movie review house party

House Party

Nineties nostalgia is in full swing. Looking at the store window displays over the last few weeks of holiday shopping, I had many moments of déjà vu. I wondered, "Didn't I wear that back in the day?" Somehow, "back in the day" has become three decades ago and what's old is new again—but with a twist. Just as our clothing was manufactured differently back then compared to the present day's less-than-sturdy fast fashion, things have changed. You can't always recapture the past, only an approximation of it. 

Dubbed a remix of the original 1990 movie, music video director Calmatic refashions " House Party " for a world of McMansions and Instagram influencers. In this new vision, best friends Damon ( Tosin Cole ) and Kevin ( Jacob Latimore ) find themselves recently fired from their cleaning job and in a financial pinch after getting kicked off the bill of their own party by a trio of angry promoters. They decide to throw the ultimate party at their last job site—LeBron James' house—to solve their problems, but they find plenty of mischief, mayhem, and even another elite party to crash in the process. 

The first "House Party" and its remake share numerous visual and narrative elements, and part of the latter's appeal can be seen in all of its homages and references. The original "House Party" starred hip-hop duo Kid 'n Play ( Christopher Reid and Christopher Martin ) as high schoolers and aspiring party hosts. Like the first movie, both sets of friends in the story seem like an odd pairing—one is more sensitive and musically creative but shy about it, and the other is a nonstop instigator of bad but fun ideas and an incorrigible flirt. Cole and Latimore throw themselves into this dynamic with a charming rapport, switching between fighting against and for each other. Their characters seem to share a closeness that only comes with time and trust. Their active support for each other often feels more profound and emotional than a silly comedy about partying at a famous person's house might suggest. 

Aside from including a few similar supporting characters, like a love interest and quirky DJ, most of the narrative similarities between the two movies stop there, which caught a few diehard fans at my screening by surprise. The low-budget neighborhood party put together by a few teenagers is now an outsized event at a celebrity's house, focused on inviting famous names, spreading the word through social media, and hiring the Keystone Cops version of party security. The scrappy and modest intentions of the first movie are replaced by the need to make it look flashy and more expensive than authentic. In trying to appeal to the new generation, the filmmakers lose something of yesteryear's appeal. To sell this opulent party, the new "House Party" doubles down on the famous cameos, something the original started with George Clinton , but in the interest of not spoiling some of the movie's best surprises, I'll leave them unnamed. At least one of the most imessentialarryovers from the '90s movie, the Kid 'n Play kick step, makes a dance battle appearance. 

Calmatic (who is also scheduled to remake another '90s title, " White Men Can't Jump ") cinematographer Andrew Huebscher , and editor Matthew Barbato match the silliness of Jamal Olori and Stephen Glover's screenplay by turning the mansion setting into a blue-lit night club and sharply cutting to double their jokes' effect. But not all the punchlines land—like a jab about being paid "Mexican wages" in front of a Latino character, which takes a little fun out of the carefree atmosphere. 

While this remix of "House Party" may leave some nostalgic for the original, it smartly doesn't try to copy the first film. However, it does stay true to the first version's celebration of friendship. Here's to the ones who have your back, the ones who make life interesting, and the ones who will find a way to throw a party at LeBron James' home with you. 

Now playing in theaters.

Monica Castillo

Monica Castillo is a critic, journalist, programmer, and curator based in New York City. She is the Senior Film Programmer at the Jacob Burns Film Center and a contributor to  RogerEbert.com .

• Tosin Cole as Damon
• Jacob Latimore as Kevin
• Karen Obilom as
• D.C. Young Fly as
• Kid Cudi as Self
• Shakira Ja'nai Paye as
• Andrew Santino as Peter
• Bill Bellamy as
• Allen Maldonado as Kyle
• LeBron James as Self
• Anthony Davis as Self
• Lil Wayne as
• Snoop Dogg as Self
• Lena Waithe as
• Melvin Gregg as
• Christopher Reid as Cameo
• Christopher "Play" Martin as Cameo

Cinematographer

• Andrew Huebscher
• Calmatic Will
• Jamal Olori
• Stephen Glover
• Matthew Barbato

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House Party Reviews

As much as House Party (2023) wants to celebrate the House Party (1990), it’s as mean-spirited as House Party 3 and House Party 4: Down to the Last Minute. And that’s not something you want to compare your film to.

Full Review | Original Score: D- | Mar 6, 2024

It plays around with a handful of hilarious bits and certainly does hit some satisfying extremes, but they represent small spikes of entertainment as the movie primarily plateaus across its second and third acts...

