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House Arrest

Play trailer Poster for House Arrest PG Released Aug 14, 1996 1h 48m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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10% Tomatometer 30 Reviews 45% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
When Janet Beindorf (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her husband, Ned (Kevin Pollak), announce their separation, their two kids decide to lock them in the basement of their home until they sort things out. Soon other parents are getting the same treatment from their children, including the divorce-happy Vic Finley (Wallace Shawn), with all the adults confined to the Beindorfs' basement along with Janet and Ned. Unable to escape their prison, will the parents finally make some changes in their lives?
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House Arrest

House Arrest

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Critics Consensus

Constructed out of cliches, thinly written characters, and fundamental misunderstandings of human nature, House Arrest is a dull (and borderline irresponsible) waste of a talented cast.

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Critics Reviews

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Erin Richter Entertainment Weekly [A] predictable and sugarcoated (even criminally negligent) take on The Parent Trap. Rated: D- Jun 14, 2013 Full Review Jeff Shannon Seattle Times To the slim degree that it qualifies as a comedy, House Arrest is a comedy with rank amateur pathos, and it's totally out of touch with its own superficially treated emotions. Rated: 1.5/4 Jun 14, 2013 Full Review Steven Rea Philadelphia Inquirer A headache of a movie with a Parent Trap premise that quickly devolves into clamorous farce. Rated: 2/4 May 29, 2013 Full Review Dennis King Tulsa World Borrowing liberally from both The Parent Trap' and The Great Escape, this misguided attempt at family farce rests on a couple of incompatible premises -- romantic matchmaking and imprisoned dispair. Rated: 1.5/4 Jul 26, 2014 Full Review People Magazine When you scrape through the bottom of the comedy barrel and root around underneath it, this tedious morsel of drivel is what you will find. Jul 26, 2014 Full Review John Ferguson Radio Times The performances of both adults and youngsters are uniformly strong and, despite the occasional invasion of sentimentality, this makes for thoughtful entertainment. Rated: 3/5 Jul 26, 2014 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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sammy s One of my favorite movies! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/30/23 Full Review StephenPaul C LOL, the funniest 01 hour: and 48 minutes ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/16/23 Full Review steve d A ridiculous idea that's cast is somehow able to sell. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Great coming of age movie from the 90s. Cool to see these actors nearly 30 years younger. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Love this movie! #90kid Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Audience Member House Arrest is without a lie the worst comedy film ever. This movie is not funny to watch. The movie was mean-spirited, and the jokes were terrible. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis When Janet Beindorf (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her husband, Ned (Kevin Pollak), announce their separation, their two kids decide to lock them in the basement of their home until they sort things out. Soon other parents are getting the same treatment from their children, including the divorce-happy Vic Finley (Wallace Shawn), with all the adults confined to the Beindorfs' basement along with Janet and Ned. Unable to escape their prison, will the parents finally make some changes in their lives?
Director
Harry Winer
Producer
Judith A. Polone, Harry Winer
Screenwriter
Michael Hitchcock
Production Co
Metro Goldwyn Mayer, Rysher Entertainment, Home Box Office (HBO)
Rating
PG
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 14, 1996, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA)
$7.0M
Runtime
1h 48m
Sound Mix
Surround
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