Man of the House

source: Man of the House

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.

I think it's a very sweet film. Another Disney film from the 1990s that I and other reviewers evidently disagree on; an average rating of 2.2 on Letterboxd is very harsh, in my opinion. I found it charming and suitably acted. I assume the major dislike of this film is the secondary plot featuring Joey (Richard Portnow) & Co., which I would agree is unimaginative and ill-fitting. However, that doesn't affect my overall feelings. Potentially - if anything, it mentions a few times the negative depictions; somewhat surprisingly, for a 1995 release anyway. The story between Ben (Jonathan Taylor Thomas), Jack (Chevy Chase) and Sandy (Farrah Fawcett) is nice. It's simple, but it's one that works extremely well - I felt attached to them, they have good chemistry with each other. There's not much more to be said. I truly did enjoy 'Man of the House'.

I love this movie. It's been a favorite of mine since I was a little kid, and I love it to this day. Jonathan Taylor Thomas is hysterical as Ben, Chevy Chase truly embodies Jack, and Farrah Fawcett is great as Sandy. I love the Indian Guides characters; the kids and their fathers have great chemistry. For anyone who doesn't like this movie, I have to wonder if you were watching the same one I was. If you're ever looking for a funny, heartfelt family comedy, then this movie is definitely for you. I highly recommend it to everyone. P.S. I actually learned the rain dance. What does that tell you (apart from me being slightly obsessed)?

Mature-acting 11-year-old Jonathan Taylor Thomas (as Ben Archer) is irked when beautiful blonde mom Farrah Fawcett (as Sandra "Sandy" Archer) hooks up with accident-prone attorney Chevy Chase (as Jack Sturges). After getting over his biological dad's desertion, young Thomas has become "Man of the House". He doesn't want to relinquish the position. "It's not just about sex," Ms. Fawcett tells Thomas, "I think it'd be a good idea for you to have an adult man around the house as a role model." Thomas doesn't agree. He intends to drive Mr. Chase out of the picture. Chase should have taken the ride... To bond as father and son, Chase and Thomas assume Native American Indian names and join a support group. They engage in some unfunny antics. Chase's out-of-control car ride is a relative highlight. Few appear to be having fun with this inefficient production, on either side of the screen. ** Man of the House (1995-03-03) James Orr ~ Chevy Chase, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Farrah Fawcett, George Wendt

As usual, I'm in the minority. I love this movie. Chevy is so funny as the step dad to Jonathan Taylor Thomas and would-be husband to Farrah Fawcet. I loved Chevy in this. He plays characters completely off the cuff, and I found his character endearing, but what I really liked about this movie was Farrah. She still shines after all those years, in a completely engaging performance. Jonathan Taylor Thomas is perfectly precocious in his role as Fawcett's son, a boy who lost his father, and refuses to accept Chevy as an adequate substitute. It's funny, heartwarming, and genuinely sweet. It rates a 6.7/10 from... the Fiend :.

I think this is funny and sweet i think JTT acts wonderfully and Chevy Chase. If you love silly family movies (like me) and you love JTT then definitly watch this movie.

This is the best movie to watch is you are feeling down. The Man of the House is just so funny, I could watch this movie over and over, and never get tired of watching it. Even now, just writing about it, makes me smile. You have to watch this movie if you haven't seen it yet! Just for fun, if you have seen, watch it again! I relate to J.T.T. in this movie, I have done some pretty mean things to my step-dad, but never anything like making him join an Indian Guide club. The actors in this movie, just crack me up. Also, the songs picked out for this movie just fit so perfectly. I love all the songs on this movie! The parts with music playing, just makes the movie even funnier some how! All I have left to say is, I love this movie! It is great!

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.

At some point, Jonathan Taylor Thomas was a thing. So was Chevy Chase. And I guess so was Farrah Fawcett. So imagine all of them in a movie where JTT wants his mom to never marry again and Chevy wants to be the man that breaks that cycle of her never finding the right stepfather for her son and you have Man of the House. Becca loves this movie and asks to watch it frequently, which I figure has to do with the fact that we have a major age gap. Yet I watch it with her and enjoy how much she enjoys it. The battles between would-be father and son continue as they both join the Minotauk Indian Guides led by Chet Bronski (George Wendt). And oh yeah - a mobster and his son that Chevy's character sent to prison both want revenge. Somehow, Disney made this movie without cleaing C+C Music Factory's "Gonna Make You Sweat" and Enigma's "Return to Innocence" for the soundtrack. I have no idea how that happens. Director James Orr also made They Call Me Bruce, a movie that Becca woudl absolutely refuse to watch with me, as well as Mr. Destiny, a movie that she has also watch in the multiple dozens of times. Orr also dated Fawcett until he was convicted of misdemeanor battery after attacking her for allegedly refusing his marriage proposal.