A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this movie.
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Positive Messages
very little
Well-meaning as it might be, there are better ways to support your kids' endeavors than to launch a criminal enterprise. Male and female characters being called "b---h" and "p---y" sends an uncomfortable message about gender roles.
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Positive Role Models
very little
Public officials are corrupt, parents run an illegal gambling ring, and a supposedly level-headed teen is smoking pot and sneaking into an illegal casino. Still, there's a loving, if sitcom-y, family at the center of this muddled movie. Not a lot of diversity.
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Violence & Scariness
some
Surprising amount of violence for a comedy: A man's finger is chopped off accidentally; he screams, and gouts of blood cover another man's clothes and face. A character frequently threatens others with an axe and eventually chops off someone's arm (silly yet gory special effects) and then sets him on fire; another character makes threats with a blowtorch. A woman jokes about her problems and mimes that she's going to commit suicide by hanging. A mobster threatens characters with a gun; a police officer tosses a gun around playfully and tells horrified onlookers that being afraid of a gun is "silly."
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Sex, Romance & Nudity
some
Man briefly seen nude from the rear. A couple who wants to reassure each other that their sex life is still great make jokes about going to "F--k Town." Jokes about date rape, masturbation, anonymous sex through holes in the wall. Characters threaten to cut a man's penis off in a moment that's played for laughs.
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Language
a lot
Frequent cursing includes "f--k," "f--king," "f--ked," "f--k you," "bitch," "ass," "damn," "crap," "hell," "s--t," "bulls--t," "a--hole," "goddamn," "d--k," "boner," "p---y."
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Products & Purchases
a little
One scene features characters shopping in a Container Store, with the store's logo and signage clearly visible. A character uses a vessel at the store to vomit in and mentions this fact prominently.
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Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
a lot
Adults and recent high-school graduates drink alcohol and smoke pot (joints, creative bongs). One character drinks and smokes to excess; she later vomits and says she's mentally and physically addicted to marijuana. In several scenes, characters snort cocaine. A main character smokes cigarettes.
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The House is an over-the-top comedy built around an iffy premise: Parents (Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler) start an illegal casino to pay for their daughter's college. There's more violence than you'd expect: Limbs and digits are chopped off, with spouting blood that goes everywhere. Main characters threaten others with an axe and a blowtorch, a villain threatens a crowd with a gun, and a cop plays with a gun and says being afraid of guns is "silly." A woman also mimes hanging herself as a response to a stressful situation. Both adults and high-school grads drink and smoke pot (a main character says she's addicted to the latter); in one scene, a bunch of men snort cocaine. Things get pretty racy, too: There are jokes about masturbation, date rape, a married couple's sex life, and anonymous sex through holes in a wall. Language is strong and frequent, with many uses of "f--k," "s--t," and much more. Both male and female characters are derisively called "bitch" and "p---y," which sends an uncomfortable message about gender roles. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
What's the Story?
When Kate (Amy Poehler) and Scott (Will Ferrell) Johansen find out that the town-sponsored college scholarship they'd counted on for their beloved daughter, Alex (Ryan Simpkins), has been withdrawn by shady mayor Bob (Nick Kroll), they handle the news by going on a money-losing spree to Vegas with their pal Frank (Jason Mantzoukas), a struggling gambling addict. And that's where they get their big idea. If casino games are rigged, why not become THE HOUSE themselves? Within days, Frank's miserable-bachelor pad has been transformed into a mini-Monte Carlo, and the trio are raking in the green. But the casino soon attracts the attention of Officer Chandler (Rob Huebel) -- and, worse, local mobster Tommy (Jeremy Renner). Can the Johansens hold on to their cash, their freedom, and and all of their body parts?
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the violence in The House. How does the comic tone affect how you react to it? Does it make the movie funnier? What's the impact of media violence on kids?
How does the movie depict drinking and drug use. Are they glamorized? Are there realistic consequences? Why does that matter?
What audience was this movie made for? How can you tell? How might it be different with a different target audience?
Movie Details
- In theaters: June 30, 2017
- On DVD or streaming: October 10, 2017
- Cast: Amy Poehler, Will Ferrell, Allison Tolman
- Director: Andrew J. Cohen
- Inclusion Information: Female actors
- Studio: Warner Bros.
- Genre: Comedy
- Run time: 88 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: language throughout, sexual references, drug use, some violence and brief nudity
- Last updated: February 26, 2022
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