The House | Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler's home casino comedy is a dead loss

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The House Jason Mantzoukas Will Ferrell Amy Poehler
(Image credit: House © 2017 Warner Bros. Ent.)

 

If you can't beat the house, be... The House.

Comedy stalwarts Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler fail to rescue The House, a listless farce about a hapless mom and dad who set up an illegal secret casino with their kooky gambling-addict friend (Jason Mantzoukas) after the town council withdraws their daughter’s university scholarship. Despite their goofy ineptitude, the venture goes surprisingly well – until both the local sheriff (Ryan Simpkins) and a vicious mobster (Jeremy Renner) get wind of what’s going on. The stars play the hands they’ve been dealt as best they can, but the script is so feeble that it’s no wonder the film is a bust.

Certificate 15. Runtime 88 mins. Director Andrew Jay Cohen

Available on DVD & Digital from Warner Bros. Home Video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHaT9ipYmP0

 

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Jason Best
Jason Best

A film critic for over 25 years, Jason admits the job can occasionally be glamorous – sitting on a film festival jury in Portugal; hanging out with Baz Luhrmann at the Chateau Marmont; chatting with Sigourney Weaver about The Archers – but he mostly spends his time in darkened rooms watching films. He’s also written theatre and opera reviews, two guide books on Rome, and competed in a race for Yachting World, whose great wheeze it was to send a seasick film critic to write about his time on the ocean waves. But Jason is happiest on dry land with a classic screwball comedy or Hitchcock thriller.