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Feb 9, 2023

Even though there are a few giggle worthy moments, this updated 2023 version doesn't hold a candle to the original.

Full Review | Jan 24, 2023

This version wasn’t as funny or as good as it could’ve and should’ve been, and it doesn’t even have the same level of heart as the original, which touched upon social issues while still making the audience laugh.

Full Review | Jan 23, 2023

The filmmakers seem to value fame over fun, recognition over reliability.

Full Review | Original Score: 4.5/10 | Jan 19, 2023

The new House Party does try its best to capture the fun and the timeliness of the first movie, and in that regard, the film largely succeeds.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jan 19, 2023

Other than a few cameos that still didn't live up to its full potential, this remake doesn't come remotely close to the original House Party. The logic behind the entire plot will leave you head spinning. Why make this without any real effort?

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/10 | Jan 19, 2023

Bringing the ‘90s back is hard work. So hard this new House Party reboot only gets half the job done. But when it’s on, it’s on.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jan 19, 2023

A dull, tedious chore, one that has no idea what made the 1990 movie so joyous.

Full Review | Jan 18, 2023

I know it's not a remake... but it's not like the classic.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Jan 18, 2023

When cinematic house parties have been getting out of control for years (see the most extreme case in Project X) this one is no doubt a banger, but not one for the ages––it all unfolds with predictable results as a lesser edition in the HPCU.

Full Review | Original Score: C+ | Jan 16, 2023

Some of the jokes here are mercilessly funny, including one NFL star cameo that has to be one of the best gags in a studio comedy in eons.

Full Review | Jan 15, 2023

The 2023 reboot of House Party is nothing but a shallow cesspool of bad jokes, mindless characters, and a relentlessly dull story. The house party doesn't get started until almost halfway through this vapid movie.

Full Review | Jan 14, 2023

While this remake may never escape the lasting shadow of its stalwart predecessor, it endearingly succeeds at cultivating a funny farce for a new generation.

Capturing the same freewheeling spirit as its predecessor, this remake of the 1990 comedy lacks the same charm beneath its outrageous hijinks.

Filled with celebs and unfunny gags, the bash at LeBron James’ mansion ends up feeling more exhausting than exciting.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Jan 14, 2023

Something is wrong in a movie called House Party when I’ve experienced wilder ones than an organized shebang at LeBron James’s house

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Jan 13, 2023

House Party misses the mark with an awful reboot. The classic's fun and engaging plot is updated to silliness. A bizarre third act takes an inexplicably loony turn. It's a vapid experience that fails to capture the source material's vibrant essence.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/5 | Jan 13, 2023

Director Calmatic establishes the stakes but never grounds anything enough to make you believe those stakes, and the characters ring as hollow as the blink-and-you-missed-them celebrity cameos.

Full Review | Original Score: C- | Jan 13, 2023

Like any rager gone south, the buzz is fun early on, until it’s suddenly too much, the house is overrun, and the room starts spinning.

Full Review | Jan 13, 2023

‘House Party’ Review: The Bubblegum Hip-Hop ’90s Comedy Classic Gets Remade Without the Joy

Two desperate players try to stage the ultimate party at LeBron James's house, but the movie lacks the innocence — and the laughs — of its predecessor.

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As party dreams go, this one has an undeniable logic (and potential for disaster), but the thing that really strikes one about it is that its goal is as avaricious as it is coldly aspirational. Come to LeBron’s house! Mingle with the rich and famous! Pay top dollar to get in! It’s at once a party and a scam, and while the movie, directed by the music-video veteran Calmatic (it’s his first feature), is aware of all that, “House Party” doesn’t exactly strategize ways to make the chicanery funny. The film taps into the glitz ethos of the age of social-media envy without necessarily scrutinizing what it all means. Kid ‘n Play had put on a party to remember, but the new movie, much like Kevin and Damon themselves, just goes with the flow of the scam.

The two lead actors pop without winning you over the way Kid ‘n Play did. Jacob Latimore embodies the earnest Kevin a little too dutifully, and Tosin Cole is almost too diametrically his opposite number — a hyperkinetic hustler, with a new spiel every minute, though Cole’s performance, on its own slightly exhausting terms, is kind of a feat, especially when you consider that this is the actor who summoned the gravitas to play Medgar Evers in “Till.”

