VividSimon Simply Perfect

Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

AutCuddly Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

tootsielover68 I understand the problems many people have with this movie. There are a few ridiculous subplots and hokey slapstick violence in a little over 90 minutes that seems redundant and ridiculous. But when I heard how underrated this movie actually really is I must say I was shocked. OK so there are some stupid subplots in the movie but so what? A lot of pre-teenagers (as well as early teenagers) can really learn a lot from this movie especially if they have experienced a family event like a divorce and having to deal with a step-parent. I am one who has had to deal with a divorce and a step-parent and they both are no day at the beach whatsoever. But the Jonathan Taylor Thomas character in this movie really reminded me of being younger and how I thought it was fun to do silly tricks and manipulations to get my step-parent to go away. And with all the hype of Farrah Fawcett recently passing away I think a lot of people who are interested in her career should look back at this movie as this was one of her very few Hollywood theatrical films. She had much more success on the smaller screen as we all know. I think a lot of people also had trouble with this movie because it tried to make Chevy Chase into more of a heartwarming character unlike his "Caddyshack" and "National Lampoon's Vacation" series characters. Why people had a bad reaction to that is a mystery to me. Comedians like Chase should not be playing silly oafs their whole career. Sometimes it is OK to change characters if you are going in the right direction and for the most part I think Chase was doing so here. And George Wendt's supporting performance as the Indian Guide leader I thought was very good and made him into a more endearing and heartwarming character unlike his Norm Peterson fame on "Cheers". As aforementioned a few things in this film do not work. For instance on the camping trip that Chase and Thomas attend in the woods with the Indian Guides and Chase tells a campfire story it is supposed to be funny but it really isn't.At least that monologue could have been written better for Chase. The supporting charactersmake that scene more interesting. I also don't like the subplot of the man who wants to kill Chase because he sent his father to prison as a prosecutor for committing a crime. We get some hokey dialog once again there and then it turns into a semi "Home Alone" rip off trying to scare away the bad guys with "Home Alone" like booby traps. But aside from those flaws I think "Man of the House" on the whole is a good film that parents and kids alike can enjoy and learn a lesson from. And with all the parents complaining about content in films today and how "family films don't exist" I think this one blows that theory. There is only one mild discussion about sex (it is a pre-teenager film what else do you expect?) profanity is very mild, and the violence is done on such a slapstick level that you cannot take it seriously at all. By the end of the film Thomas likes having Chase for a stepfather and now life will be great with his mom and Chase. I only wish the ending of this movie could have happened with the situation in my parents divorce and my later teenage years. All I am saying is ignore this movies flaws and go along for the ride. If you have experienced something like this in real life this will be a movie you will be glad you didn't miss.

Lee Eisenberg Some events are just so ironic that they just seem too weird to be true. One of the best examples, at least in my opinion, is what happened to Chevy Chase. You see, in the '80s he was one of the top stars, with movies like "Vacation" and "Fletch". Now, he was not friends with the president during that period, nor with the next president, but he was friends with Bill Clinton. That's where it gets bizarre: a few months after Slick Willie took the oath of office, Chase got his own TV show...and it failed miserably, turning Chase into a laughingstock. In short, Chevy Chase went from a star under his enemies to a joke under his friend.To compound this, the show's failure was followed by embarrassing movies like "Cops and Robbersons" and "Man of the House". I will say that the latter isn't god-awful, but it's not really worth much. Mostly just another story about a son and stepfather trying to bond. If nothing else, I guess that it just seems sad that Chase went from "SNL" to this (maybe it's also the flick's status as a Disney movie). But really, Chase has done better than this, as have Farrah Fawcett and George Wendt. Don't make it your first choice.

Brandt Sponseller Sandy Archer (Farrah Fawcett) is a single mom. She and her son, Ben (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) have been on their own for years, but now she's met an attorney, Jack Sturgess (Chevy Chase), and fallen in love. When Jack moves in to Archer's loft, he quickly learns that it's going to be rough going with Ben. To make matters more complicated, Jack routinely helps put away criminals with dangerous connections. Can Jack save his relationship with Sandy, save his job, save his life and become a welcomed stepfather to Ben all at the save time? I feel a bit sorry for Chevy Chase. Regardless of what he's like personally, I think he's genuinely talented, and not just for comedy. But he's acquired such a reputation over the years for being in sub par stinkers (mostly unjustly deserved, in my opinion) that I think it's a major hurdle for audiences to give his films a fair chance. That's a shame, because this is a very good film, with a good performance from Chase and the rest of the cast.It's important while watching to not expect Man of the House to be an over-the-top comedy. It's as much a drama as anything else, and has adventure/thriller aspects as well. All of the genres are entered into from more of a child's or adolescent's perspective, which is appropriate for the material and venue.From that perspective, scenes about the Indian Guides (a plot point that may have swayed my view of the film even more, as it brought back memories of my time in the Indian Guides with my dad back in the early 1970s) are just as weighty (both seriously dramatic and funny) as chase scenes with an impending threat of death. Other seemingly minor elements are also given more weight than they would have from an adult standpoint, and logic, plot progression and even physics are coming from a kid's world, not an adult's. That's not an easy thing for a 40-something year old director to achieve with just the right tone, but James Orr makes it look effortless.The scriptwriters weave the various threads of the film together very nicely, as Jack uses connections from his work to make the Indian Guides even more fun and educational, while at the same time, saving his relationship with an important client. In fact, the funniest material in the film comes from fish out of water themes. Various characters are regularly approaching activities they would normally avoid, with inappropriate attitudes, clothing, and so on. The subtext of the film, stemming from the fish out of water material, concerns furthering self through understanding and furthering others--opening up to new perspectives, trying different things, cooperating with others, and so on. Initial resistance makes things difficult, but the attempt to understand and further others brings happiness.The entire principle cast is great, but Man of the House also benefits from a number of excellent character actors, including George Wendt, Art LaFleur and Richard Portnow. Like most films, you'll enjoy Man of the House more, and get much more out of it, if you leave your expectations/preconceptions parked at the door.

cornish_pixie A mildly amusing, simple film that is good to fill in time. It's just another Disney family movie, with no outstanding features; the script is plain, the acting average and the plot predictable but variable enough to keep your interest."Man of the House" centers around a young boy, Ben, who is unhappy about his single mother bringing home boyfriends. When she plans to marry one, he plots to get rid of the boyfriend so it can be just him and his mother again. This leads to a Boy Scout meets Native Americans type group of fathers and sons where Ben hopes he will be able to drive Jack away.Slight violence and language but no blood and guts. Rent if for the whole family.