
them. The script lacks story (the middle feels too drawn out as
nothing exciting happens - except for Jones trying to keep the
cheerleaders inside the safehouse near the Texas University campus
where they are cheerleaders) and ultimately it's the movie's
biggest flaw. One reason (and perhaps the only one) to see this
movie is for the five hot girls playing the cheerleaders, that's
it. The acting is fairly decent although none of the actors have
good material to work with; it's somewhat sad to see Tommy Lee
Jones playing a character like this who seems out of touch with
reality of sorts, and it doesn't help that his character has weak
lines which means Jones has to compensate by accentuating words
with a Texan accent or whatever. Direction by Stephen Herek is
mediocre (he uses split-screen during an action sequence early in
the movie but it doesn't work), the cinematography looks good, and
the music by David Newman is fitting. Oh, and did I mention the
girls in the movie are hot... mostly?
THE VIDEO
Sony presents
Man of the House in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. A
good presentation with some great colors, and good definition and
detail. A few flaws exist but nothing bad. Optional subtitles
include English and French.
THE AUDIO
Sony presents
Man of the House in English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround.
Dialogue sounds clear and is easy to understand, and the same goes
for the music and sound effects. A decent presentation that sounds
perfectly adequate. A French 2.0 dub track is also
available.
THE EXTRAS
Cheer Camp
(4:50) features cheer training footage and interviews with the
film’s two cheerleader advisors and the five actresses who went
through a three-week cheer boot camp.
The Making of
Man of the House (9:42)
features interviews with the producers, director Stephen Herek, Tommy
Lee Jones, Cedric the Entertainer, the actresses, and some others. We
learn the script was originally about an FBI Agent and not a Texas
Ranger; the change was made when Jones showed the producers around
Texas,
or something like that. There’s footage from filming in Texas,
Austin, particularly shooting on the Texas University campus. This is
short stuff and not that interesting (especially since I did not enjoy
the movie).
Rounding out the
extras are 10 trailers for various Sony titles.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Don't waste your
time on this movie, unless you like seeing hot girls in movies.
