Movie Review – House Party 4: Down to the Last Minute

Release Date: August 14, 2001

Production Companies: New Line Cinema/Ultimate Group Films

*Sigh* Why did I put myself through this? Because I am a completionist, that’s why.

Before I go any further, let me remind you that I took a break from my “House Party” marathon, which also included “Class Act,” but it was for a number of reasons. One, I was rather consistent with doing reviews/retrospectives on those four films. So it could be reasonable for me to just take a break. Two, well, here is the kicker – I was also reluctant to touch on the fourth film. Now granted, I heard some negativity about the fifth film and the 2023 reboot, as well as some who didn’t think that they were that bad. But make no mistake about this – I knew I had to revisit the fourth film, a movie that I recall watching before and seeing a lot of bad in it. I really did not like the movie the first time, and even after all this time, it hasn’t gotten any better over time.

I only remember hearing about this movie when I was about 15. It’s a straight-to-video movie, but I remember that it was also shown on the USA Network. In fact, I recall it premiering on that channel as far back as 2001. I can’t pinpoint the exact year I watched it, but I remember seeing the listing and noticing that a fourth “House Party” film was made, except this time, there was no Kid ‘N Play, but rather IMx in the movie. Okay, let me break it down like this: IMx (or Immature, as they were known before) was in the third movie, but for some reason, they weren’t playing the same characters as the ones from “House Party 3.” As a matter of fact, only 2/3 of the group were in the third movie, because one of them was removed from the group and replaced with another guy when they did their second album onward. Regarding them playing different characters, I could only surmise that a script was done under a different title but then New Line Cinema bought it and used the “House Party” name for it. Now granted, this movie series isn’t known for its coherent storytelling. It’s a comedy series at the end of the day, but then again, would this film be any better if the characters were the same as the ones from “House Party 3”? Probably not.

Okay, I haven’t touched on the plot yet, because even I was hesitant to do so. Right from the start, I was able to see that this movie ripped off “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” Oh boy. This wasn’t like a respectful homage to the 1986 classic, either. It felt like a lazy attempt to just tell a story, and someone likely thought of story beats from that film and just decided to use them. So Jon-Jon (Marques Houston) fakes being sick and is supposed to house-sit for his record producer uncle. Only his sister Monique sees through his bullshit, whereas his parents and other relatives believe him. Ferris Bueller this guy is not. One could argue that Ferris Bueller was a bit of a scamp, but at least Matthew Broderick brought a lot of charm to that role. Don’t even get me started on the fourth-wall breaks with Jon-Jon smiling at the camera a few times. Jon-Jon was supposed to be charming, but he comes off as unlikable.

I also must add that one story beat had Jon-Jon picking up his girlfriend from school. Rather than Jon-Jon putting on some clothes to pass off as an older man, he puts on a wig and some women’s clothes to pose as his girlfriend’s mother. 🤦

I could go on about the story beats from a much, MUCH better film (and it happens to be a 1980s comedy classic, too). But there were pathetic attempts at comedy, like a scene involving racial profiling, as well as an airline being run by gay people (gee, I wonder where they were going with THAT). Not to mention the daughter of a mechanic having two daughters portrayed by overweight men, and if that wasn’t enough, they have to be obsessed with food and eat everything. 🤦

Another problem was that there was another storyline in this film that could have been done for a separate film. With this movie being really short, I am not sure if that storyline was done for a different script and the creators decided to include it in this. Really, this movie was so short that there was room to include another plotline involving the uncle, his hot wife, and the uncle’s mother dealing with flight problems and coming across a serial killer.

So what about the party itself? There’s really not much to talk about. There weren’t any dance numbers like in the first film. There were poor comic hijinks in comparison to the third film. The only comparison I can make to the second film was that the main characters put on a performance for a record producer. However, it didn’t have that feel like they got the crowd going in like in the second film. Yes, there wasn’t enough money, but still.

It goes without saying that the film just plain sucked. Oh, and I must add that the ending of the film had a poor attempt at sequel baiting. Um, why? Did the producers think it would have been successful enough with DVD sales that a follow-up would have happened? Thankfully, it didn’t. Hell, there wasn’t another “House Party” film for another 12 years, but from what I understand, Kid ‘N Play made an appearance in it. I heard it wasn’t that good, but after sitting through this, it’s got to be better, right? RIGHT?!

I shall see for myself.

NEXT UP – House Party: Tonight’s the Night