House Party (1990) User Reviews

Because we can't be serious all the time.

[oneguyrambling · 6/10 · 20 April 2012]

House Party was an unexpected low budget hit upon release in 1990, something about the bright colours and an 'urban movie' without a single drive by tapped directly into the consciousness of a teen market wanting desperately to embrace hip-hop culture without getting a gold tooth.

Kid 'n' Play host their own mega (to them) party. The be-all and end-all of House Parties. Where they can let their personal freak flags fly. Where a good time will most certainly be had by all.

And they basically do.

In a lurid blur of motion and colour these attractive teens set about enjoying themselves in the most PG 13 ways imaginable.

For a 15 year old this was like opening a window to another world: the outlandish gravity defying haircuts that I envied but would never dare attempt. The stoopid (in a good way) rhymes and dumb (in a hopelessly dated now) phrases spouted by these fly guys and home girls were new and dangerously addictive, if terribly out of place in the small town I grew up.

Shennanigans were plentiful, but amounted to little more than messin' playfully with the man in blue, freaking the establishment and clearly exposing the gaping generation gap by juxtaposing these carefully manicured teens against the pompous and staid older types.

Characters are broad and never less than frenetic and loud, dialogue makes little sense but sure sounds fresh and exciting.

And boy are these kids budding model citizens.

Overindulgence of alcohol is frowned upon, but with a supportive message of limitation rather than abhorrence. Violence is for punks and drugs aren't even mentioned. Sex is OK but only when 'safe' and amenable to both parties, no 'c'mon baby, you know you want it' here.

And there is an anti-prison sex rap. Finally someone stands up against it!

Final Rating – 6.5 / 10. House Party spawned several sequels, none of which I even vaguely recall. But this 90 minutes is always likable and elicits warm memories of my teens (not that I acted like this, but I watched a lot of movies where characters did).

Crank up the bass on this house party! (spoilers)

[vertigo_14 · 7/10 · 30 January 2005]

Oddly serving as the thesis film for director Reginald Hudlin while a student at Harvard, 'House Party' is one of my favorite teen comedies. Although, clearly most of the cast (especially Martin Lawrence and the members of Full Force) who were clearly somewhere in their late 20s, if not early 30s. However, this is one all-black teen comedy which did things with just the right amount of spunk, and the characters were not so obnoxious and not so stereotypical that you couldn't enjoy their (mis)adventures.

Old school rappers, Kid and Play, are two high school friends. Play is hosting a house party when his folks go out of town and his number one mate, Kid, plans on making an appearance. But, after getting into a scuffle with one of the bullies (aka, the biggest muscles from Full Force), he gets suspended. Like Les Anderson hoping his parents won't find out that he flunked his driver exam in 'License to Drive,' Kid prays that his father won't find out about his getting in trouble at school because he desperately wants to go that party.

But, more importantly, there is a great mix of subplots interacting which make this movie quite entertaining, especially the idiotic white cops that seem to appear at the most inconvenient moments (and not appear at the convenient ones) to harass the neighborhood and Kid's father (stand-up comedian, Robin Harris) making his way to the house party to bring his son home. And get a load of those clothes and dancing!

For fans of old school rap and hip-hop: the nostalgia trip alone should be reason enough to watch it. And, though several House Party sequels would follow, the first two are really the only ones worth watching.

has a certain charm

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 13 January 2017]

Play is having a party with his parents out of town joined by his friends Kid and Bilal (Martin Lawrence). School bullies Stab and his brothers Pee-Wee and Zilla have it in for Kid. Kid's father Pop allows him to go to the party until he reads the school letter about Kid's fight with Stab. The boys like Sidney (Tisha Campbell) and Sharane.

This takes the harder edged black culture material and adds a light playful charm. Kid 'n Play are not exactly heavy hitters in the acting department. Play is not much cinematically but Kid does have a fun comedic energy. Play does better when he's rapping. Once the party starts, the movie finds its grove. It's a party and everybody can have fun.

