Bringing down the house

This topic contains:

• details about Bringing down the house's classification and consumer advice lines
• a review of Bringing down the house completed by Young Media Australia (YMA) on 4th of April, 2003.

About the movie

This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) and the associated consumer advice lines.

YMA review

This review of the movie Bringing down the house contains the following information:

• a synopsis of the story
• use of violence
• material that may disturb children
• sexual references
• nudity and sexual activity
• substance use
• coarse language
• the movie's message
• overall comments

A synopsis of the story

The movie begins with an on-line conversation between Charlene, a convicted armed robber from the hood who is currently doing time but is posing as a lawyer and Peter, an upstanding, conservative, tax attorney for a high profile film. Peter is trying to win a multi-billion dollar client (Mrs. Arness) for the firm and at the same time out-manoeuvre a younger associate who is working against him. He is also trying to patch things up with his ex-wife and make up for the countless disappointments he has caused his two children.

Things start to get complicated when Charlene shows up on his doorstep. She has escaped from jail and intends to blackmail him into helping her prove her innocence against the charges that landed her in jail in the first place. While initially hostile towards each other both Peter and Charlene wind up cooperating in order to gain the multi-billion dollar client, get Peter's family back together and bring the true armed robber and potential murderer to justice.

Use of violence

This film contains many violent scenes.

• Charlene and Ashley, Peter's sister-in-law, are found bashing each other: kicking, punching, slapping, slamming heads into walls and down toilets, etc. This scene looks very realistic and its consequences are shown later in the film where Ashley appears very bruised and battered and flees a restaurant upon seeing Charlene. Charlene is black and Ashley is white, resulting a number of racial taunts and slurs during this scene.
• Peter's daughter Sarah was 'roughed up' after she refused to have sex with a guy she knew at a party. As a consequence Charlene dangles the teenager from a balcony to make him apologise. The party-goers loved this, finding it very funny and encouraging Charlene to continue.
• Mrs. Arness is kidnapped and her beloved dog bound, gagged and held hostage by Charlene and Howie, an associate from Peter's law firm.
• The true armed robber threatens Peter at gunpoint in the parking garage of his law-firm. Peter has his head slammed into the steering wheel a couple of times and only escapes being shot by reversing suddenly so that his attacker falls out of the car and is nearly run over.
• Later in the film, Peter is again threatened at gunpoint by the same man and is nearly shot a number of times.
• Widow, the armed robber, shoots Charlene and everyone believes her to be dead until they realise that her mobile phone took the bullet.
• There is a bar brawl at a downtown club in which people are getting bashed and eventually shot.
• When Peter goes into Charlene's room to wake her up she instinctively kicks him in the crotch and punches him in the face before she fully wakes up.
• Charlene punches Todd, Peter's work rival, and knocks him out.

Material that may disturb children

Under seven

Most of the violence in this movie would be upsetting to children under seven as it is portrayed in a very life-like fashion (although attempting to be humorous) and on occasion the fear is palpable, such as when Charlene is forced to face Widow, knowing full well that he may try to kill her.

Aside from the scenes where people are being physically bashed and kicked, threatened at gunpoint and or shot, which could obviously be disturbing to many young viewers, some children may also be upset by the scenes in which Mrs. Arness' dog, William Shakespeare, has been bound, gagged and abducted.

Seven to twelve years

Again some of the violence in this film could be distressing to children between the ages of 7-12. Of specific concern is the scene where Sarah and George's father is threatened at gunpoint and is then nearly shot anyway. Also, later in the film when Charlene is shot and is believed to be dead.

Early adolescence

Most early adolescents could probably deal with violence in this film, although some may need to discuss it with parents afterwards.

One noteworthy scene that some youth may have issues with is the scene where a guy at a party tries to force Peter's daughter Sarah to have sex with him. Although the scene is not shown, Sarah is shown immediately afterwards looking very dishevelled and distraught.

Sexual references, nudity and sexual activity

The film is peppered throughout with sexual references.

• The first time we see Peter at the firm he is being asked by an associate when he is going to 'nail Charlene' as well as: 'When was the last time that you got nailed?'
• Charlene is seen slowly coming down the steps at a restaurant wearing a skimpy, tight outfit while caressing her own thighs and provocatively licking her lips.
• When Peter finally agrees to let Charlene stay and shows her to her room, she slaps her rear a couple of times and says: 'Don't be thinking you're getting any of this tonight.'
• The film is full of a lot of slang such as : 'Back that booty up and put it on the glass.'
• Charlene teaches a drunken Peter to talk nasty to his ex wife Kate as well as how to 'ride her' in an effort to help Peter win her back.
• Peter stuffs two balls down his pants and grabs his crotch.
• When Peter and Charlene go out dancing Charlene says to Peter: 'Show me how you made those kids.'
• Charlene makes a reference to Peter's 'curved' genitals.
• Charlene tells Peter to 'Grab my boobs!' Which he does.
• Peter tells his bosses that 'I'm not humping my nanny.'
• Peter, while recapping his daughter's night out mentions how a boy tried to 'get all up in that'.
• In relation to Peter getting Kate back, Charlene says that he needs to 'get to humping.'
• Towards the end of the film Peter asks Ashley, when he sees her coming out of his law firm adjusting her dress, 'Who are you doing here?'

