Good movie but grossly overrated

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

House Party is a light, entertaining teen comedy with an infectious energy.The 5.7 rating from the users of IMDb and the 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes critics is scary. Maybe it's because this classic is pretty dated and doesn't have the "modern" or "cool" things most rap movies have nowadays.But anyways, Kid 'N Play are a surprising great acting team (as well as rapping team). The writing is good and the energy brought by the cast is amazing. The music will be stuck in your head for days. And the dance sequence is probably the best of the '90s.And ever since I saw this movie, I've been listening to a lot of Kid 'N Play songs, and watched all 4 movies.

I am not ashamed to say that this was not a horrible film. Upon finishing this film, I did a bit of research on it and discovered that this pioneer film (prior to the sequels) was actually a favorite among Sundance goers in 1990. Apparently it racked up quite a bit of awards in the "drama" category. While I must say that it was enjoyable to go back to this type of cinema, you know, the parents are away so the kids will play scenario, but I didn't think this was the best this genre had to offer. Director Reginald Hudlin created this film for his thesis at Harvard as well as a benchmark for DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Price, so how did he finally end up with Kid & Play? While I did think that Kid did a decent job with his character, which couldn't have been too far from himself, Play offered nothing new to the film. Martin Lawrence continued to be the most annoying character in the film, while the love interests were clichéd from the start. The music was fun, the dancing was laughable, and the police officers were racist … so does that make for Sundance winning cinema? Personally, there were elements that needed tightened and some that were great the way they were. It wasn't the best film, but House Party did provide for an hour and a half of dusty memories.The characters were both a high point and the low point of the film. House Party is a classic example of great starting characters that eventually dwindle away before the film officially ends. I thought that Kid did a decent job of being a humorous element, while Play coupled with Martin Lawrence's character were just overly annoying. I couldn't get attached to either of them. It was obvious that Lawrence was working towards his character for his television show Martin throughout this entire film. If you watch his television show and this film you will draw similar comparisons. Play cannot act, and throughout this film it becomes apparently clear that his only true talent was acting because he even looses in the infamous rap competition. Tisha Campbell and AJ Johnson couldn't have been more cliché. I say this with the warmest sympathies, but their characters had no depth, no originality, and carried nothing more than eye candy for the two male leads. Women are handed these roles all the time, there are some that stand forward and say that they demand characters with more personality, but then you also have women like this that needed the paycheck. Thinking back on the cast of this film, I do believe that Hudlin could have put more thought into everyone. If you first pick is not available, there is no need to immediately jump to the bottom of the barrel. Be patient, the best could be right in front of you. The film is worth watching for Kid, his expression in his eyes and face is immaculate, but for the rest, I have watched commercials with better character development.What about this story? The story was an extremely simple set up. High schoolers trying to go out on a school night to the dance party of the century get caught up in a web of trouble only to discover that what they think is important to them isn't necessarily true. Also, true love lurks around the corner in the darkest of spaces. Does this sound like a familiar Hollywood recycled plot to you? To me it does, but what this film does which takes it out of the recycle bin category is the urban themes that Hudlin ignites. While I thought that your typical film would have centered on a love affair, this urban film instead revolved around Kid trying to be a better lyricist. While some will argue that love is the central focus of this film, I saw his desire to be a better performer to the ultimate moment for our character. In nearly all of his scenes he is attempting to finally be the best at his rap game, and finally, even in the jail cell, he proves that he can handle himself with the best. I liked this focus. I liked seeing Kid evolve throughout the film. What I didn't like, and thought was completely trashy, was the racial undertones that Hudlin threw in the mix. The white police officer jokes were not funny. I thought the point where they took the bullies to the docks and beat them was completely uncalled for and ruined the light tone of this film. Was that funny? This reviewer wasn't laughing at all.Overall, I thought this was a decent film. I have no doubt in my eyes that the sequels that were spun do not carry the overall excitement that was conveyed in this first film, but for now, House Party was a light, enjoyable film that christened a new range of actors into the Hollywood circuit. Could one safely say that this was the first film to introduce rappers as actors? I haven't seen enough films to make that assumption, but I wouldn't mind making a wager. This is a historical film, but not one that can be watched over and over again. The language seemed a bit strong for the levity of the film, but outside of the key points where Hudlin failed (Lawrence role, white officers, cliché women), I thought that this film quietly fell into place by the end. It reminded me of some of the Feldman/Haim match-ups with an urban flair.Grade: *** out of *****

House Party is sort of like a urban take on Risky Business in the sense that boy has party when parents go out of town for the weekend but the comparison end there. Kid and Play make one of the first hip hop films of the nineties which had a plot. Many young black comedic actors got their start in this film like Martin Lawerence and AJ Johnson. But the true comedic talent in the film is the late Robin Harris. The world only knows what Harris could have done. The script is smart and the direction by Regiland Hudlin is good.

I saw this movie when I was like 6 years old and still am in love with this movie its great and very funny.It stars rappers Kid 'N' Play who were very famous back in the late 80's and 90's.This story is actually about Kid he lives with his Father who he calls "Pops".One Day Kid asks can he go to his friends Play's house for a party(since Play's parents is gone out of town but Pops doesn't know that).He let's him go until he gets a letter from school that Kid was involved in a fight so he reconsiders and grounds him.Kid then decides to sneak out the house since the party was going to be big and his friends were going to be there.But what he doesn't know is what dangers he's going to find when he gets back home.This Movie is rated R but this is more like a Teenager movie since the setting of the movie finds all the charcacters in this story in High School.It's a excellent movie and great storyline and very Hilarious.This Movie gets 5 out of 5 stars.