An all time classic

[IrockGswift · 26 August 2004]

The kid'n'play dance was the thing back in the late 80s early 90s. The new jack swing was at its peak and this movie sums it up. It became a break-through for then young actors Martin Lawrence and Tisha Campbell. This reminds me of the time when I was a teenager who wanted to sneak out to go to a party and later got caught. I was in the 10th grade when this movie was released and I had a lot of fun during that time with not too much fighting at parties. The bullies played by the R&B group Full Force made the movie more funny with its slapstick humor and the memorable Robin Harris with his witty punchlines. It's sad to see him leave this earth at an early age,and comedian Bernie Mac reminds me of him. I remember he died the weekend of this movie and this was a shock. He could have been one of the funniest comedians in the 90s but his life was put to a halt and made way for several comedians who are now today's superstars (namely from Def Comedy Jam). House Party also remind me of how fun hip-hop was,and back then hip-hop was political,educational,radical,and uplifting. This movie can go down in history as how African-Americans can enjoy themselves with no use of drugs and unprotected sex.

House Party to Party Monster in one decade

[ptb-8 · 6/10 · 1 October 2007]

Released in 99% white Australia at the height of the warehouse dance party wave, this hilarious all black hip hop indie rang true to us neon shirted whities who could have our own moment of 'rock around the clock style new wave dance madness' by actually dancing in the aisles of the cinema. And what a crummy cinema it was....the Mandolin in Sydney was the mangy red velvet 60s beatnik cinema that was a converted 1930s radio theater. Perfect! I think that night we went to the movies and saw Kid'n'Play's HOUSE PARTY and appropriately went to an all night dance party in a warehouse nearby with 5000 others who secretly knew it was on (yes 5000 others) and like in HOUSE PARTY, you had to know it was on in there.... so we got to see the movie and cross/culture/shift and relive the experience to the same music. HOUSE PARTY like that night is a moment in time, part of the hilarious reckless nights we have all had in the late 80s (see the great tiny1982 indie Oz pic GOING DOWN for proof) ... to new music with hilarious friends and dance tracks that allowed you to dance with 15 different people. I know there were sequels but by then the time had gone and the dance parties were full of bad drugs and bonehead behavior. HOUSE PARTY is the bookend to PARTY MONSTER.. the incredible lavish and absolutely bullseye moment of the 90s captured on film in 2003 with Macauley Culkin and Seth Green. It would be horrifying fun to see these films together in one sitting to identify the night it started and the night it stopped. I suppose it is the same idea wondering how we got from "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" to "When I Think Of You I Touch Myself". Yes HOUSE PARTY is the innocent side of the coke chopping razor and PARTY MONSTER is the harsh sunlight of next morning.

A true gem

[UniqueParticle · 9/10 · 21 February 2020]

Such a delightful comedy with amazing characters and great fun throughout! Christopher Reid is such a glorious actor to watch for anyone to enjoy. The best thing ever about House Party is how things constantly work out in different variations and the soundtrack is so much fun! Definitely among one of the best party films around even the sequels are enjoyable too.

Wacky little flick.

[OllieSuave-007 · 6/10 · 23 March 2018]

This is a wacky little flick that I saw during 7th grade in class. Lots of forced comedy and wild dialog, but entertaining at certain points. Plenty of my classmates loved it, but I thought it was pretty average though.

Grade C

boring and dull !?

[fanan450 · 2/10 · 14 July 2018]

I like 90's and I watched a lot of movies of this era , so when I decided to watch this movie, I thought it was supposed to be comedy , but it's not ! I watched it until the end ,the whole 1 hour 40 minutes, nothing funny in this garbage . the only thing I found it amusing is the scene when they were dancing but rest of it was so boring .

i will give it 2/10 (just for the dancing scene) , although it deserve zero .

The Mother of All Party Movies!!!!!!

[jmcgee321 · 10/10 · 5 March 2005]

If you want to have a party in your mind, where just drift far far away. Than look no further, because writer/director Reginald Hudlin has made not only one of the best Afro-Americans based film. But also one of the most copied haircuts in recent history.

