FlashCallahan Peter Sanderson is a divorced attorney who still loves his ex-wife and can't figure out what he did wrong to make her leave. Peter's trying to move on, and he's smitten with barrister he's been chatting to online. When she comes to his house for their first date, she isn't a lawyer. Instead, it's Charlene, a prison escapee who's proclaiming her innocence and wants Peter to help her clear her name. But Peter wants nothing to do with her, prompting Charlene to turn Peter's perfectly ordered life upside down, jeopardising his efforts to get back with his wife and win a very prolific client.....What could have been just another formulaic comedy about two people who couldn't be more opposite if they tried, is lifted from the mundane thanks to the wonderful performances from Martin, Latifah, and a scene stealing Levy, as the straight laced jive talking wannabe boyfriend.Martin has done this role a dozen times before, and here, he goes for the 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it approach', and for a film like this, it's perfectly fine.It's always fun to see the atypical middle class American man become an almost nervous wreck because someone has disrupted his perfect life.And here, Latifah is that someone, and instead of making her the stereotypical loud mouth from the 'hood', the writers have rightfully made her character three dimensional, and very likable to boot.The comedy here sometimes verges on the offensive, for example, Betty Whites character is totally unnecessary as the casual racist, but obviously, the writers wanted her to be more of an ignoramus, rather than how she is depicted, and it just doesn't sit well.Plowright pops up as the potential client, and again, although she is very good, the scene when they are having dinner, stinks of casual racism.I know it's not the writers intentions to make this film quite uncomfortable at times, but the film can laugh at itself on occasion, and the chemistry between the two leads is wonderful.If your a Martin fan, this is a must, he recaptures the magic he had in the eighties, and this could be the last good thing he ever did.

Python Hyena Bringing Down the House (2003): Dir: Adam Shankman / Cast: Steve Martin, Queen Latifah, Joan Plowright, Eugene Levy, Jean Smart: Deadpan comedy dread about change in both lifestyles and attitudes. Steve Martin plays a lawyer recently separated from his wife so he subdues himself to e-mail chat rooms. He plans a date only to discover that his blonde beauty is really a black felon played by Queen Latifah. She wants Martin to reopen her case involving four years in prison for a crime she did not commit. Routine setup follows formula until it evaporates into a standard climax. Directed by Adam Shankman who previously made A Walk to Remember and the pathetic chick flick The Wedding Planner. This doesn't improve his choice in films despite the talent who chose to waste their time on it. Latifah is a fine actress but she has potential that goes way beyond the routine formula driven predictable drivel she is given here. Martin plays his regular comic routine that worked much better in other films such as Bowfinger and The Jerk. Joan Plowright plays a wealthy client that turns out to be more a plot prop than anything else. Eugene Levy recites his American Pie role only to a much lesser degree. Jean Smart plays Martin's ex-wife and that is about the extent of her role. Routine Martin comedy so pathetically bland that it brings down more than the house. Score: 2 / 10

Dana Notmyrealname I'd say the movie demonstrates upper class living, with membership to the club with a pool and a golf course and driving nice cars? in Los Angeles? If this is middle class then my condo-owning workaday world with an 11 year old VW is the ghetto.Really fun movie, had to keep myself from switching channels a couple times but mostly watchable, and even a solid real laugh out loud from Queen's stellar performance. Nice to see August in something besides 2.5 men. Betty White was charmingly hilarious, as was Virginia Arness, who played the high-brow old-world slave-owning aging débutant to a 'T'. They 'fixed' all that with a club scene to remember!

John E This film relied on poor quality and outdated racial stereotypes for its humour. In general, the script wasn't particularly funny and a fair bit of it bordered upon unpleasant. For example, were there, in 2003, really still neighbourhoods in the US where the sight of a black person would cause great surprise (note Betty White's contribution)? The film lacked heart and humour and was predictable throughout - I find it quite hard to believe that those involved became and remained involved on a project such as this. Final thought; about half way through the film Steve Martin mentioned a potential career to Queen Latifah but, in the end, the script writers couldn't even be bothered to give her character this. Instead they just had her doing a bit of hairdressing!! Oh dear!!