Man of the House (2005/I)

Director:

Stephen Herek

Writers (WGA):

John J. McLaughlin (story) &
Scott Lobdell (story) ...

Release Date:

25 February 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy

Tagline:

Protecting witnesses is a challenge. Living with them is impossible.

Plot:

A Texas Ranger must protect a group of cheerleaders who have witnessed a murder.

Plot Keywords:

Cheerleader | Texas Ranger | Shot In The Hand | Car Chase | Crooked Cop

Cast

Tommy Lee Jones	...	Ranger Roland Sharp
Cedric the Entertainer	...	Percy Stevens
Christina Milian	...	Anne
Paula Garcés	...	Teresa (as Paula Garces)
Monica Keena	...	Evie
Vanessa Ferlito	...	Heather
Kelli Garner	...	Barbara 'Barb' Thompson
Anne Archer	...	Professor Molly McCarthy
Brian Van Holt	...	Agent Eddie Zane
Shea Whigham	...	Ranger Holt
Terry Parks	...	Ranger Riggs
R. Lee Ermey	...	Captain Nichols
Paget Brewster	...	Binky
Shannon Woodward	...	Emma Sharp
Liz Vassey	...	Maggie Swanson

Also Known As:

Cheer Up (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence, sexual content, crude humor and a drug reference.

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Finland:K-11 | Argentina:13 | Norway:11 | Iceland:12 | South Korea:12 | Netherlands:12 | Australia:M | Ireland:12A | Singapore:PG | UK:12A | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Company:

Revolution Studios

Trivia:

The "meaty" pizza the cheerleader is caught eating was made with all vegetarian meats.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When the score of the game is shown, it says Texas 14 Arkansas 0. Arkansas won the game 38-28 and were never behind 14-0. The only Texas lead was 7-0 after their first possession.

Quotes:

Roland Sharp: [struts through the church door] Well, if it ain't Martin Luther Vandross.
Percy Stevens: Uh, why don't you all take a break. Everybody go ahead, real quick. This man's probably got a lot of sins he needs to confess. Probably may have to exorcise him.

Movie Connections:

References The Sound of Music (1965)

Soundtrack:

La Grange

Surprisingly funny

Tommy Lee Jones delivers the goods in MAN OF THE HOUSE as a cynical, world-weary Texas Ranger who is forced to play mother hen to a bunch of squealing, spoiled cheerleaders who have witnessed a murder. The girls are essentially interchangeable, but what works here is Jones' terrific comic timing as an older, divorced dad having to deal with five annoying college cuties. We know who the killer is early on, and it is to be expected he will try to hunt down the witnesses. What's fun here is watching the stalwart and very uptight Jones trying to keep the girls' lacy unmentionables out of his bathroom -- and trying to keep the girls clothed at all. There is a truly funny bit where he negotiates with them about how much to cover up. There's also a tired subplot about Jones' falling for one of their teachers, played by the delectable and age-appropriate Anne Archer, but it's harmless enough. Cedric the Entertainer has a couple of funny moments as a criminal-turned minister. A former cheerleader himself (!) he ends up in a dance-off with the girls. There's a mild amount of T&A, and some frank talk about one of the girls' need to have frequent sex with her boyfriend. Don't be surprised to learn that the horniest one happens to be the Mexican Spitfire of the group. Or that the captain of the team is the lone African American. Or that the dumbest one is a blonde. Stereotypes die hard. But still, all in all, this is a damned funny film with a satisfying showdown. And the Texas tough man with a tender heart rides tall in the saddle once again.