HOUSEFULL MOVIE Review POST HERE 1.5 Stars Updated

'Housefull' is the kind of pedestrian comedy that makes 'Singh Is King' feel like a Woody Allen gem. It's the kind of film that will stop at nothing to get a laugh out of you. So a monkey is slapped and punched, a black baby becomes the butt of a racist joke, and the words "homo" and "gay" are used liberally as a form of insult.

The humor here is strictly low-brow and the gags mostly slapstick. It doesn't help that the director plagiarizes many of his jokes directly from popular American comedies like 'Night at the Museum' and 'Meet The Parents', and even whacks an old gag involving a vacuum cleaner gone beserk from the "Mr Bean" TV series.

The premise itself is a flimsy one centered on a perennially unlucky fellow played by Akshay Kumar, and his misadventures during his search for the perfect bride. In the tradition of similarly dimwitted comedies like "Welcome" and "Golmaal Returns", the screenplay banks on instances of mistaken identities and misunderstandings to take the narrative forward.

Ritesh Deshmukh who stars as Akshay's best friend, is passed off by his wife Lara Dutta as the family cook when her father suddenly shows up unannounced. And Deepika Padukone, who stars as Akshay's girlfriend, must present Lara Dutta as his sister, when Deepika's brother Arjun Rampal decides to pay a visit.

This merry-go-round of madness is neither imaginative nor original, and when the director can't think of any other direction to go with his scenes, he gets his characters to stand in a circle and slap each other repeatedly.

Some genuine laughs are provided by peripheral characters like Chunky Pandey who plays a half-Italian hotel owner named Aakhri Pasta, and Boman Irani who appears as Lara Dutta's farsan-baron father who makes the trip from Gujarat to London to see his estranged daughter.

Of the leads, Akshay Kumar has a few moments of convincing straight-faced humor, but he does nothing new that you haven't seen him do before. The ladies aren't expected to do much more than look comfortable in skimpy beachwear, and Ritesh Deshmukh and Arjun Rampal make for reasonably engaging background distractions.

In all fairness, some jokes do make you laugh but those are few and far between. For the most part 'Housefull' makes you cringe in embarrassment and disgust for what passes off as 'entertainment' and 'cinema' these days. Bereft of craft and style, and lacking in even simple storytelling, the film is a test of your endurance.

I'm going with one-and-a-half out of five for director Sajid Khan's 'Housefull'. If corny humor is your thing, give this film a chance. If you have even a modicum of intelligence or taste, however, stay far away from this one!

Rating: 1.5 / 5

Taran Adarsh, April 30, 2010 - 12:50 IST

India fm Review
At the very start of the film, Sajid Khan pays his respects to several notable names of the 1970s and 1980s, who redefined Hindi commercial cinema. And that gives you ample idea of what to expect from HOUSEFULL, which, very frankly, stresses on wholesome entertainment like those wonderful entertainers made by Manmohan Desai, Prakash Mehra, Feroz Khan, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, K. Raghavendra Rao, Narendra Bedi, Ravi Tandon and Brij. No wonder, films made by these icons have tremendous recall value even today.

The two things you expect from HOUSEFULL are non-stop laughter and non-stop entertainment. That's because the promos of the film have already given you an inkling of what to expect from this film. Besides, Sajid Khan swears by wholesome entertainers, so it's only natural to expect HOUSEFULL to bring the house down.

Write your own movie review of Housefull

We loved Manmohan Desai and Prakash Mehra's movies because they transported us to a world of make believe, into a fantasy world, keeping us thoroughly entertained for those 3 hours. Obviously, we never questioned the logic then because we knew that entertainment was the keyword. HOUSEFULL takes the same route.

HOUSEFULL entertains majorly at places, but it's an uneven ride. Uneven, because the pace dips at several places. It's not a rip-roaring laugh-riot or a non-stop laughathon that one expects it would be, since the focus is on emotions and drama as well. Even the climax, I am sure, will meet with diverse reactions. It will have its share of advocates and adversaries.

Final word? The actors are top notch and so are their performances. Wish the script would've been equally super. Yet, despite the hiccups, HOUSEFULL should be lapped by moviegoers in a big way because the audience is starved for that solid entertainer with big stars for more than two months now.

HOUSEFULL narrates the story of Aarush [Akshay Kumar], the world's unluckiest man. Being jinxed, he believes his bad luck can vanish if he finds true love. In this quest for true love, he gets married to the daughter [Jiah Khan] of a wealthy businessman Kishore Samtani [Randhir Kapoor]. But there's a twist in the tale'

Enter Sandy [Deepika Padukone], who falls in love with Aarush. But complications follow thereafter as Sandy's brother, Major Krishna Rao [Arjun Rampal] and Hetal's [Lara Dutta] father, Batuk Patel [Boman Irani] enter the scene. How Aarush and his buddy Bob [Riteish Deshmukh] come out of this mess forms the crux of the film.

Like HEYY BABYY, HOUSEFULL has a story to tell as well. It's not merely an assemblage of funny sequences or a mere montage of comic scenes. But some of the funny sequences are sure to make you flex your facial muscles wide. Note Akshay's intro, or the sequence involving the vacuum cleaner, or Akshay getting a pet home, or the entire Chunkey Pandey track in Italy. Simply howlarious!

Sajid balances the dramatic moments well. The Jiah Khan sequence soon after the marriage is very interesting and so are the sequences in the second hour, when Arjun and also Boman land up at the mansion. The comedy of errors is truly funny at times and also the gay angle, which has been injected in this half. It may not be as memorable as the Kantaben track in KAL HO NAA HO, but is funny nonetheless. Talking of dramatic sequences, the ones between Akshay and Arjun are fantastic, especially the lie detector test, which is amongst the best sequences of the film.