Vic, the DJ they hire, is played by D.C. Young Fly, and it’s this character who I think demonstrates the weird limitation of the movie — that it’s simply not very funny. Vic is a drinker who likes to guzzle from a bottle of Hennessy when he’s spinning, and D.C. Young Fly is more than game to play him as a freaked-out flake. He might be wearing a T-shirt that says “Comic Relief.” Yet the script, by Jamal Olori and Stephen Glover, doesn’t give him lines that crackle and catch fire. There’s a white geek neighbor (Andrew Santino) with a pet koala, a trio of thugs from the hood who show up to disrupt everything, and an empowered fashion plate named Venus (Karen Obilom) who steals the film’s big dance set piece (set to the old-school groove of “This Is How We Do It”). But too much of this plays rather rotely, without the verve the film keeps promising.

Reviewed at the Warner Bros. Screening Room, Jan. 9, 2023. MPA Rating: R. Running time: 100 MIN.

• Production: A Warner Bros. release of a New Line Cinema, SpringHill Entertainment production. Producers: Maverick Carter, LeBron James. Executive producers: Spencer Beighley, Richard Brener, Jamal Henderson, Reginald Hudlin, Warrington Hudlin, Josh Mack, Victoria Palmeri, Gretel Twombly.
• Crew: Director: Calmatic. Screenplay: Jamal Olori, Stephen Glover. Camera: Andrew Huebscher. Editor: Matthew Barbato. Music: Oak Felder.
• With: Jacob Latimore, Tosin Cole, Karen Obilom, D.C. Young Fly, Andrew Santino, Melvin Gregg, Allen Maldanado, Rotimi, LeBron James.  

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‘House Party’ Review: A Rager Gone South

Directed by Calmatic, “House Party” reboots the 1990 Kid ’n Play cult comedy with the help of LeBron James.

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By Brandon Yu

The dilemma of the modern-day movie reboot, particularly in Hollywood’s current I.P. gold-rush era, might be called the “super size me” problem. If you’re going to redo it, why not go bigger, make it more star-studded, and add a little meta wink? After all, what is actually being reconfigured is, for better or worse, not necessarily the soul or story of the original, but the cultural commodity it has become.

There are plenty of arguments to be had about which films succeed or fail within this equation. But falling prey to remake bloat is particularly curious and perhaps tragic for a film like “House Party,” the uneven, halfway-fun remake of the 1990 comedy of the same name.

Unlike many rebooted films, the original “House Party” has always felt delightfully small. With a simple premise — teenagers trying to throw a big bash while their parents are away — it was an effortlessly fun comedy with genuine heart (save for the dated and homophobic bits toward the end), anchored by the easy charm of its rap duo stars, Kid ’n Play. While it spawned a trilogy, it was never a box-office juggernaut, and is now enjoyed as a cult classic whose success helped ignite a Black independent film renaissance .

To say, though, that this new “House Party” has failed in recapturing this essence would not be entirely fair. In some ways, the film, helmed by the music video director Calmatic, is two movies, its first half mostly understanding where the charisma lies in a comedy like this. Set in Los Angeles, the film opens with a montage of the city that is such a thoroughly nostalgic throwback to the world of ’90s Black comedies that it feels ripped straight from “Friday.”

Kevin (Jacob Latimore), struggling to pay his toddler daughter’s school tuition, finds himself without options when he and his best friend, Damon (Tosin Cole), lose their jobs as house cleaners. Finishing up their last gig, they realize they’re cleaning the house of LeBron James himself, and cook up a plan to cash in with a huge party there.

Much of this buildup is a good-enough romp. There are throwbacks to the 1990 film: a dance battle featuring Tinashe that automatically falls short compared with the iconic original scene ; a villain trio that is arguably more entertaining than the Full Force bullies in the first two films; and, of course, a cameo from Kid ’n Play themselves. Yet it is baffling why the film doesn’t use the original stars more creatively; instead, they occupy one blink-and-you’ll-miss-it slot in the endless parade of empty cameos and absurdist camp comedy that makes up the movie’s second half.

You might also call this the LeBron problem: After the dreaded “ Space Jam: A New Legacy ,” this is the second ’90s reboot that the superstar, moving into entertainment during his Los Angeles tenure, has produced, starred in and treated as a gilded fun house where celebrities and characters are all just commercial properties popping in for a cheap thrill. Like any rager gone south, the buzz is fun early on, until it’s suddenly too much, the house is overrun, and the room starts spinning.

House Party Rated R for pervasive language, drug use, sexual material and some violence. Running time: 1 hour 40 minutes. In theaters.

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Review: ‘House Party,’ a blast from the past that should have remained there

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Fun fact about Reginald Hudlin’s 1990 classic comedy “House Party” starring comedic duo Kid ‘n Play: It was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry housed at the Library of Congress for being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant,” no doubt referring to the high-top fade and iconic kick-step dance that it popularized. It’s no wonder that New Line and Warner Bros. fired up the reboot machine for this title three decades later to give the concept a fresh new 2020s spin, especially with basketball superstar LeBron James on board to develop, produce and appear in the project.

