DVD Verdict
Home Reviews Interviews Upcoming DVD Releases Cinema TV Pixel Podcast Forums Judges Contact Promote  

Case Number 18181: Small Claims Court

Buy Housebroken at Amazon

Housebroken

Image Entertainment // 2010 // 91 Minutes // Rated R
Reviewed by Judge Roy Hrab // January 27th, 2010

• View Judge Hrab's Dossier
• E-mail Judge Hrab

Buy the DVD at Amazon

This movie made Judge Roy Hrab want to break things.

Printer Friendly Review

 

The Charge

Playtime is over.

The Case

Housebroken is a film.

Housebroken is a brutally dreadful film.

Housebroken is a brutally dreadful film that runs about 91 minutes.

Housebroken is a brutally dreadful film that runs about 91 minutes, starring Danny DeVito (Deck The Halls), Katey Sagal (Sons Of Anarchy: Season One), Skyler Stone (Stuck On You), and Ryan Hansen (Superhero Movie). It also features Tom Wilson, who played Biff Tannen in Back To The Future, and Matthew Glave, who played Glenn Guglia in The Wedding Singer.

The plot revolves around a freshly retired fireman, Tom Cathkart (DeVito), trying to get his layabout, lazy sons (Stone and Hansen) to move out, so he and his wife (Sagal) can enjoy their golden years in peace. Tom and his wife secretly go away on a camping trip, leaving the two sons alone in the house without money, food, and electricity. Tom's hope is that the sons will leave as a result. Things don't work out as planned.

Housebroken is supposed to be a comedy, but it is not funny. It is a third-rate movie that is barely watchable.

The dialogue is lame. The story is insipid. The action is brainless.

The movie includes jokes and/or gags about laundry, sex toys, excrement, a grocery store cheese sample, flatulence, and a snake eating a mannequin. None of it is funny. There is a character named Shirtless Boy. That's the character's name, it's not a nickname. Horrible.

Barring extreme circumstances such as personal bankruptcy or blackmail, all of the actors involved should be embarrassed for having agreed to appear in this film. The writers, directors, and producers should also be ashamed.

The review copy was a screener, so I cannot comment on video and audio quality.

The screener did not include any of the advertised extras.

This is one of the worst films that I have had the misfortune of viewing. For greater clarity, it is not "so bad it's good." It is just plain terrible.

The Verdict

Do I have to say the words? Guilty as sin.

Give us your feedback!

Did we give Housebroken a fair trial? yes / no

Share your thoughts on this review in the Jury Room


Scales of Justice

Judgment: 10

Perp Profile

Studio: Image Entertainment
Video Formats:
• 1.78:1 Anamorphic
Audio Formats:
• Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround (English)
Subtitles:
• English
• Spanish
Running Time: 91 Minutes
Release Year: 2010
MPAA Rating: Rated R
Genres:
• Bad
• Comedy

Distinguishing Marks

• Featurette
• Interviews

Accomplices

• IMDb

No Budget Filmmaking
acting career secrets





Subscribe | Have your DVD reviewed | Become a Judge | Privacy policy | Contact us

Review content copyright © 2010 Roy Hrab; Site design and review layout copyright © 2010 HipClick Designs LLC. All rights reserved.