Play(Christopher Martin) is having this banging HOUSE PARTY with buddy Bilal(Martin Lawrence) DJing. But their best friend Kid(Christopher Reid) can't go because he's Pops(Robin Harris in a terrific performance) grounded him. So he sneaks out to join the party, but face neighborhood bullies(Full Force) and the fact that two girls(Tisha Campbell & A.J. Johnson) like him and wants him to choose between them.

The dance scenes are amazing and the songs are still hype. The acting is great, especially by the late Robin Harris, who will have you laughing at every scene he's in. And George Clinton's cameo is absolutely funny as hell. So enjoy the movie that gave birth to HOW HIGH, SOUL PLANE, and of course CLASS ACT in some ways.

Better than House Party 4!

[booberry_rules · 7/10 · 30 March 2007]

Good comedy right here boys and girls! The year is 1990. Kid n Play decide to make a movie: House Party! They sit around and party in a house, but they do a good job doing it. This ain't no House Party 4 where a bunch of black punks that we haven't heard of are running around trying to be cool by throwing a party at their uncle's house when he goes on a plane to Africa or something like that. There are actually a few mildly funny parts, and House Party 4 had no funny moments whatsoever. Blah blah blah, that movie sucks, and this don't. So if you want to laugh and stuff, watch this. Mkay? House Party is like the first Mario Party. It was fresher.

Wave your hands in the air, everybody!

[film-critic · 5/10 · 8 January 2006]

I am not ashamed to say that this was not a horrible film. Upon finishing this film, I did a bit of research on it and discovered that this pioneer film (prior to the sequels) was actually a favorite among Sundance goers in 1990. Apparently it racked up quite a bit of awards in the "drama" category. While I must say that it was enjoyable to go back to this type of cinema, you know, the parents are away so the kids will play scenario, but I didn't think this was the best this genre had to offer. Director Reginald Hudlin created this film for his thesis at Harvard as well as a benchmark for DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Price, so how did he finally end up with Kid & Play? While I did think that Kid did a decent job with his character, which couldn't have been too far from himself, Play offered nothing new to the film. Martin Lawrence continued to be the most annoying character in the film, while the love interests were clichéd from the start. The music was fun, the dancing was laughable, and the police officers were racist … so does that make for Sundance winning cinema? Personally, there were elements that needed tightened and some that were great the way they were. It wasn't the best film, but House Party did provide for an hour and a half of dusty memories.

The characters were both a high point and the low point of the film. House Party is a classic example of great starting characters that eventually dwindle away before the film officially ends. I thought that Kid did a decent job of being a humorous element, while Play coupled with Martin Lawrence's character were just overly annoying. I couldn't get attached to either of them. It was obvious that Lawrence was working towards his character for his television show Martin throughout this entire film. If you watch his television show and this film you will draw similar comparisons. Play cannot act, and throughout this film it becomes apparently clear that his only true talent was acting because he even looses in the infamous rap competition. Tisha Campbell and AJ Johnson couldn't have been more cliché. I say this with the warmest sympathies, but their characters had no depth, no originality, and carried nothing more than eye candy for the two male leads. Women are handed these roles all the time, there are some that stand forward and say that they demand characters with more personality, but then you also have women like this that needed the paycheck. Thinking back on the cast of this film, I do believe that Hudlin could have put more thought into everyone. If you first pick is not available, there is no need to immediately jump to the bottom of the barrel. Be patient, the best could be right in front of you. The film is worth watching for Kid, his expression in his eyes and face is immaculate, but for the rest, I have watched commercials with better character development.