The good news is that after a few delays, the “House Party” remake, directed by acclaimed music video and commercial director Calmatic in his feature debut, is in theaters. The bad news is that this one is definitely not headed for the Library of Congress. This comedically and narratively muddled take on the title (not even the original premise) is deeply unfunny and downright tiresome.

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Back in 1990, Kid ‘n Play portrayed two high school students sneaking out to a house party and finding adventure along the way. In the remake, Jacob Latimore and Tosin Cole star as 20-something best friends Kevin and Damon (pronounced “Duh-mon”), ne’er-do-well party promoters by night, house cleaners by day, who find themselves working at LeBron James’ mansion and decide to throw a party there while he’s away.

As a wise man (Danny Glover in “Lethal Weapon”) once said, “I’m too old for this [expletive],” and indeed that may be the case with “House Party,” in which watching these two unlikable morons make a series of increasingly idiotic decisions with regard to James’ home, art collection and championship trophies becomes a truly unbearable endurance test for anyone watching who has ever rented an Airbnb.

The careless property damage might be worth it if there were any stakes or sense of narrative momentum to the script by Stephen Glover and Jamal Olori. Kevin keeps claiming he needs to throw the party to earn money for his daughter’s school (custody seems to be a factor), because his musty homemade beats aren’t making him any money, and his parents (Bill Bellamy and Nia Long in an unfortunately short appearance) are selling their home. Damon’s motivation seems to be that he just wants to floss in a borrowed mansion for the ’gram.

The film drifts from one scene or scenario to the next without much to thrust it forward; when Kevin gets frustrated with Damon, claiming the party’s out of control, it seems to be only because it’s the appropriate time in the story for that to happen, not that the party itself is actually out of control. The saggy, baggy narrative is knit together with celebrity cameos and Y2K nostalgia — the best moment comes from a surprise performance by Juvenile, and singer Mýa has a supporting role.

The comedy waffles between nonsensically heightened and realistically grounded, often alternating between the two modes at random, never landing on a tone. The only semi-interesting part of the film features rapper-actor Scott Mescudi, a.k.a. Kid Cudi , as himself, and an “Eyes Wide Shut”-style “Illuminati” party. It’s a momentary diversion, but Mescudi is a captivating screen presence, and that’s the house party we’d actually like to see — not this messy, frustrating remake that doesn’t manage to justify its own existence.

Katie Walsh is a Tribune News Service film critic.

‘House Party’

Rated: R, for pervasive language, drug use, sexual material and some violence Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes Playing: Starts Jan. 13 in general release

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I feel like it's the universal language of a party movie to have the audience want to be at the party or at least feel like they're at the party. We've had those nights with friends where we have a few drinks and watch something like The Hangover or Bridesmaids and lament "why can't our adventures be like that?" One of those movies is the 1990 comedy House Party starring Kid 'n Play . Since its release, it has become a staple in the sub-genre, it launched a franchise including two theatrical sequels (and two crummy direct-to-DVD sequels), and just last year it was selected by the Library of Congress to be put in the National Film Registry. It makes sense why Warner Bros. and New Line would want to revisit the franchise, as it's a well-known IP that doesn't demand a massive budget. The film was initially set to release on HBO Max this past summer, until David Zaslav , the CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, decided to try a new strategy and release the film in theaters first. After seeing the movie and hearing the audience's reaction, maybe it would have been to keep this new iteration of House Party buried on streaming.

This new reboot of House Party focuses on two slacker best friends, Kevin ( Jacob Latimore ) and Damon ( Tosin Cole ), who both have big aspirations, but still live with their respective parents in Los Angeles. Damon doubles as a party-promoted and wannabe influencer, while Kevin is trying to raise his young daughter and attempting to kick-start a music career. But at the start of the film, their dreams are nothing more. To make ends meet, Kevin and Jacob work as house cleaners, a job that they're not particularly great at, which leads to them naturally getting fired. Coincidentally, they just so happen to be cleaning LeBron James ' house when they learn that they're being let go. With nothing to lose and a potential influx of cash in sight, the two decide to host a wild party at the home of the legendary Lakers player, full of celebrities, drugs, booze, koalas, dancing, and all sorts of mayhem.

