Man of the House (not to be confused with the 1995 Chevy Chase movie of the same name) stars Tommy Lee Jones as a Texas Ranger assigned to watch over five young college cheerleaders who witnessed a murder. The victim was a witness in a big federal case and Jones' own partner was wounded during the manhunt. This is an action comedy with a fatherhood theme, and I found it to be surprisingly entertaining.

This movie is sort of like a big advertisement for the University of Texas Longhorns and is the first ever to be allowed the use of the college's name and logos. Most of it was shot on campus and you will see several landmarks in the background. The majority of the film takes place in the house where Jones lives with the girls and poses as a cheerleading instructor as part of his cover. Don't worry, there is nothing sexual about their relationship. This isn't that kind of movie.

Like most action comedies, this one begins and ends with an action sequence while the middle part is for story building and character development. Early on, it establishes that Jones' character can’t communicate well with his teenage daughter, so you can only imagine what it's like when he has to babysit five of them. At first, he tries to be all huffy and cop-like with them, but their young spirit won't stand for it, and they all end up learning a little from each other. I was worried that this movie would be too cute and girly, but it actually was not. This certainly isn't Bring It On with guns.

The weakest part of this movie was the suspense built around the murder case. You will find out very early on who all the villains are, so there are no surprises in the end. Movies like this are best when there is some mystery around the identity of the main villains and how they are discovered at the end. By giving this away too early, it takes out all of the suspense. It is forgivable in this movie because the real heart of the film is watching the relationship between Jones and the cheerleaders develop and how it changes Jones' character for the better.

Tommy Lee Jones brings an air of credibility to his role and this movie. He also serves as an executive producer. In this role, he channels his character from The Fugitive and the comic effect is pretty good. He interacts with the girls much like Robert DeNiro does with Ben Stiller in Meet the Parents. R. Lee Ermey has a small part as Jones' boss and Cedric the Entertainer has some great scenes as an ex-con turned preacher who helps the case. The real stars of this movie are the five cheerleaders, each with their own unique personalities. It doesn't hurt that they are all gorgeous and spend much of the movie scantily clad in athletic clothing. The young cast of this film will probably all go onto bigger projects in the future, especially Vanessa Ferlito, who has already been on television in 24 and The Sopranos.

This was directed by Stephen Herek, a Texas native who has previously done Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure and Rockstar. This movie runs about a hundred minutes long and he did a good job at keeping up the pace. I only wish the murder mystery part of the story could have been handled better, but I would blame that more on the writers.

Man of the House is a fun movie that isn't excessively violent and I don't remember a single cuss word. It isn't intellectually stimulating, but it isn't insulting either. A family with young teens would definitely enjoy this one.


Recommended: Yes