The House (2017)
When Scott and Kate Johansen’s daughter gets into the college of her dreams it’s cause for celebration. That is, until Scott and Kate learn that the scholarship they were counting on didn’t come through, and they’re now on the hook for tuition they can’t begin to afford. With the help of their friend and neighbor Frank also in need of a major payday they decide to open an illegal casino in his suburban house, risking everything together on a Vegas-style bacchanal where money flows, inhibitions are checked at the door, and all bets are off.
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Maybe when Ferrell was a young guy on SNL, the clueless look was worth a few laughs. The dumb, earnest, innocent guy "accidentally" saying naughty words is funny - oh, MAYBE - once. And for Ferrell that was in 1975. Poehler relies on "soccer mom saying dirty words" humor and likewise, hasn't been funny in a long time; the same old "Amy Poehler is SO-O-O funny" schtick. This might have actually been a cute movie without the "big-time comedy" perennials doing the same parts they do over and over.
When daughter Alex is denied the university scholarship the town had promised her (because creepy head councilman Bob has embezzled it), Scott and Kate team up with down-on-his-luck friend Frank to start an unlicensed casino in his house, with the intention of running it through the summer and then using the profits for Kate's tuition and to save Frank defaulting on his mortgage.This film is deeply silly. It is also consistently funny. I watched it in a small auditorium with about 20 people, and there was frequent laughing out loud. There is a lot of bad language, some violence, some drug misuse, some sexual frankness (though, as usual, no nudity), so it is very much ini the modern style of being crude, crass, tasteless and offensive, but it always remembers to be funny.Will Ferrell's Scott is an idiot when necessary (he can't cope with numbers) and scarily competent at others - the character is completely inconsistent, depending on the demands of the plot. Yet it works well enough. There are similar character inconsistencies with both Kate and Frank, yet you are prepared to overlook this because they are likeable characters, and you want them to get away with their activities despite, how can I put this, the dismemberments etc. they are responsible for.There is a fairly extensive supporting cast, all of whom are well enough drawn that you enjoy seeing what they are doing, and the various mishaps which happen to them. The violence is graphic but slapstick.I was always interested to see where the story was going - it wasn't always where I expected. And I enjoyed spending time with these daft people in their foolish but funny story.
There are only maybe two or three moments in 'The House (2017)' that made me audibly chuckle - 'chuckle' being the operative word because nothing escaped my lips that came close to what I'd qualify as a full blown 'laugh' - and only a couple more that provoked even a smile. In fact, the funniest moment occurs in the gag-reel, which doesn't count because that's not actually part of the movie. It fails as a comedy and essentially fails as a film, too, though not spectacularly so because, while it is passably entertaining, it is painfully forgettable and, even when the contrivances of the plot come into play - which are indeed contrivances in every sense of the word, nothing stands out and even less surprises. 5/10
I'm a Will Ferrel fan. But this, it's just horriable! Actors are great, which is what makes you interested in the movie, but very badly done and script writing is below average. I really wanted to like this! :( Please don't waste your time!