I have liked Steve Martin for years. I think he is really funny and I’ve seen many of his movies. I have also liked Goldie Hawn for a long time. In 1992, they made a movie, Housesitter, together. I went to see it in the theater and have seen it a few other times since then. I just caught it again on television.

Newton Davis had been in love with Becky Metcalf since they were in high school. Newton was an architect. He designed and built a house to propose to Becky. She turned him down. He was upset and was talking about the situation to a waitress, Gwen. Newton didn’t think she understood English at first, so he was just ranting. Gwen did finally admit that she could speak English. She did tell a few other lies while they were talking. Newton went back to her place with her and ended up spending the night. Newton was gone when Gwen woke up the next morning. He had left behind a sketch of the house he’d built.

Gwen traveled to Newton’s hometown and found the house. It was unlocked so she went in and walked all around. Gwen then stopped at the small grocery store in town. She told the owner that she was Newton’s wife so what she bought could be added to his account. She then met Newton’s parents, Edna and George. She told them the same lie about being Newton’s wife and added some others as well. Gwen also met Becky. Gwen furnished the house with Edna’s help. Newton stopped at the house and was shocked to find it furnished and Gwen living there. She didn’t see anything wrong with the fact that she had been lying to everyone in town. Newton was very upset and wanted her out. Then Becky stopped by and seemed more interested in Newton since he was taken. Newton did some thinking and decided he could work the situation to his advantage. He got Gwen to agree to keep up the lie about being married for a while, but they would have problems and get a divorce. Newton thought he could get Becky back. He was also trying to use the situation to get a promotion.

Over the years, I have seen many of Steve Martin’s movies. Some of them have been sillier than others, and I still enjoyed his performance. I like silly movies sometimes. I think he is very funny and I tend to want to see all of his movies. I loved him in Looney Tunes: Back in Action as the Chairman. He was very silly in that part, but I thought it fit the part and the movie. He has been more restrained in other roles, though his characters usually end up having a fit or melt down at some point. Newton wasn’t one of the craziest characters he’s played, but he did have his moments. Newton was more reserved, but he did go overboard at times, like when he built a house to propose instead of getting a ring. Martin was very good in the part. He had some funny reactions to some of what Gwen said or did. He got pulled into the web of lies Gwen concocted and even spun a few of his own. He did come up with some creative stories once he joined in the lying. I loved Goldie Hawn as Gwen. She had the perfect bubbly personality for the part. She was also funny. She invented some interesting stories at the drop of a hat. Those stories built and led to other lies before culminating in something very funny that happened near the end of the movie. I can’t imagine anyone else in these parts. Martin and Hawn worked very well together.

There was a love triangle going on in Housesitter. Newton had been in love with Becky for years. She seemed to want to keep him as just a friend until she thought he was taken. Then Becky was very interested in Newton. Becky acted like a good girl when she was first shown, but she showed a bit of a bad side later when she seemed willing to mess around with Newton when she thought he was married. I thought that Dana Delany was very good in the part. She has played other characters that were nice girls, but she has also played other types of characters as well. Newton was heartbroken when Becky turned him down. He was still sad when he first met Gwen. There was some attraction between them since they ended up sleeping together that night. Gwen seemed to feel more of a connection to Newton than he did at that point since after their one night she tracked down his house and moved herself in. Gwen knew how Newton felt about Becky from the beginning of their unique relationship, but Gwen was still hurt when Newton tried to pursue Becky. The relationships of the characters were complicated, partly because of the lies that were told by Gwen and then Newton. There were no sex scenes in the movie. Gwen and Newton did sleep together, but that wasn’t shown. Gwen was shown waking up the next morning alone. Her bare back was shown. That was it for any nudity. There really wasn’t anything offensive related to the romance part of the movie, but some people could be bothered by the fact that Gwen and Newton jumped into bed so fast. There were some surprises here and there in the movie, but the outcome wasn’t that surprising. Romantic comedies are usually predictable. I wasn’t bothered by the fact that the movie was somewhat predictable because it was entertaining.

Basically the entire plot of Housesitter revolved around lies. When Gwen and Newton first met, she let him think she was from another country and didn’t understand English for a while. That caused him to rant about his problems with Becky. He was a bit condescending to Gwen when he thought she couldn’t understand him. When she did let him know that she wasn’t from another country, she came up with some other lies. She was always lying about something and she dragged Newton into her fictional life when she turned up at his house. She truly didn’t see what was wrong with how she would tell such outrageous lies. She didn’t think how the lies would affect other people or what would happen when the truth eventually came out. She thought the lies were no big deal. Newton was upset about the lies Gwen told about their relationship, but he saw a work to work them to his advantage. He started telling his own lies. The lies that were told were funny, but they did have the potential to blow up in their faces. The lies were treated in a light-hearted manner which did make the movie entertaining. There can be serious consequence to lying, especially as often as Gwen did, but that wasn’t really shown in the movie.

Gwen and Newton were the main characters in Housesitter. At least one of them was in every scene of the movie. They had many scenes together. I liked their characters even when they were spinning more lies. Gwen was a nice person and didn’t mean any harm in what she was doing. I think if Gwen had been trying to hurt other people with her lies, I wouldn’t have liked her. Newton had a few moments where he did have a fit, though it wasn’t as extreme as some characters have done in other movies. That did help to make him seem more realistic. Becky was nice enough, but I didn’t like her that much because of how she acted with Newton. She wasn’t developed as much as Gwen and Newton were, but she was developed enough for how long she was in the movie. George and Edna turned up several times here and there in the movie, but they weren’t developed too much. Donald Moffat and Julie Harris were fine in the parts. They didn’t have a lot to work with.

CHARACTERS

Newton Davis - Architect that designed and built a house to propose to the woman he loved. He was devastated when she turned him down. He was good at his job and trying to get a promotion. He acted like a jerk a few times. He ended up confiding in Gwen about his trouble with Becky. He was upset that Gwen showed up and told so many lies, but Newton jumped on the lying bandwagon when he thought he might be able to get Becky and his promotion.

Gwen - She was working as a waitress when she met Newton. She let him believe she couldn’t speak English for a while. She told him the truth about that, but told him other lies. She was drawn to Newton and liked the sketch of the house he left behind. She found the house and moved herself in when it was empty. She enjoyed telling lies and didn’t see what was wrong with it. She was upset when Newton didn’t invent stories.

Becky Metcalf - Woman that Newton had known for years. He’d been in love with her since they were in high school. Becky didn’t feel the same way about him. She turned down his proposal. She seemed to regret that decision when she thought he was married to Gwen. Becky did play with Newton’s emotions at times.

Edna and George Davis - They weren’t Newton’s parents. There was trouble in their relationship with Newton that they managed to patch up after Gwen showed up. They both really liked Gwen.

CAST

Dana Delaney - Becky Metcalf
Julie Harris - Edna Davis
Goldie Hawn - Gwen
Steve Martin - Newton Davis
Donald Moffat - George Davis

Housesitter was released in 1992. The movie is now available on VHS and DVD. It was 102 minutes long and rated PG. It would probably be all right for older children to see the movie as long as they were interested in what was going on. Frank Oz directed the movie.

I have seen Housesitter a few times now and I still enjoy seeing it. It was a light-hearted romantic comedy. People in the mood that type of movie may enjoy this one. Goldie Hawn and Steve Martin were wonderful together. Their fans should see the movie.

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The Right Temptation ~ Novocaine ~ Looney Tunes: Back in Action ~ Cheaper by the Dozen ~


Recommended:
Yes

Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 9 - 12