Man of the House (1995 film)
| Man of the House | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | James Orr |
| Produced by | Bonnie Bruckheimer Marty Katz |
| Screenplay by | James Orr Jim Cruickshank |
| Story by | David E. Peckinpah Richard Jefferies |
| Starring | |
| Narrated by | Jonathan Taylor Thomas |
| Music by | Mark Mancina |
| Cinematography | Jamie Anderson |
| Edited by | Harry Keramidas |
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Production
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| Distributed by | Buena Vista Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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96 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $22 million |
| Box office | $40,070,995 |
Man of the House is a 1995 American comedy film starring Chevy Chase, Farrah Fawcett and Jonathan Taylor Thomas. The film is about a boy (Thomas) who must come to terms with his potential stepfather (Chase), a well-meaning lawyer who is unknowingly the subject of a manhunt by relatives of a man he helped land in prison. It was shot in Los Angeles and Vancouver.
Six-year-old Ben Archer watches silently as his father starts up his car and drives away with his secretary, and they both offer only a wave out the window in parting. His mother, Sandy (Fawcett), can only watch heartbroken from the window of their house as her ex-husband leaves them. Ben’s father promised to visit him, yet never comes back.
They are both upset, but they decide to have a fresh start, so they move into a loft apartment in downtown Seattle to begin a new life with just the two of them. Sandy makes creative efforts to turn it into a home for them. They gradually overcome his father leaving and foster a very close bond with important rituals and routines, including making a collage with beach debris. Sandy develops an interest in dating, but her suitors never fit well and don’t last long, which allows Ben’s ideal relationship with his mother to resume. Five years later, however, Sandy decides she’s ready for marriage again, and begins seriously dating U.S. Attorney Jack Sturges (Chase).
In Federal Court, Jack successfully prosecutes mobster Frank Renda for drug trafficking. Before being sentenced to fifty years in federal prison at Sheridan, the elderly Frank makes a veiled threat of revenge towards Jack. After court is adjourned, Frank’s son Joey rephrases the threat in a more intimidating manner, but Jack does not back down and then dismisses him entirely.
Sandy and Jack discuss his moving in, of which eleven-year-old Ben (Thomas) does not approve despite his mother’s reassurance that it is only a trial period. Jack is confident he can win him over, telling Sandy he has read every book on step-parenting he could find. The transition does not go smoothly for Ben, as he resentfully feels he is the one suffering all of the adjustments and that his mother is making the same mistake she made with his father, so he resorts to ensuring Jack is as uncomfortable and unwelcome as possible. Jack tries taking the subterfuge in stride, not realizing it is deliberate, but his efforts to connect with the boy are met with irritation as he only succeeds in disrupting Ben’s customary lifestyle.
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