Bringing Down the House

Lonely divorcee Peter Sanderson (Martin) builds up an online relationship with a woman whom he has been led to believe is a petite blonde, fellow lawyer. The reality of the situation, however, is that the object of his cyberspace affections is actually Charlene Morton (Latifah), a generously proportioned con who has busted her way out of jail in a desperate bid to prove her innocence and wants Sanderson to help overturn her conviction. Needless to say, Peter, being an emotionally constipated sort, isn't overly impressed by this development. Things get worse for our strait-laced friend when Charlene blackmails him into letting her stay in his house.

If you've seen the trailer for Bringing Down the House, there really is no reason to go and see the movie. As trite as it is tired the central comedic premise of an urban white man getting lessons in life by a street smart African American errs on casual - if unintentional - racial stereotyping. And despite the best efforts of the always professional Martin, the talented Latifah and nice support from Eugene Levy, there's little to raise more than a wry smile. Indeed, the horrors of seeing Steve Martin attempting to pass himself off as a honky homeboy was so acutely embarrassing that I'm surprised he's not in therapy.