When it comes to day-in-the-life hangout movies about teenage characters and parties, a handful of titles immediately come to mind, such as American Graffiti (1973), Dazed and Confused (1993), and Superbad (2007). Evidently, very few teen-focused films have revolved around black characters, even during the 1980s or 1990s, when the teen film was at its commercial peak (particularly thanks to John Hughes films like The Breakfast Club (1985)), with black representation within teen films still proving relatively hard to come by today.
House Party, written and directed by Reginald Hudlin (and based upon his senior thesis film of the same name), is a 1990 movie made with the intention to challenge this fact. House Party is a day-in-the-life teen film starring the real life rap duo Kid ‘N Play (though it was originally penned for DJ Jazzy Jeff and Will Smith) which focuses particularly on Kid’s efforts to get to a house party being thrown by Play while avoiding punishment from his overworked father, beatings from a trio of school bullies (played by three members of Full Force) and the film’s only two white characters – two bumbling but insidious cops who take joy in stalking these teens around and trying to create problems within their community.
Crammed with hip-hop instrumentals, impromptu rap sequences and battles (no major surprise given the rap duo at its centre) as well as joyously colourful costume design, House Party is a quick-moving and light on its feet 100-minute comedy full of fun, quippy dialogue and characters realised well enough for the audience to care for them. Beyond the relative simplicity of its plot lies a genuine thoughtfulness that reveals itself in a number of relatively subtle ways. These include the sometimes emotive representation of Kid’s father, clearly overworked as he returns home from a night shift, prepares a large breakfast for Kid and then falls asleep with his boots on. Also, there are the questions the film asks regarding the police’s treatment of the black community, as seen when the trio of bullies are whisked away by the police and beaten as punishment in a bid to avoid having to file extra paperwork. Extra intelligence is shown in response to this moment, too, when these bullies later state that their pained prides have them wanting to inflict that same pain onto other characters around them, helpless to do anything else in the face of police corruption.
These themes are, obviously, quite dark, but Hudlin does well to balance them out with a lot of the simplistic joys of youth, from the special times of simply relaxing with your best friends to the anticipation of an approaching party. In a number of ways, House Party is a more commercial version of what Steve McQueen would later make with Lover’s Rock (2020), both films being about the numerous emotions experienced during the buildup to, the duration of, and the moments after a house party. Neither film shies away from the harsh realities that exist outside their sacred parties, but places a clear emphasis on the importance of the escapism found within them.
For the most part, House Party plays as an engaging and snappy comedy, driven by a sturdy leading performance from Kid, well supported by Martin Lawrence’s first ever major performance, cameos from George Clinton and John Witherspoon and a great performance from the late Robin Harris as Kid’s father who heads out into the night searching for his son in order to punish him for leaving the house while grounded. The charisma of these actors and their characters is essential. Without them, the film would simply fall apart.
House Party may not completely reinvent the wheel of teen movies, but the liveliness of the comedy is consistently entertaining and what it does in terms of representation should be appreciated. This is no masterpiece, but there are many worse ways to spend 100 minutes than with Hudlin’s quietly unconventional and sometimes surprisingly thoughtful teen comedy.
Director approved 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Special Edition Features
- New 4K digital restoration, supervised by director of photography Peter Deming and approved by writer-director Reginald Hudlin, with 4.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
- One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
- New audio commentary featuring Hudlin
- New conversation featuring Hudlin, producer Warrington Hudlin, and film scholar Racquel Gates
- New cast reunion featuring actors B-Fine, Bowlegged Lou, and the Legend Paul Anthony of Full Force; Tisha Campbell; AJ Johnson; Christopher “Play” Martin; Daryl “Chill” Mitchell; and Christopher “Kid” Reid
- House Party (1983), the student short by Reginald Hudlin on which his feature is based
- Trailer
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- PLUS: An essay by author Michael Harriot and a new cover by Gabe Tiberino
House Party will be released on 4K-UHD and Blu-Ray via The Criterion Collection on 2 February.
