Ask me to name my favorite kind of film and I would have to say that a rip roaring comedy would always be at the top of my list. It's good to laugh, its great therapy and I would have a number of comedy films in my top ten. I am a big fan of the great Mel Brooks. I loved the humour of Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein, controversial, but very funny.

If you asked me ten years ago to name some of the great comedy film performers I would have gladly added Steve Martin to that list. Who can forget the wonderful Roxanne,The man with two brains, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.
If you asked me for that list a week ago, however, you would not have found his name among my list of favorites. I failed to see the funny side of Parenthood, it was a little dark and moody for me, and Bowfinger was ok, but a lot of that was due to the presence of Eddie Murphy rather Steve Martin.

I am pleased to tell you that Steve Martin is back and he's funny again. The old master has got his groove back in fine style and with the help of the multi talented and very funny Queen Latifah I have just been treated to the funniest film I have seen so far this year.

Bringing down the house.


Peter Sanderson is an overworked taxation lawyer, who spends his evenings talking over the internet with ' Lawyer Girl ' who seems like his perfect woman, intelligent, sophisticated, blonde, everything he thinks he is looking for to take his mind off his ex wife, whom he is still very much in love with. Peter decides to ask her round to his house for dinner but boy does he get a shock when she turns up on his doorstep. ' Lawyer girl' is Charlene Morton, an escaped prisoner. Not the prim blonde that he is expecting, rather a feisty black woman intent on proving to the world that she is innocent of the crime she is accused of.
Charlene makes it quite clear she isn't leaving and Peter finds himself promising to help her clear her name. r>Throw in a couple of kids, an eccentric potential client who can make or break Peter's career and a gangster who wants to keep them all quiet and you have a recipe for hilarity.

The lessons to be learned from this film are nothing new. Martin's character has his set of rigid rules on life and how it should be lived. Peter is an intelligent man, but he has nothing on this lady. Through his association with larger than life Charlene, and his integration into her world he learns that there is more to life than what is he sees as being right and proper, he learns the importance of spending time with the people he loves, he learns to relax, ' chill' and let the world pass him by every now and then.

Steve Martin finds himself back in the role that suits him best, that middle aged, naive ordinary businessman, thrust into a world that is so different it terrifies him. He is unfamiliar with the lifestyle that Charlene is used to and immediately tries to influence her to change he ways and her principals. As the film progresses the turnabout in his outlook is quite delightful as he begins to realise that maybe there is more to life than he first thought and that Charlene is not only a nice, attractive woman, but also that she is living the life of her choosing, making her own way in the world. With this understanding comes respect, and a wonderful friendship. The transformation of Peter is magical, from tight grey suit, to Eminem wannabe, and if you think I am joking, go see the film.

We will definitely be seeing a lot more of Queen Latifah after the great performance she put up in this film. I thought she was good in Chicago, but I think her future definitely lies in comedy.
When Charlene appears on the doorstep of Peter Sanderson, the laughs come thick and fast. She may be a convicted criminal, but you cannot help but love her and I know that I had taken her to my heart in the first few scenes that she a
ppeared in.Q

ueen Latifah plays the role of Charlene to perfection and is a joy to watch.
At one point in the film she is pursuaded to wait the table as Peter tries to win the account of an excentric old lady. When the old woman starts singing old slave songs, Charlene doses her meal with fast acting laxatives, of course meals get mixed up and poor Peter is left trying to clinch the deal, with his pants on fire. Laugh, I almost joined him on the loo.

The comedy in this film was at no time overplayed. I think that Steve Martin played a very similar role to this when he made Housesitter, although in my opinion Queen Latifah gave the royal salute to Goldie Horn when it came to making a formidable comedy double act with Mr Martin. Infact, if I had to choose I think I would have to say that her's was the stronger of the two performances.
The humour of this film is carried through both slapstick scenes and very funny play on words.
There were so many laughs in this film, but more importantly they flowed throughout the film. All too often I find that a film will open with a really funny scene and go out with a bang, but the bit in the middle has me yawning and desperate for the film to end.

There were so many memorable scenes in this film. There is a scene where Charlene is blanked at the local club by the friend of Peters wife. Charlene follows her to the bathroom with the intention of sorting her out. What I didn't expect was for the posh totty she was facing to give as good as she got and the cat fight that follows was pure slapstick fun that had us in stitches.The ladies kick and punch around the room until Charlene gets the upper hand and leaves her opponent hung on a coat peg, totally defeated.


The other characters in the film were also well cast and complimented the antics and performance of the staring pair. I have to mention another great performance by Joan Plowright (You might remember as Nanny in 101 Dalmatians)
who h
as a habit of being cast in only the best and most successful of comedies.

The film was directed by Adam Shankman, who brought us The Wedding Singer and the lesser known Walk to remember. It was written by Jason Filardi, this was his first offering, but I doubt it will be his last.


All in all, I have to give this film a definite thumbs up. The music is hip and uptempo and had me tapping my feet as I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.
It is a great film, with a strong, if somewhat predictable plot.I feel able to forgive them this though, as the jokes are fresh, the humour original. The resulting film is a light and highly amusing, very entertaining treat that I would advise you to go and see.
The film did not need violence or bad language to fill in any disappointing or weak areas, there weren't any.
In the house is a real movie treat, a gem of a comedy.

Certificate PG 13, but I would happily let my eleven year old watch this.


Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy the film as much as we did.


Mandxx