DVD Review: Man of the House

By Patrick Luce Jul 21, 2005, 20:45 GMT

Jones, who produced the film, stars as Texas Ranger Roland Sharp – a sort of blend of his character from The Fugitive and Lonesome Dove.

Sharp is forced to protect a group of University of Texas cheerleaders after they witness a mob hit, and quickly finds his way of life clashing with that of the partying college cheerleaders.

The movie doesn’t have much to offer in terms of originality, but it does have some funny moments thanks to putting Jones into as many awkward moments as they can cram in one film – such as when he has to go buy tampons for the girls.

For the most part, the cheerleaders do a good job in the movie and never become so annoying that you want to shut it off. At the same time, none of them stand out to the point that you know any of their names or really care if they get killed.

Another redeeming moment in the film comes from Cedric The Entertainer – who once again proves he can make even the worse movie have a couple of laughs. Cedric, who plays a reformed convict that is now a preacher, is only in a couple of scenes and I wish they could have used him more to make the movie a lot funnier.

The film should be taken at face value and is pure “popcorn” entertainment. In that sense, it succeeds even though it remains very formulaic up to the end.

Jones is stiff but funny in Man of the House

However, the movie fails miserably whenever it tries to up the value and break into the action genre – such as when Jones has a gunfight with the assassin towards the end. These scenes seem forced, and do not fit the overall tone set throughout the rest of the movie.<!--page-->

Main Menu screen

His character is meant to lack emotion but you have to wonder if Jones is simply reflecting on his own regret for taking the part.

The DVD comes with a few special features including Cheer Camp - which shows what the actresses had to go through to learn how to be University of Texas cheerleaders and the stunts involved; and a making of feature - where they talk about how the script was changed to taking place in Texas after Jones signed on to be involved in the movie.

Man of the House is a movie that will make you laugh, but not all the way through it. Tommy Lee Jones is good in the film, but basically plays every law character he has already brought to the screen.

Special Features menu

It has some really funny scenes, and is enjoyable as long as you know what you are getting. I recommend the movie for anyone wanting to watch something lighthearted and fun, but not something you have to hang on every second to follow the plot.

Man of the House is available at Amazon. It is available for pre-order at AmazonUK for an August 8 release. Visit the film’s database for more information.