Nobody is going to see a movie like House Party for the story. It's not that kind of movie. But people are going to walk into this movie wanting to laugh and have a good time, and this movie has very little to offer. Right from the get-go, the humor feels dated, from references to Carole Baskin and posting black squares on Instagram to jokes about the Illuminati (remember the Illuminati confirmed memes from 10 years ago?). The humor ultimately feels lazy, and while the original film has had some mighty staying power, this new installment feels dead on arrival. There are a couple of effective laughs, particularly involving a hologram of LeBron that graciously gives out far-fetched compliments as well as a wild scene toward the third act that strangely bares resemblance to Tobey Maguire 's scene in Babylon , but for the most part, the jokes feel like they're stretched way too thin. It is almost as if the film is having an identity crisis, not knowing whether it wants to rely on Family Guy -style cutaway gags, absurd humor, or just rely on the constant array of celebrity cameos.

RELATED: 'House Party' Trailer Teases the Raunchy Reboot of a '90s Classic

The film practically feels like a giant commercial for LeBron James. There is no doubt that the Lakers player has done plenty out in the real world from donating large sums to charity to being a major ambassador for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He's also objectively one of the greatest basketball players in the history of the sport. Yet, the film feels like it constantly needs to remind the audience every five minutes about just how great James is, how good of a person he is, and how he's the "GOAT." It's repetitive, obnoxious, and honestly feels like an even bigger vanity project than Space Jam: A New Legacy . At least the script tried to give James' some sort of depth in that film.

The two leads, Latimore and Cole, are serviceable enough. That being said, for a buddy comedy, the chemistry between the two actors feels almost nonexistent. Latimore's Kevin has zero personality and lacks any sort of charisma. We all love to root for an underdog, but here, he never gives the audience anything to like about the character. He's not the one bringing out the jokes and his arc in the film feels so wholly unoriginal and predictable that it makes him feel like an afterthought. Cole is one of the film's few bright spots as Damon (it's pronounced the French way, not like how you would pronounce Matt Damon ), while the character is your typical knuckleheaded best friend role you'd expect in this kind of movie, Cole brings a lot of likability to his role. He clearly is trying to make the most out of the material he's been given, and he's really the only one there to whom the audience is able to become somewhat attached.

For his first feature film, Calmatic shows signs of a promising director, it's just hidden beneath such a lazy and bare-bones script. There are moments where his style shines through, the opening montage in particular definitely has echoes of his work in directing music videos. The aforementioned crazy sequence in the third act (which involves Kid Cudi and some other unexpected and expected cameos) also shows that Calmatic has plenty of potential, but the film itself feels like it's holding him back from making something that is truly memorable. Even the titular party at the center of the film never gets as crazy as many similar films do. While COVID restrictions may have prevented the creative team from doing particular things, maybe that was also a sign to either not do a remake of House Party or wait a couple more years.

While, once again, it makes total sense why Warner Bros would want to remake House Party it feels like the producers had no idea what to do with the property other than to trick moviegoers who were fans of the original. For a movie where music plays a large role, House Party lacks any rhythm.

House Party is now playing in theaters.

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‘house party’ review: ’90s cult classic gets a fun-free ‘remix’.

The Kid 'n Play comedy gets a new spin set in LeBron James' Los Angeles mansion and directed by music video veteran Calmatic.

By Frank Scheck

Frank Scheck

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Arranging the impromptu shindig are aspiring club promoters and best friends Damon (Tosin Cole, 61 s t Street ) and Kevin (Jacob Latimore, The Chi ), who make ends meet by working as house cleaners. Not very responsible ones, apparently, since they both get fired as the story begins. Since both are desperate for money — one needs to find a place to live, the other needs to keep up his child support payments — they impulsively decide to host a party at James’ mansion, where they’re working on their last day.

After Damon (who pronounces his name “like the French way”) and Kevin discover that James’ championship ring has been stolen, they wind up crashing a secret and very violent gathering of the Illuminati in which heads literally start to roll.

To say that none of this, and I mean none of this , proves remotely funny is an understatement. As an example of the film’s cluelessness about humor, when James comes home unexpectedly and threatens to call the police, Damon challenges him to a one-on-one basketball game to settle their differences. An incredulous James accepts the offer, and promptly beats the pants off his amateur opponent. And none of this is played for laughs! Nor does the film boast any visual strikingness, which is the least you’d expect considering that its helmer is a Grammy-winning music video and commercial director.

As is by now apparently required of celebrities, James takes the opportunity for some self-mockery, albeit of the extremely mild variety, via such gags as a self-affirmation hologram in which he gives himself a virtual pep talk like Al Franken’s Stuart Smalley. But mostly he coasts through his few scenes looking as though he’d rather be anywhere else. And really, who could blame him?

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