What about this story? The story was an extremely simple set up. High schoolers trying to go out on a school night to the dance party of the century get caught up in a web of trouble only to discover that what they think is important to them isn't necessarily true. Also, true love lurks around the corner in the darkest of spaces. Does this sound like a familiar Hollywood recycled plot to you? To me it does, but what this film does which takes it out of the recycle bin category is the urban themes that Hudlin ignites. While I thought that your typical film would have centered on a love affair, this urban film instead revolved around Kid trying to be a better lyricist. While some will argue that love is the central focus of this film, I saw his desire to be a better performer to the ultimate moment for our character. In nearly all of his scenes he is attempting to finally be the best at his rap game, and finally, even in the jail cell, he proves that he can handle himself with the best. I liked this focus. I liked seeing Kid evolve throughout the film. What I didn't like, and thought was completely trashy, was the racial undertones that Hudlin threw in the mix. The white police officer jokes were not funny. I thought the point where they took the bullies to the docks and beat them was completely uncalled for and ruined the light tone of this film. Was that funny? This reviewer wasn't laughing at all.

Overall, I thought this was a decent film. I have no doubt in my eyes that the sequels that were spun do not carry the overall excitement that was conveyed in this first film, but for now, House Party was a light, enjoyable film that christened a new range of actors into the Hollywood circuit. Could one safely say that this was the first film to introduce rappers as actors? I haven't seen enough films to make that assumption, but I wouldn't mind making a wager. This is a historical film, but not one that can be watched over and over again. The language seemed a bit strong for the levity of the film, but outside of the key points where Hudlin failed (Lawrence role, white officers, cliché women), I thought that this film quietly fell into place by the end. It reminded me of some of the Feldman/Haim match-ups with an urban flair.

Grade: *** out of *****

A classic, and one of the best hip hop movies

[Groverdox · 8/10 · 28 March 2019]

"House Party" is a classic cult flick and an excellent document of late-Eighties/early-Nineties hip-hop music and style.

The movie is never anything less than entertaining, and often laugh-out-loud funny.

People may have forgotten the hip hop duo Kid 'n Play, who were among the first to bring rap to a younger and less hardcore audience, a la Will Smith. This is unfair: they were fine rappers, and even decent actors. Surprisingly though, "House Party" is the Kid show. Play doesn't make as much of an impression.

There are few wonders to behold as impressive as Kid's geometrically perfect high-top fade hairdo. I would love to see how a hairdresser pulls that off.

It's interesting that the only white characters in the movie are authority figures: a principal and two sort-of racist cops. But that's also just another reason to love it; how many majority African American movies have there been, before or since?

Da Bomb!

[filfy-2 · 7/10 · 21 March 2000]

Kid, of the now-defunct rap duo "Kid-N-Play", is the protagonist in this fun movie about African-American teens trying to throw a party in face of many obstacles.

I saw this movie at the theater wholly expecting a dumb teen flick, but I was surprised at how fresh and entertaining it really is. It's also funny as hell!

A cult film in the making, "House Party" showcases the questionable hairdos, fashions, and rap music of the early '90's. Along with the good performances from the leads, this film also features up-and-comers Tisha Campbell, comedian Martin Lawrence, and dearly departed Robin Harris, the genius behind the HILARIOUS "Bebe's Kids."

I know I'm not the target demographic, but this is still a terrible movie

[cricketbat · 3/10 · 1 October 2022]

At first, I tried to give House Party the benefit of the doubt. After all, I am not a Kid 'n Play fan, I'm not a teen (or rather, a 30-year-old playing a teen), and I'm not black. I initially thought that if I were any of these things, I might be enjoying the movie more because I would then be the target demographic. However, as it progressed and I realized the plot is repetitive, the acting is inconsistent, and the humor is lazy & immature, I realized how pointless watching this movie was. It was a waste of my time. Frankly, I don't see why anyone would accept an invitation to watch House Party.

Loved the clothes, music and humor

[welhof1 · 7/10 · 31 December 2020]

There's a lot to love about hip hop in the early 90's and this movie captured a lot of it. There were a lot of funny little one liners that made you laugh. The main characters were likable and the villains were cool.

I miss house parties from that era and this movie definitely took me back.

RIP Pops!

The magic of the storyline and characters creates a high rewatch value in an Animal House kind of way

[kevin_robbins · 8/10 · 13 December 2021]

House Party (1990) is a movie I recently watched again for the first time in a long time on Netflix. The storyline focuses on a group of best friends in high school that plan on throwing a house party. They will need to thwart some school bullies, parents and other challenges if they hope to throw a legendary process and attract the hunnies...

