Rating: 3/5
Mild Spoiler Warning
I never watched the first House Party until the night before I went to the theater to see the reboot. It was pretty funny and was unapologetically showed the black experience of having fun partying. Kid’ N Play was really memorable with Kid (Christopher Reid) finally getting Sydney’s (Tisha Campbell) attention while trying to avoid Stab (Paul George)and his cronies and his Pop (the late Robin Harris). It was a simple story until House Party 2 and its sequels made it a cartoon. 33 years later, we got a rebooted House Party in the year 2023, and here’s what I think: the 1990s called…they want the original House Party back.
Young LA club promoters and best friends Kevin (Jacob Latimore) and Damon (Tosin Cole) are trying to make ends meet to provide for themselves and Kevin’s daughter, Destiny. During their latest house cleaning job at a mansion, they discover the house they are cleaning belongs to the one and only Lebron James (the executive producer of this movie). Their “genius” idea is to throw a house party in King James’s house and make enough money to provide for Destiny. Here’s the age-old question in every movie: what could possibly go wrong?
Almost everything goes wrong in this movie. The screenwriting is a watered-down hollow version of the original and is too serious. The flimsy motivation is recycled from the plot of House Party 2, where Play (Christopher Martin) throws a pajama party to make up for Kid losing his scholarship money. Latimore’s Kevin is the more relatable character to a certain degree, while Cole’s Damon is the type of friend who would put someone into a mess. They are the antithesis of Kid N’ Play where they were having fun, yet are cordial with class. Kevin and Damon of the 2023 reboot have no class.
Some of the comedy in this movie was admittedly funny including many from the new “Stab” gang which goes overboard on certain jokes. The supporting cast was functional, but sometimes you hardly get time to know them. It’s a film revolving around cameos of famous rappers and stars, including Kid Cudi, Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, Mya, Tinashe, Juvenile, Lena Waithe, etc. It feels like a forced advertisement for the next album or the NBA playoffs. I just don’t understand it.
The reboot makes me have more respect for the original. It shares the same mistakes as the sequels after the first movie, trying too hard and doing too much with something so simple. Too many coincidences and contrivances just happen for the sake of having a “story”. Even the party itself feels more like a charity event, whereas the party in the 1990 original feels like you’re stress-free and having a good time. Now that’s a damn shame.
HYPERSPACE 
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