SYNOPSIS
Steve Martin is a maddeningly inconsistent talent. While he's quite capable of delivering pearls of cinematic comedy such as The Man with Two Brains or The Jerk (both of which he also co-wrote), as an actor-for-hire he's also apt to appear in sentimental mush (Father of the Bride) or straight-out unfunny garbage (Sgt Bilko). Unfortunately Bringing Down the House manages to combine the two latter categories with its tale of a wealthy, uptight white lawyer whose perfectly ordered life is turned upside down by an escaped black female convict (Queen Latifah) who's determined to have him prove her innocence. Martin and Latifah's chemistry feels forced, the usually excellent Eugene Levy is wasted in support and many will detect racism and homophobia - no doubt unintentional but still offensive - in the film's crass manipulation of stereotypes. The only thing that should be brought down on this is the curtain.
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