Man of the House

MAN OF THE HOUSE (Stephen Herek, 2005)

Tommy Lee Jones plays a Texas Ranger assigned to protect five University of Texas cheerleaders in the comedy MAN OF THE HOUSE. The girls witnessed a murder, so to keep them out of harm’s way the crusty officer is required to pose as a cheerleading coach and move into their home.

The blog Query Letters I Love features funny but awful movie proposals that a studio executive receives, dismisses, and posts on the net for our amusement. The premise for MAN OF THE HOUSE may not be as bad as the pitch for the futuristic thriller about a guy suffering from seagull herpes, but it still sounds like a joke. To Jones’ credit, he pulls off his part. The film isn’t particularly funny or logical within its set-up--dumb cheerleader jokes and the lame crime elements can only go so far--but Jones plugs away as if he’s working with better material. Director Stephen Herek keeps the tone light and avoids mean-spiritedness. Herek hasn’t made a good movie, but MAN OF THE HOUSE is an amiable trifle that might be a guilty pleasure if it were better.

Grade: C-

(Review first aired on the March 1, 2005 NOW PLAYING)