This movie is directed by Reginald Hudlin (Boomerang) and stars Christopher Reid (Class Act), Christopher Martin (Class Act), Martin Lawrence (Bad Boys), Tisha Campbell (Martin), Robin Harris (Bebe's Kids) and Clifton Powell (Rush Hour).

The soundtrack, attire, slang and circumstances in this are legendary. The cast delivers awesome performances. Martin Lawrence was hilarious in this and I also loved the guy with the bullies that had the crazy voice. The high school conversations and circumstances were fun and Robin Harris was excellent as the father. The magic of the storyline and characters creates a high rewatch value in an Animal House kind of way.

Overall this is an iconic movie that is an absolute must see. I would score this an 8/10 and strongly recommend it.

90's Hip Hop Holds a Special Place in My Heart

[BethLovesHorror · 6/10 · 21 November 2021]

My boyfriend turned this flick on after I had watched a dark film - The Machinist. It was a nice transition for my head because I love the 90's and I love hip hop. Whenever I can't decide what music to listen to, I choose hip hop. I wished there was more rapping in this film because the story seemed all over the place.

I Remembered It Being So Much Better

[view_and_review · 2/10 · 17 February 2020]

Another older movie I should've kept in the memory banks, it was so much better there. Now that I have watched it again I can't believe how wack it was. Kid n' Play cannot act and the plot was lousy. Furthermore, it wasn't a good showcase of the talents of Robin Harris, John Witherspoon, and Martin Lawrence.

The only thing good about the movie was the rap battle between Kid n Play. They weren't the best lyricists, but they did a good job in the battle scene.

1990 was the beginning of the golden era of hip hop and you could see and hear the conversion. Scratching, beatboxing, and gold chains were a thing of the past-- the beats, the chords, and the lyrics were starting to get more sophisticated. The clothes they were wearing in the movie though... those were bufugly back then. Those outfits weren't indicative of the 90's really except maybe the clothes worn by Tisha Campbell and A.J. Johnson. Kid n' Play were hot for a minute and they cashed in on their short lived success. They had a more upbeat party time brand of hip hop which caught on. Kid n' Play, like most artists in the music industry, were better at music than they were at movies.

One of the funniest urban comedies ever made

[DunnDeeDaGreat · 9/10 · 29 June 2002]

House Party is sort of like a urban take on Risky Business in the sense that boy has party when parents go out of town for the weekend but the comparison end there. Kid and Play make one of the first hip hop films of the nineties which had a plot. Many young black comedic actors got their start in this film like Martin Lawerence and AJ Johnson. But the true comedic talent in the film is the late Robin Harris. The world only knows what Harris could have done. The script is smart and the direction by Regiland Hudlin is good.

Where are they now?

[iwatcheverything · 7/10 · 11 October 2003]

Kid and Play. I used to love watching their movies. This has got to be one of their best that was made. This being one of Martin Lawrence's first is great also. He is as funny as he is now.

The guy who plays Pops is also hilarious. This movie is just plain fun and funny. If you have a night where you could use some laughs then you might want to rent this. They do stress the Bad Cops thing alot, but you know, that was funny too. Check it out when you get a chance.

If you're still jiggy with hip-hop, see this movie.

[emm · 5/10 · 8 March 1999]

This definitely deserves a spot in the "cult classic" category. A truckload of jiggy dialogue would have greater impact on serving to a limited audience without mass hysteria. The funny moments ensue the lack of horrid raunchiness, making this aged film a step above CAN'T HARDLY WAIT. I hate to go back to the first time I entered high school. That's when hair-dos styled inches high made life miserable. HOUSE PARTY is good if you like to go back to those wild days. It isn't bad for the comedy, for which Kid & Play did best at it. Just don't complain about the expensive power bill that shows up after you've wasted a good 100+ minutes on a relic that been way past its prime.

dance the running man

[Yukster_uk · 9/10 · 24 September 2002]

very funny, energetic film with a great dance sequence and a really funny song in the prison. Kid and Play are a great double act and the writing is high quality. I saw a bit of this other Kid and Play film called Class Act and it wasn't half as good because all the jokes were predictable. You can't help but be cheered up by seeing House Party: the ancient, unused condom- how true.

