House Party (1990) New Line/Comedy RT: 105 minutes Rated R (pervasive bad language, mild violence, sexual content) Director: Reginald Hudlin Screenplay: Reginald Hudlin Music: Lenny White and Marcus Miller Cinematography: Peter Deming Release date: March 9, 1990 (US) Cast: Kid ‘n Play (Christopher “Kid” Reid and Christopher “Play” Martin), Full Force (Paul Anthony, Bow-Legged Lou and B-Fine), Robin Harris, Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell, A.J. Johnson, Daryl “Chill” Mitchell, Gene “Groove” Allen, Kelly Jo Minter, John Witherspoon, Barry Diamond, Michael Pniewski, George Clinton. Box Office: $26.4M (US)
Rating: ****
I originally wanted to open my review of the teen comedy House Party by showing the contrast between it and the “life in the hood” dramas (e.g. Boyz n the Hood, Juice and Menace II Society) that were popular around the same time. But when I rethought it, I realized it would be like pointing out the obvious difference between an apple and a pineapple. The aforementioned dramas, for lack of a better term, are downers dealing with violence, gangs and drugs. House Party, on the other hand, is a joyous celebration of youth, music, new romances and good times. What better place for all of the above than a house party? After all, what better defines being a teenager (black, white or otherwise) than sneaking off to an unsupervised party? It defines the teen years every bit as much as going to the prom and getting a driver’s license. They all represent fun and freedom. That’s the vibe writer-director Reginald Hudlin successfully captures in his debut feature.
No kid likes to be “on punishment” but that’s exactly where Kid (Reid, one half of the rap duo Kid ‘n Play) finds himself after his dad Pop (comedian Harris) grounds him for getting into a fight at school. He really wants to go to his friend Play’s (Martin, the other half of Kid ‘n Play) party. The girl he likes, Sydney (Campbell, School Daze), will be there with her best friend Sharane (Johnson, The Inkwell). Determined not to miss the social event of the year, Kid sneaks out of the house after Pop falls asleep in front of the TV (watching Dolemite, no less).
Set over the course of a single night, Kid’s troubles begin before he even gets to the party. He has a run-in with the trio of bullies from school (R&B group Full Force) that results in all of them being hassled and humiliated by a pair of racist white cops (Diamond and Pniewski). When he finally arrives at his friend’s house, his attempt to hook up with Sydney is hindered by a jealous Sharane putting the moves on him. Meanwhile, the bullies try to bust up the party only to encounter more trouble with the cops. Also, an angry Pop wakes up and decides to go retrieve his wayward son.
If one wanted to draw comparisons, House Party can be described as a spiritual cousin to American Graffiti or Dazed and Confused. It’s a loosely structured comedy about a night in the life of fun-seeking teens. HOWEVER, instead of drag racing or getting high, their idea of fun is rapping and dancing. There’s no shortage of either as Kid and Play do verbal battle with each other and dance battle with the two girls while their friend Bilal (comedian Lawrence in his first major role) does DJ duty. A running joke has girls constantly rejecting him for his “dragon breath”. It’s a lively party that never gets out of control in the exaggerated style of Sixteen Candles and Project X (NOT the one with the monkeys). The worst thing that happens is somebody breaking the toilet.
Tragically, Robin Harris died from a heart attack at 36 just nine days after House Party was released. The stand-up comedian, most famous for his “Bebe’s Kids” routines, never got to enjoy the success of his first major film role (he had bit parts in I’m Gonna Git You Sucka, Do the Right Thing and Harlem Nights). Based on his performance in House Party, I think he would have been a big comedy star. He is hilarious as gruff but loving Pop who dispenses wise advice, wise cracks and the occasional belt whipping. His best scene is when he unleashes a verbal assault on the young partygoers going off on one guy for his Jheri curl hairstyle- “You better not ever do a crime! The police won’t have any problem finding you! ‘Follow the drip! Follow the drip!’” He is a talent gone WAY too soon.
Kid ‘n Play, in roles originally intended for DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince (aka Will Smith), have a pleasing screen presence and natural chemistry with each other. They’re gifted both musically and comically. Reid brings equal measures sweetness and awkwardness to his character as he clumsily tries to woo Sydney. He takes it a step further by breaking the black male stereotype of being sexually irresponsible. He has a chance to do it with Sydney, but doesn’t because they don’t have a means of birth control. Martin is also good as the increasingly exasperated party host who tells one guest to go to a nearby convenience store when she asks about snacks and drinks.
I like that Hudlin fleshes out the two main female characters as much as the two males. Sydney comes from a well-to-do family while Sharane lives in the projects with her extended family. The difference in their values is interesting. I don’t like rap, but the music in House Party is good. It’s also integral to the story and characters in much the same way as the oldies in American Graffiti. There is a lot of funny stuff in the movie too with Full Force providing great comic relief as dangerous thugs with Keystone Kop DNA in their blood.
If one were so inclined, one could attach sociological importance to House Party by explaining that Hudlin attempts to close the racial divide by showing that unauthorized, unsupervised teen parties aren’t exclusively the domain of white privileged high schoolers. But who wants to do that with a joyous, good time comedy like House Party? It primarily exists to show a bunch of decent, somewhat wacky teens having good clean fun. This one is a true teen classic.
