REVIEW: HOUSE PARTY (2023)

A bloated reboot that doesn't do the original justice

R | 1h 40m | 1.13.2022 

Director: Calmatic

Genre: Comedy

Related Films: House Party (1990)

Cast: Jacob Latimore, Tosin Cole, Andrew Santino, LeBron James, Kid Cudi

Ryan’s Score: 57/100

Rotten Tomatoes: 61% Audience, 28% Critic (as of: 1.15.2023)

Watch the trailer here:

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I found out right after seeing House Party (2023) that it’s actually a reboot of a film with the same name from 1990. So, the day after I saw the new movie, I watched the original (on HBO Max) starring Christopher Reid as Kid, Christopher Martin as Play, and Martin Lawrence as Bilal. Obviously, I’m no expert on the original film, as I just discovered and watched it after seeing the reboot produced by LeBron and directed by Calmatic. However, from what I’ve read, the original movie is a celebrated cult classic that spun off into a trilogy. It is also responsible, in part, for catalyzing Martin Lawrence’s career and the Black independent film renaissance (according to NYT). 

I can see how that was the case for the ’90s film. Despite some outdated comedy bits and a lot of homophobia, I actually really enjoyed the original. Christopher Reid and Christopher Martin play their hip-hop aliases Kid n’ Play. The movie had a very contained plot; Play wants to throw a party while his parents are out of town. Kid and Play have each other’s backs throughout the original House Party, despite a few brief beefs over the girls they’re flirting with. It had heart.

The reboot, on the other hand, doesn’t have much heart. It shares some major plot points with the original but blows everything up as if the first movie won the lottery and went on a spending spree. Kevin (Jacob Latimore) and Damon (Tosin Cole) are Kid n’ Play’s present-day counterparts. But instead of high school students, they’re cash-strapped club promoters cleaning houses for extra money. They get fired by the cleaning company, and while finishing up their last job at a lavish mansion, they realize the house belongs to none other than LeBron James. Damon convinces Kevin they can make enough money to send his daughter to preschool, high school, and college if they throw a massive party at The King’s house. 

Celebrity cameos dominate almost the entire second half of the film, many of which feel like overkill. The three bullies from the original film are replaced by a trio of angry club promoters who are not nearly as funny or memorable as the high schooler antagonists. There is still an eccentric DJ, however, D.C. Young Fly’s Vic doesn't live up to Martin Lawrence’s Bilal. There is also a dance battle that mirrors one in the original, paying homage with some similar dance moves but falling short of creating the type of iconic scene the first does. 

What gave the original heart was the focus on Kid n’ Play’s friendship. To me, that’s one of the big reasons the reboot falls short. It’s not that writers Stephen Glover and Jamal Olori or director Calmatic didn’t try to recreate the magic of the original, it’s that they seemed to lose sight of the intimacy that the smaller scale, smaller stakes party created. Throwing a party at the house of one of the most famous people in the world, and inviting some of the most recognizable celebrities, creates a much more grandiose and higher-stakes scenario. The focus seemed more on going big than recreating the heartfelt story of friendship that made the original fun. 

If you haven’t seen either film, don’t bother with the reboot. Just check out the original on HBO Max.