Bringing Down the House

"Everything he needed to know about life, she learned in prison."

2003 1h 45m EN

😐

6.0

MID

★6.0TMDB · 766

ComedyDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Uptight lawyer Peter Sanderson wants to dive back into dating after his divorce and has a hard time meeting the right women. He tries online dating and lucks out when he starts chatting with a fellow lawyer. The two agree to meet in the flesh, but the woman he meets — an escaped African-American convict named Charlene — is not what he expected. Peter is freaked out, but Charlene tries to convince him to take her case and prove her innocence. Along the way, she wreaks havoc on his middle-class life as he gets a lesson in learning to lighten up.

“Everything he needed to know about life, she learned in prison.”

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Cast

Steve Martin
Peter Sanderson
Queen Latifah
Charlene Morton
Eugene Levy
Howie Rottman
Joan Plowright
Mrs. Virginia Arness
Jean Smart
Kate Sanderson
Kimberly J. Brown
Sarah Sanderson
Angus T. Jones
Georgey Sanderson
Missi Pyle
Ashley

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Adam Shankman
Writers: Jason Filardi
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 6.6× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 23 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CAST

Did you know

255+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Adam Shankman, shot by Julio Macat. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Lalo Schifrin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Editor Gerald B. Greenberg shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Steve Martin and Queen Latifah and Eugene Levy carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Everything he needed to know about life, she learned in prison.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Adam Shankman directs. Julio Macat behind the camera. Lalo Schifrin scores. Gerald B. Greenberg cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 6.6× over at the box office.
2Released 23 years ago.
3255+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
4Directed by Adam Shankman, shot by Julio Macat. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Lalo Schifrin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Gerald B. Greenberg shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Steve Martin and Queen Latifah and Eugene Levy carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Everything he needed to know about life, she learned in prison.".
9IMDB entry: tt0305669 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 26 themes, including "prison", "workaholic", "parent child relationship", "love at first sight".