The Black Beach Party

[Sargebri · 1 April 2005]

This had to be one of the funnier comedies of the early 1990's. It helped to create more positive images of young black teens rather than showing the more negative aspects. Most of the films about young blacks up until then had been about them either being in gangs or on drugs. At least in this film you see the kids getting into mischief without getting into any real trouble. However, the only negative thing I have to say about the film is not about the film itself, but about the seemingly endless series of sequels that seemed to follow. To me the only the first film should be seen and not the sequels because they pretty much undermined the quality of the first film. Also, the series almost seemed to become an African-American version of the "Beach Party" films, where there pretty much was no plot and just gave the actors an excuse to party. Other than that, this is still a good film.

Another note about this film. The thing that really stood out about the film was the performance of comedian Robin Harris as Kid's father. His performance pretty much helped to sell the film for me. Unfortunately, a few months after the film was released Harris died from an apparent heart attack at the much too young age of 36 and just as he was about to achieve stardom. So, this film, while enjoyable, is also a very bittersweet experience.

The Dopest Teen Comedy Ever

[MJL_Uncensored · 10/10 · 29 March 2018]

When I was growing up, John Hughes created some of the more notable coming-of-age films in cinematic history. Classics like Ferris Bueller, The Breakfast Club, and the wildly inappropriate Weird Science (we will cover that at another time) were fun to watch over and over again. However, I remember thinking how few teen movies there were with people of color. Of course, there was Cooley High in the 70's, but after that, there wasn't much that resonated like those films. Luckily, the Hudlin brothers-along with candy-coated rap sensations Kid 'n Play--an instant classic is born.

While most people think House Party is primarily about two friends trying to throw the dopest party in school-which they achieve-it is secretly a story about an overworked father named Pops (Robin Harris) trying to raise a teenage son, on his own. Pops was well aware of the dangers that affected young black males, so more than anything; he wanted to keep his son close to home, educated, and out of trouble. However, what would a movie about teenagers be without them making rebellious decisions, and luckily, Kid takes everyone on a fun journey through a black suburb to make it to his friend Play's party. Keep in mind, it may seem insignificant now, but black kids in a friendly suburban neighborhood was a rare onscreen appearance. These were not the stereotypical black kids from a troubled area; they were smart, good kids who only wanted to party and get laid.

After getting into a fight at school, and to keep him safe, Pop puts Kid on punishment. Kid sneaks out any way to attend Play's party and finds himself pursued by the same bullies who attacked him in school-a stooge-like trio played side-splittingly by R&B group Full Force. Never mind that these dudes look like they should be seniors in college; Full Force are the perfect foils to Kid's savvy wit and consistent stroke of good luck. Along the way, Kid 'n Play find time for love, or sex if you are Play. Both men a bestowed two beautiful young ladies to pursue in the form of the lovely AJ Johnson (Sharane) and Tisha Campbell-Martin (Sidney). Both guys are after Sharane-the bad girl in the bodysuit. While Sidney-the sweet suburban girl-longs to be noticed in the shadow of her sexy best friend. All of these elements are blended with Pops hunt to retrieve his son from this party while dealing with two moronic, and bigoted cops that keep popping up and the most inconvenient times.

Almost thirty years after it is original release, House Party is as enjoyable the 100th time as it was the 1st time. The themes in House Party are timeless. The jokes are still funny, and the cast is a pure cinematic joy. Kid 'n Play became bigger stars on the screen than they ever were as rappers, and that is a good thing. Both actors play well off each other, and they're charisma keeps the movie and light and smooth pace. Moreover, if that was not enough to get you interested, there's a young Martin Lawrence who shows you an earlier taste of his comedic genius and near the midpoint of the film, is without a doubt, one of the best dance battles in movie history. House Party is a rousing good time for all and a movie that deserves to be considered as one of the best comedy and teen movies...period.