The House Movie Review (2024)

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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."

    Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

    Get started

  • 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.

    Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

    Get started

  • 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."

    Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

    Get started

  • 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.

  • 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.

    Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

    Get started

  • 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

Inclusion information powered by The House Movie Review (1)

The House Movie Review (2024)

FAQs

What was the point of the movie The House? ›

The House uses its multiple time frames and artistic styles to represent the rise of capitalism and consumerism, its modern apex, and its apocalyptic future. Through metaphor as well as direct depiction, The House both sympathetically depicts why people engage in consumerism and its ultimate flaws.

How scary is the house movie? ›

Parents need to know that the animated film The House seems intended for adult viewers. While its three stories aren't outright horror, they all evoke a feeling of dread and a sense that something bad is going to happen. The first chapter is especially spooky and characters face threats, seem to go crazy, and die.

Is his house movie worth watching? ›

Audience Reviews

Definitely not the regular horror movie out there. This one gets you to a different and intriguing world of refugees and the scares are few and we'll placed. You're hooked by the story as it builds tension. Acting is great and story arc is great too.

What is the plot of the house? ›

A young girl named Mabel lives with her father Raymond, mother Penny, and newborn sister Isobel in relative poverty. After a visit from wealthy, condescending relatives, Raymond wanders drunk into the forest at night and encounters the mysterious architect Mr. Van Schoonbeek.

What is the point of The House? ›

The Big Picture

The first two tales caution against placing importance on luxury and material possessions, while the last highlights the value of accepting loved ones as your "home." The film emphasizes that a house is just a house without love and urges viewers to prioritize human connection over materialistic goals.

Is The House worth watching? ›

I enjoyed and recommend The House, especially if you're a fan of stop motion. The stories are also quite creative and the characters are very interesting. Overall, it's a good film, worth watching. Content collapsed.

Why was the house rated R? ›

Rated R for language throughout, sexual references, drug use, some violence and brief nudity.

Can a 10 year old watch The House? ›

It is created for adults and how they view the world from their perspective. It can be confusing even for older kids and may involve explaining if that's necessary. I was confused after watching it. Don't watch if you're under twelve.

Who is the voice of Raymond in the house? ›

Claudie Blakley (Pride & Prejudice, Gosford Park) is Penelope. Matthew Goode (Stoker, The Duke) voices Raymond, a father who strives for something more for his family. Mia Goth (Suspiria, Emma) voices Mabel, the daughter of Raymond and Penelope. Mark Heap (Friday Night Dinner, The Trouble With Maggie Cole) voices Mr.

What happens in the house on Netflix? ›

Across different eras, a poor family, an anxious developer and a fed-up landlady become tied to the same mysterious house in this animated dark comedy. Watch all you want. A stop-motion animated anthology featuring the voices of Mia Goth, Jarvis co*cker, Susan Wokoma and Helena Bonham Carter.

What happens in the movie His House? ›

A refugee couple makes a harrowing escape from war-torn South Sudan, but then they struggle to adjust to their new life in an English town that has an evil lurking beneath the surface.

Is His House based off a true story? ›

When you have a house that you cannot leave, it becomes a prison. "The specific story isn't autobiographical," he adds, "but I did a lot of research, especially on how immigrants felt coming into the country for the first time, and I myself come from a mixed background in London.

What is the point of the movie The House? ›

It's clear that this The House film story is about an attachment to superficial signifiers of wealth and opulence, something that comes at the expense of the characters' humanity. They become the things they desire.

What happened in the end of The House? ›

Big twist time: House faked his own death by escaping out the back of the building and switching the dental records. Meeting up with House after the funeral, Wilson asks his friend if he has any idea how much damage he just caused. "You're destroying your entire life," he argues. "You can't go back from this.

What is the movie House about? ›

What is the significance of the house? ›

Our home provides us with a sense of protection and shelter from the outside world. We can be ourselves and let our guard down in the comfort of our homes. The feeling of safety and security that home provides is essential to our mental and emotional well-being. "A home is also a place of belonging.

What is the theory of the ending of the house? ›

The ending of House explained

Given that he's about to go to prison and most likely be stripped of his medical license for a plumbing prank gone wrong, House isn't in any any rush to leave the blazing structure.

What is the main point of the film The House I Live in? ›

The film recognizes drug abuse as a matter of public health, and investigates the tragic errors and shortcomings that have resulted from framing it as an issue for law enforcement.

What does the ending of house mean? ›

House, M.D.'s ending saw House faking his own death and riding off into the sunset with Wilson, but one dark fan theory suggests that House died, and these final moments were a hallucination.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Arline Emard IV

Last Updated:

Views: 6028

Rating: 4.1 / 5 (72 voted)

Reviews: 87% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Arline Emard IV

Birthday: 1996-07-10

Address: 8912 Hintz Shore, West Louie, AZ 69363-0747

Phone: +13454700762376

Job: Administration Technician

Hobby: Paintball, Horseback riding, Cycling, Running, Macrame, Playing musical instruments, Soapmaking

Introduction: My name is Arline Emard IV, I am a cheerful, gorgeous, colorful, joyous, excited, super, inquisitive person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.