House Party 2 (1991) New Line/Comedy RT: 94 minutes Rated R (language, comic violence and sensuality) Director: Doug McHenry and George Jackson Screenplay: Daryl G. Nickens and Rusty Cundieff Music: Vassal Benford Cinematography: Francis Kenny Release date: October 23, 1991 (US) Cast: Kid ‘n Play (Christopher “Kid” Reid and Christopher “Play” Martin), Full Force (Paul Anthony, Bow-Legged Lou and B-Fine), Tisha Campbell, Martin Lawrence, Iman, Queen Latifah, Georg Stanford Brown, Kamron, Helen Martin, William Schallert, Tony Burton, Louie Louie, D. Christopher Judge, George Anthony Bell, Barry Diamond, Christopher Michael, Tony! Toni! Tone!, Ralph Tresvant, Whoopi Goldberg. Box Office: $19.4M (US)
Rating: ***
The first House Party worked so well because it had a father-son relationship story at its heart to keep it grounded. That the father was played by the hilarious Robin Harris made it funny as well. Sadly, Harris died shortly after the first movie was released. As such, his character Pop is deceased as well. So what we get with House Party 2 is a son trying to honor his father’s memory rather than fearing a belt whipping if he gets caught at something. It adds a note of pathos to the funny, energetic sequel to the hit 1990 movie. It’s good, but Harris’ absence is deeply felt.
What we also get with House Party 2 is an enjoyable college comedy that puts our hero Kid (Reid of the rap duo Kid ‘n Play) in the position of having to recover his tuition money, raised by his father’s church, after Play (Martin, the other half of Kid ‘n Play) loses it to a con artist (model Iman) posing as a record executive. The unsympathetic dean (Schallert, The Patty Duke Show) gives him a week to come up with the money or be kicked out of college. Kid is also experiencing romantic woes with his girlfriend Sydney (Campbell, School Daze) who’s fallen under the spell of her ultra-liberated roommate Zora (rapper Queen Latifah). With the tuition deadline closing in, Play comes with the brilliant idea of holding another big party. And not just any party, it’s a pajama party to which they’ll charge $10 admission to the guys while girls wearing sexy PJs get in free.
Unfortunately, Kid’s nemeses from high school (R&B group Full Force) are still around having gotten jobs as campus security guards. When they get word of the party, they set out to put a stop to the fun. That they’re completely inept is a BIG point in Kid and Play’s favor. Also on hand for the festivities are their DJ friend Bilal (comedian Lawrence) and Kid’s roommate Jamal (Kamron of the rap group Young Black Teenagers), a white guy who acts and speaks black. How this guy doesn’t get punched out all the time is a mystery and a miracle rolled into one.
Directed by Doug McHenry and George Jackson (producers of New Jack City), House Party 2 places greater emphasis on the comedy with goofy characters, silly sound effects and a wild chase scene at the party with the heroes chasing down every antagonist in sight. It’s during this party scene we see a few familiar faces from the first movie make return appearances. We also get to see performances from Ralph Tresvant and Tony! Toni! Tone! Hello again, 1991! McHenry and Jackson strike a nice balance of comedy and more serious material like Kid missing his father. In a slightly off-putting plot device, a picture of Pop occasionally comes to life to offer advice (via clips from the first movie). They also touch upon the themes of friendship, responsibility and becoming an adult. It’s so nice to see a comedy that isn’t mean-spirited. Kid doesn’t have a mean bone in his lanky body not even when it comes to the arrogant, lying jerk, Miles (Judge, Stargate SG-1), moving in on Sydney.
Headlining act Kid ‘n Play are right on-point again with their naturalistic style and easy chemistry. It shows even when the two friends are at odds over Play’s mishandling of money that didn’t belong to him. BTW, I never mentioned Kid’s cool Eraserhead hair style. It’s AWESOME! Campbell has some good moments as a young woman in transition. To what, she’s not sure. She admires her PC roommate very much but is that who Sydney is? College is the time when young people typically begin to find out who they are, ideologically and otherwise. Latifah, who gets a musical number of her own, is very good. So is Georg Stanford Brown (Stir Crazy) as a tough black lit professor and Tony Burton (the Rocky movies) as Kid’s military-like boss at the faculty dining hall. Helen Martin, aka Weeping Wanda from Good Times, provides a few laughs as the thugs’ grandmother.
Granted, House Party 2 isn’t as great as its predecessor but how many sequels are? It falls short in a few areas but makes up for it with a fun spirit. Like the first movie, it’s about kids looking for a good time only this time it takes a detour before arriving at the party. Still, it’s one of the better sequels I’ve seen.
