House Party (2023) DVD review

Feb 23, 2023- Permalink

The 1990 film House Party, which starred Kid and Play, was inducted in 2022 into the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry as a “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” film. The 2023 remake, which lists LeBron James as one of its producers, doesn’t have that honour in its future. Warner Brothers has just released the film on Blu-ray and DVD. Many reviewers have received DVD copies, presumably so as not to throw good money after bad. I received a DVD copy and as the WB likes disclaimers, here goes: Though Warner Brothers provided me with a copy of this release to review, the thoughts and opinions below are mine.

The movie stars Tosin Cole and Jacob Latimore as two friends working as house cleaners as they struggle to make it as party promoters. They’re both facing big bills and need money ASAP. When they learn they’re being fired from their cleaning jobs, they decide to throw a massive party at the house they’re working on, hoping that the cover charge will settle their debts. It just so happens that the house belongs to LeBron James and that’s where the fireworks start. Well, damp fireworks. It’s not that House Party is truly awful — you’ll laugh occasionally — it’s just that it’s the type of film you’ll forget before the end credits are over.

As mentioned, I was given a DVD to review, so in this format it doesn’t have amazing detail. The colour palette is fine and though some detail is lost in the shadows and dark scenes, it’s not like there’s a ton of crushing either.

On the audio side, House Party comes with English and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks and subtitles. Dialogue is clear and the bass pounds during the music elements.

The DVD does not come with a digital code, nor are there any extras.

If you simply must watch House Party, I’d recommend catching it on a streaming service.