Plot: What’s it about?
John-John (Marques Houston) is supposed to go to school while his sister watches their rich uncle’s house, but he decides to fake illness to assume that task. His sister protests of course, but after some awful Ferris Bueller ripoff techniques, John-John is allowed to watch his uncle’s house, but he plans to do more than watch. After some drilling from his uncle about not touching anything, he quickly calls up his two best mates and invites them over, so as to begin the plans for a massive party, the one to end all parties, of course. He even dresses up like a woman in order to spring his woman from school, but his antics catch the eye of a teacher, who plans to track down the truth of the issue, to be sure. So now he has his buddies and his woman at his side, so he sends his friends out to get snacks and focuses on his uncle’s Rolodex, where he hopes to find some musical entertainment for his bash. But will this party go off without a hitch, or will his sister and a meddling teacher ensure that he is busted, with extreme prejudice?
I have to admit it, I liked House Party and the two sequels that followed it, even if they were bad, I was always entertained by them. But when I heard about a fourth film in the series and this time without Kid & Play, I knew something rotten was on the horizon. As it turns out, I was correct and this movie is miserable, one of the worst comedies I’ve ever seen. The guys from Immature were in the third House Party and they’re the stars here, but there’s no other connection to the other movies, which is a real let down. Marques Houston gives one of the worst performances I’ve ever seen, as if he were reading cue cards from start to finish, shameful stuff indeed. I knew this would be a bad movie, but I had hoped it would be bad enough to laugh at, but I laughed only a couple times and that was due to the poor acting, not the intended humor. A weak storyline, weak jokes, weak cast, and a weak premise all keep this one tied to the ground and I simply cannot fathom how this was made, as it sucks from the second the menu loads up. If you’re a masochist, then give this steaming pile a rental, but don’t say I didn’t warn you…
Video: How does it look?
House Party IV is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, with a full frame edition also included on this dual layered disc. The image is crisp and well presented, but seems a little dark at times, though not to an extreme degree. The contrast is usually smooth and well balanced, but a couple of scenes look too dark, which lessens the visual impact. But the colors are bold and show no problems, while flesh tones remain warm and natural. A few small flaws aside, this is a very good visual presentation, though not up to New Line’s usual standards.
Audio: How does it sound?
This disc uses a very good Dolby Digital 5.1 track, but aside from the soundtrack, there’s not much to talk about here. The bass reliant soundtrack is powerful however, so the surrounds do see some action and that adds depth to the whole presentation. The sound effects bounce to the rears at times, but usually remain in the front channels, as intended. The dialogue is clean and crisp also, with no errors to report in the least. This disc also includes a 2.0 surround option, as well as English subtitles, should you need those.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes some talent files, a music video from IMX, and a brief behind the scenes featurette.
