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Man of the House: Not a movie to see again


If you are looking for an action film, Man of the House is definitely not the place to look. A few explosions, some shooting and one chase scene is not enough to call this flick an action film.

Tommy Lee Jones plays a Texas Ranger who goes undercover in a girls’ sorority house to protect five cheerleaders who witnessed a murder. Cedric the Entertainer is quite funny as an ex-con turned preacher, but the funniest part was seeing him break out into a cheerleading routine. This in turn inspires the cheerleaders to do a hip-hop flavored routine. Cedric busts out with some not-so-fresh moves, then apologizes saying he missed the ‘90s while in prison. Which brings up a point, it’s 2005 and the ‘90s were five years ago. Isn’t it time for some new dance moves?

Man of the House was shot mostly on The University of Texas campus and features plenty of Austin locations. There is even a cameo appearance from Texas Governor Rick Perry. However, people in Austin don’t really talk with that much of a drawl or listen to Willie Nelson all the time. Jones is a Texas boy, so he just has to be himself.

The funny thing about this film is that the actors seem to be enjoying themselves, especially Jones whose dry persona makes this film a hoot. However, it is not very interesting watching Jones take the girls to cheerleading practice and football games. To liven the film up a bit, Jones takes down a rival school’s mascot who pulls a water gun.

As the movie goes on, he finds time to help the girls with their homework, find a love interest in one of the professors and become a role model for the girls.

Overall, I thought this film was just okay. At times it was funny, but at other times, it was a chore to sit through. This is definitely a movie I only care to see once.

I give it 3 stars.