Starring Christopher "Kid" Reid, Christopher "Play" Martin, Martin Lawrence, and Robin Harris
Directed by Reginald Hudlin
Music and Lyrics by various
With the remake now playing in theaters, I thought it was high time to revisit the original wild teen dance party. Kid n' Play were a popular duo in the then-up-and-coming world of rap and hip-hop. This new sound left the cities in the late 80's and early 90's to finally find mainstream popularity, even on Saturday morning television. This came out in the spring, ahead of Kid n' Play's animated cartoon that debuted in the fall. How does this early look at teen rap culture come off today, after much grittier hip-hop films have debuted? Let's start with Chris "Kid" Robinson (Reid) as he begins his day and find out...
The Story: At their high school, Kid's best friend Peter "Play" Martin (Martin) announces he's having a big house party for all the kids in the neighborhood that night, since his parents are on vacation. Kid would love to go...if he hadn't gotten into a huge fight in the school cafeteria with local bully Slab ("Paul Anthony" George). His father (Harris) grounds him, but he sneaks out anyway.
Kid doesn't have much luck, even after he manages to escape. He first runs into Slab and his buddies again, then ends up in a college frat reunion party to avoid them. When the bullies invade that, he ducks away, only to run into the local cops. He does manage to get to the party after they harass Slab (and his father), only to get into a rap battle with Play, the girl he has a crush on, Sydney (Tisha Campbell), and her friend Sharane (A.J Johnson). He does go home with Sydney, but she's not happy about him flirting with Sharane at the party. Not to mention, Slab's still out there looking for him, as are the police and his father.
The Song and Dance: You can't get much more early 90's than this movie. The boys wear either tight muscle shirts or snazzy, bright-colored suits, ties, and fedoras, while the ladies go for slouchy cardigans or barely anything. There's more energy in this movie than there are in most other films released that year. While they're not the best actors in the world, Martin and Reid are appealing comedians, and there's early performances from Campbell as the girl Kid's crazy about and Martin Lawrence as Play's DJ buddy Bilal. Harris also has a few hilarious moments as Kid's strict and very tough father who will make a man out of his son if it kills them both.
Favorite Number: "Hey Love" is the number at the frat party that Kid tries to update by having the DJ turn the 50's doo wop into 90's rap. It actually goes over pretty well...until Slab and his buddies charge in after Kid! "To Da Break of Dawn" is the first number the kids dance to at the party, but it's the vibrant title song that really gets them moving. There's also "Kid n' Play," their big duet at the party, and the song that provides the boys vs. girls rap dance showdown. Kid nervously performs "Fun House" in jail to the inmates to keep them from attacking him.
Trivia: This movie was such a hit in 1990, it inspired five sequels to date, three of which featured Kid n' Play.
Robin Harris improvised most of his dialogue, including the monologue over the credits where Kid's father punishes him with a strap for all the trouble he caused.
The party sequence really was filmed at Play's real-life home in Los Angeles.
House Party was originally offered to DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince.
What I Don't Like: Did I mention how of-its-time this movie is? Let's begin with almost none of the high schoolers were actually teens. Play was pushing 30 by the time this came out, and Lawrence and Kid were in their mid-20's. Kid's passable, but the other two don't look anywhere near their teens. Second, a lot of the jokes and gags plain haven't dated well, from the treatment of its female characters to the sequence under the credits when Harris gives Kid his beating. (Granted, we don't actually see it, and what we do hear is so over-the-top it's almost hilarious, but it's still not something they'd get away with today.) Third, Kid n' Play themselves are barely remembered for anything besides the House Party franchise nowadays, and they lack fellow rapper Will Smith's charisma and acting abilities.
Oh, and heed the R rating. Heavy swearing, violence, and sexual situations makes this absolutely not for young rap lovers.
The Big Finale: Dated but still funny, with some darn good music if you're a fan of the more upbeat and comic rap from the late 80's and early 90's.
Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming, often bundled with its sequels.
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