Nudity and sexual activity

The only blatant nudity as such is shown in the form of a pornography magazine that Charlene is helping Peter's young son learn to read from. A bare breasted woman is shown on the cover of a magazine called 'Giant Juggez'.

However there are other issues in the film worthy of mention.

• Charlene's entire wardrobe is very skimpy. Her skirts and shorts are cut very high up and her tops are often styled very low.
• At the clubs and restaurants some of the women are wearing tight revealing outfits and are 'dirty dancing' with their partners.
• The fight scene between Ashley and Charlene takes place with Ashley wearing a bathing suit.
• Charlene and Peter, although fully clothed, have a provocative scene where they simulate having sex.
• There is a scene in a downtown club where a woman dancing with Peter does some suggestive pelvic thrusting.

Substance use

This film contains the repeated use of substances by many characters of different, ages, genders and races but generally fails to show the consequences for using them.

• Peter pours flutes of champagne for himself and Charlene when he is about to meet her for the first time.
• Peter orders drinks in a restaurant during a business meeting with Mrs. Arness.
• There are a number of bar scenes or club scenes with most people drinking and on one occasion Peter comes home drunk from a restaurant.
• During their initial meeting Charlene yells at Peter about a reference to a crack house.
• Charlene invites a 'couple' of friends over to Peters house, where consequently a wild party ensues with 15 year old Sarah being offered a beer, which she accepts, and young George getting involved in a gambling game.
• During the same party Peter tells his kids not to breathe the air inside (a reference to drugs.)
• There is obvious use of drinking and drugs at the party Sarah later attends, such as people walking around with beers and smoking joints.
• At the downtown club where Mrs. Arness is kidnapped and brought to she orders a stiff drink and winds up sharing a joint with two other partons. While the bar fight occurs it is obvious that the elderly Mrs. Arness is stoned while she dances on top of the bar.
• Peter after learning about some of his daughter's unsavoury escapades takes a fair amount of some sort of prescription medication and appears to pass out for the night.
• Charlene, in order to get back at Mrs. Arness for a number of offensive racial comments and anecdotes pours a liberal amount of a laxative into her food, which Peter winds up consuming. This behaviour is potentially dangerous and was portrayed in a humorous light, with little regard, (aside from Peter rushing to the toilet) to the consequences.

Coarse language

The film contains quite a bit of course language, much of which has racist undertones:

• The word bitch is used frequently, such as: 'You white trash bitch, I'm gonna kick the bulimia out of your ass.' Or in reference to a house: 'Man, bitches don't care nothing 'bout that shit.'
• 'Shit' and 'Bullshit' can be heard a number of times throughout the film in a number of different contexts and from a number of different sources. Early in the movie Charlene notices the romantic atmosphere that Peter has set up in his home and says: 'Ah, look at this, candles, all romantic and shit.'
• The word 'ass' is also used frequently. For example 'You can kiss my natural black ass.' And 'You work too much that's why your wife left your sorry ass.'
• Charlene upon learning the identity of the guy who set her up and sent her to jail says: 'God damn him.'
• The word whore ('hoe') is also used frequently when referring to certain women. Such as Charlene saying to Ashley: 'For a city, white, whore you're pretty tough.' Or Mrs. Arness to Charlene: 'You're a kidnapper and a whore.'
• Charlene in nearly every reference to Peter's partner Howie calls him a 'damn freak' or 'damn freaky.'

The movie's message

The general message from this movie is that everyone deserves a second chance and that good will eventually triumph over bad, whether it is a business associate or the person who framed you for armed robbery. The film is about overcoming obstacles and barriers.

Although two people may live in the same city they may literally come from two different worlds, each carrying prejudices and misconceptions about the other and about the other world. It is only when Peter gets to know Charlene and Charlene Peter that some of the misconceptions and most of the animosity begin to disappear as they learn to see past the skin colour and appreciate the person within.

Some values that parents may wish to encourage are: helpfulness, courage, resourcefulness and fairness.

Some values that parents may wish to discourage are: deceitfulness, violence or revenge as a way to solve problems, racial bigotry, gender inequality and the use of alcohol and or drugs as a means for addressing problems.

Overall comments

While certain aspects of Bringing down the house will perhaps appeal to young teens, such as the soundtrack (mainly rap music) and some of the issues pertaining to drugs and alcohol, this is a film best suited to a more mature audience. The acting is believable and some scenes are quite funny. However, due to the widespread use of drugs and alcohol, the numerous sexual references, the manner in which violence is portrayed, the harmful and offensive racial slurs, the level of coarse language used, the disregard for the consequences of these inappropriate actions and the general provocative nature of the film I would not recommend this movie to anyone under the age of 15.