Discover

'''Bringing Down the House''' is a 2003 comedy film, written by Jason Filardi, and directed by Adam Shankman. This film stars Queen Latifah and Steve Martin.

Contents

Plot summary

Cast

Awards & nominations

Sequel

Trivia

External links

Plot summary

Steve Martin plays Peter, a workaholic tax attorney corresponding with an online friend known only as "lawyer-girl". On their first blind date, Peter learns that "lawyer-girl" is Charlene (Queen Latifah), a wrongfully convicted bank robber claiming her innocence who wants Peter's help in getting the charges dropped. Peter also must deal with Mrs. Arness (Joan Plowright), an eccentric billionaire, to bring her business to his firm, as well as competitive colleagues and bosses. His neighbor (Betty White), who happens to be related to one of the senior partners, is a nosy bigot. Peter attempts to juggle these issues as well as reconcile with his estranged wife and children.

Cast

★ Steve Martin as Peter Sanderson

★ Queen Latifah as Charlene Morton

★ Jean Smart as Kate Sanderson

★ Joan Plowright as Mrs. Virginia Arness

★ Kimberly J. Brown as Sarah Sanderson

★ Angus T. Jones as Georgey Sanderson

★ Missi Pyle as Ashley

★ Michael Rosenbaum as Todd Gendler

★ Betty White as Mrs. Kline

★ Steve Harris as Widow

★ Jim Haynie as Ed Tobias

★ Aengus James as Mike

Awards & nominations

★ In 2004, won a ''NAACP Image Award'' for ''Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture'', awarded to Queen Latifah.

★ In 2004, nominated for a ''MTV Movie Award'' for ''Best Dance Sequence'' - Steve Martin, ''Best Female Performance'' - Queen Latifah, and ''Best Fight'' (between Latifah and Pyle).

Sequel

According to Yahoo! Movies, a sequel is expected but Queen Latifah and Steve Martin will not be returning. It is rumoured that the central plot will revolve around Eugene Levy's character, Howie.

Trivia

★ Jason Filardi's original screenplay was entitled ''Jailbabe.com''. He had Adam Sandler as Peter Sanderson and Angelina Jolie as Ashley in mind when he first wrote it.

★ This is the only movie to feature Tae Bo as a fighting style.

★ The Russian title for the film translates as ''House Upside Down''.

★ Ashley condescendingly refers to Charlene as "Shaniqua" during one argument, the name of Latifah's character in ''Scary Movie 3'', released later that year.

★ In 2003, New York Attorney and Screenwriter Marie Flaherty filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Jason Filardi, Queen Latifah and the other producers of ''Bringing Down The House'' claiming that Boston Attorney George N. Tobia, Jr., who represented both her and Tobia’s friend Jason Filardi, gave her screenplay ''Amoral Dilemma'', about a lawyer that finds a prisoner on-line, to Jason Filardi who passed it off as his own. A trial date is pending in Federal Court in New York. Interesting to note character names: “Georgey” and “Tobias” = Attorney George Tobia. [1]

★ Adam Shankman would work with Steve Martin and Eugene Levy again in the 2005 sequel to Cheaper By The Dozen, Cheaper By The Dozen 2

★ On the special features of the DVD, it is mentioned that most of the slang in the movie is made up, since the slang on the street changes so rapidly. So they just got creative.

★ The bulk of the film takes place in Pasadena, California, where the Sandersons live. Other locations include Downtown Los Angeles and Santa Monica as well as the community of Watts, whose famous Watts Towers appear in a scene where Charlene is forced to leave the Sandersons' home.

External links

★

★ Betty White Online

★ Bringing Down the House Fanlisting