Plot: What’s it about?
Roland Sharp (Tommy Lee Jones) is a tough as nails, no nonsense Texas Ranger, the kind of man who no criminal wants to cross paths with. He has a reputation as the best in his field, so whenever it is on the line, he is called in to handle the situation. But his personal life hasn’t been such a success, as his devotion to his work has caused him problems at home. His marriage ended in divorce and while he loves his daughter Emma (Shannon Marie Woodworth), he has trouble letting her know how he feels. His latest manhunt produced a key witness, but as the witness was being taken in, a sniper turned the situation into chaos. The shooter follows the witness down an alley and finishes him off, unaware that five witnesses have seen his crime. The witnesses are five perky, young cheerleaders, all with attitudes. Now Sharp has to protect these young women and at the same time, try to help them identify the shooter. But when the situation turns into a lot more than he expected, can this tough as nails Texas Ranger handle the pressure?
I have to admit, I only sat down with Man of the House because of the five super hot females on the cover, shallow, I know. I was not disappointed in that regard, as the five cheerleaders are highly attractive and often parade on screen in minimal clothing. But not to worry, as this is covered in the storyline and yes, Tommy Lee keeps his hands off the nubile young ladies. Aside from the hotties, I wasn’t that impressed with this movie, not because it was bad, however. I had a few laughs, but this is just the same kind of story we’ve seen over and over, with some minor tweaks. I don’t mind rehashes, but I do expect them to be funny and while it has some moments, Man of the House isn’t consistently entertaining. Even my mom, who loves these kind of movies, didn’t think it was that good. Jones is fun to watch, but again, the material just isn’t loaded with enough laughs to make the comedy side work. But if you are out of options for a rental and you like scantily clad cheerleaders, then Man of the House is worth a chance.
Video: How does it look?
Man of the House is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, with a full frame version also included on this dual layered disc. This is another razor sharp transfer from Sony, one with no real issues to complain about. The print used look good and I saw minimal errors in terms of compression, so a solid base is present from the start. The colors in this movie are juiced at times, very rich and bright, but I saw no signs of bleeds and smears. I was impressed by that, as this movie uses some pretty intense reds and greens, with no flaws present in the least. The contrast is also up to the task, as detail level is high and black levels look stark & well balanced. I think this transfer is just short of reference, no real complaints to file with this one.
Audio: How does it sound?
This disc uses a very active Dolby Digital 5.1 track, so your speakers will see much more action than you might expect from a comedy. The film’s soundtrack sounds excellent in this mix and comes off in immersive form, very effective in the end. As far as sound effects, I heard a lot of surround use, but not always in high impact form. So, there’s a lot of subtle and medium level surround use, as well as a decent amount of high impact audio as well. I was very pleased with how expansive this mix was, so I doubt anyone will be let down in the least. I never had a problem hearing the dialogue though, which is good since it is the heart of this audio presentation. This disc also includes a French language track, as well as subtitles in English and French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes two behind the scenes featurette, each of which runs about twenty minutes. The first focuses on how the girls were prepared to become cheerleaders, as they were put through the paces in a special cheer camp. The interviews are fun, as the young ladies are candid and provide humorous comments, so this one is worth a look. The second is a standard behind the scenes piece, with clips from the movie mixed in with some cast and crew interviews. Not an in depth scope of the production, but a light and brisk look behind the curtain, so again, worth a look if you enjoyed the movie.
