Bet against The House (2017)

The House is the newest film from Andre Jay Cohen, the man who brought you Neighbors, Neighbors 2, and Mike and Dave need Wedding Dates. The cast is funny and there are some laughs, but ultimately the film fails. The plot, which could have been just fine for a comedy, seems lost in subplots that don’t go anywhere and improved bits.

The House doesn’t succeed

Scott (Will Ferrell) and Kate (Amy Poehler) are extremely proud of their daughter Alex (Ryan Simpkins) getting into her dream school. But after the scholarship they were counting on falls through, they are left with their friend Frank’s (Jason Mantzoukas) idea to start an illegal casino. This premise should work, but there is a whole thing with Nick Kroll and Allison Tolman that seems like it was supposed to have a bigger role, but got cut into a smaller, wasted plotline.

It would be nice to see Jason Mantzoukas start to get lead roles. He has some of the biggest, and only, laughs in this film and often steals the scenes he shares with Ferrell and Poehler. Poehler and Ferrell have some chemistry, but the scenes where they are clearly riffing never quite develop into comedy gold. It’s not to say they don’t get some laughs, but it isn’t the level that either have achieved in their other roles.

Lots of funny people doesn’t always add up to funny scenes

The cast includes comedy regulars Nick Kroll, Rob Huebel, Cedric Yarbrough, Kyle Kinane, Rory Scovel, and Lennon Parham. They all get a moment or two to show off their comedic chops. However, the integration into the plot often leads to random scenes loosely connected. Particularly Kroll’s role in the film as Bob. He is essentially the villain and the character feels forced into the plot. The movie would have played better had his character been left as just another comedic point and let the drama between parents and daughter be the main conflict.

Will Ferrell often makes me laugh despite the stupidity of his films. However, The House often left me with a stone face. Had this film decided to just be a series of funny scenes it could have worked better than the troubled plot it ends up using. The House earns the Not a Total Waste of Time rating.