Director Sajid Khan knows his fundas right. He packs just about everything to entertain you for the next two hours, but the screenplay could've been tighter. While the pacing is slow in the first hour, it's the second half which has a lot to offer. Overall, Sajid jumps into the big league of film-makers who make films for the masses and successfully at that!

Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's music is pleasant. Vikas Sivaraman's cinematography is top notch. The locales of Italy are mind-boggling.

Every actor in this film takes the film to the next level. Akshay underplays his part beautifully. All those who felt that the actor tends to get loud or needs to be controlled will change their opinion with this film. He's the soul of HOUSEFULL. Riteish is incredibly natural. I've often felt that Riteish is one actor who doesn't give you an impression that he's 'acting'. Though the story primarily revolves around Akshay, Riteish stands shoulder to shoulder with Akshay in this one. Arjun Rampal is fantastic. Post OM SHANTI OM and ROCK ON!!, HOUSEFULL is yet another film that taps Arjun's talent to the maximum.

Deepika is a surprise. She carries her part with amazing confidence and again, post OM SHANTI OM and LOVE AAJKAL, HOUSEFULL is the film that would make people notice her talent as well as beauty. Lara is a seasoned player when it comes to comedies and she's too good yet again. Her scenes with Riteish in particular and also with Boman are first-rate. Jiah is a revelation. Although she doesn't get much scope, she manages to register an impact nonetheless.

Randhir Kapoor is very good. Boman Irani is excellent and is amongst the driving force of the second hour. Chunkey Pandey is sure to bring the house down. He is exceptional. Lilette Dubey is competent, as always. Malaika Arora Khan is alright.

On the whole, HOUSEFULL is not a complete laugh-riot, but is an entertainer all the way, targeted at the hardcore masses. What really works for the film is its massive star cast, gripping second half and also the skilled performances by each and every member of its cast. The audience is starved for a good commercial entertainer and HOUSEFULL should bring HOUSEFULL boards back outside cineplexes.

Times of India Review

Film: Housefull

Cast: Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone, Riteish Deshmukh, Lara Dutta, Jiah Khan, Boman Irani

Genre: Comedy

Direction: Sajid Khan

Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes

Critic's Rating: *** 3 stars

Readers' rating:

Story: Akshay Kumar, the proverbial loser, believes he can ward off his bad luck by finding true love. But each time he falls in love, misfortune strikes and his girlfriend walks out on him. This time, hope begins to float...He finds Deepika Padukone who does love him. But how does he convince her military-man brother, Arjun Rampal and extract himself from the web of lies his friends, Riteish and Lara, have built around him?

Movie Review: Sajid Khan returns after the success of Heyy Baby, a spilt milkfood and soiled diaper soiree that did manage to tickle your funny bone with its infant histrionics. With Housefull, he doesn't stray much and tries to create a similar riot of hilarious episodes, centred around two couples -- Akshay Kumar-Deepika Padukone and Riteish Deshmukh-Lara Dutta. Trouble lies not so much with the couples as with their relatives: Lara's estranged Pappa, Boman Irani and Deepika's angry brother, Arjun Rampal. Can the boys manage to win their beloved's parivar walas? Not an easy task, specially when both are losers of sorts and don't have the mandatory big house, big money, big lifestyle....

The film begins on a funny note, with Akshay trying to seek refuge from his bad luck by moving in with his best buddy, Riteish and his wife, Lara. A vacuum cleaner turned awry and a tryst with a tame tiger on the sofa are some of the spoofs that showcase Akshay Kumar in his quintessential comic act: deadpan humour by the I'm-just-a-simpleton hero. You do settle down for some fun and games, but sadly, the film peters off into a not-so-funny middle with Akshay serenading Jiah Khan and the viewer having to endure a prolonged Chunky Pandey cameo as Aakhri Pasta, an Italian hotelier who actually makes you want to howl than laugh. Thankfully, he is bundled off, but the muddlesome middle has already taken its toll on the film by putting the brakes on comedy. The second half picks up again as the foursome rent a house and the relatives -- Boman and Arjun -- arrive. The game of subterfuge and mistaken identities begins with Akshay reluctantly pitching in as Lara's husband and Deepika's boyfriend and trying his goofy best to win over both Boman and Arjun.

It's literally slapstick humour, with a lot of slaps flying around between simians and humans, humans and humans. Nevertheless, it makes you laugh, provided you don't go looking for artistry and intelligence. Also, you'll find the usual jokes about homosexuality and Gujarati incredulousness, made famous by Kal Ho Na Ho. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's audio track has a few peppy numbers which however do not promise to end up as chartbusters, except Mika's 'apni to jaise-taise...' The rest of the songs are good while they last. Period. Akshay Kumar and Riteish Deshmukh share a better chemistry between themselves than they do with the girls. Wish the Boman Irani and Lilette Dubey track had been explored further. It did have great potential.

All said and done, Housefull might not set the summer scorching, but it does create a ripple after a prolonged lull at the multiplexes. Let the summer begin to simmer, then sizzle....

A word about:

Performances: Akshay Kumar never laughs in the film, yet manages to make you laugh with his 'loser' act. Riteish and Akshay share a combustible chemistry which is much more than we can say about Akshay and Deepika: quite thanda.

Dialogue: Simple and slapstick.

Story: Revolves around the usual formula of a comedy of errors and mixed-up identities.

Cinematography: Vikas Sivaraman keeps his camera mostly indoors, except when it moves to Italy.

Music: Shankar-Ehsan-Loy do not come up with an inspired track. They just fit the bill, except when they reinvent the popular Laawaris number 'aapka kya hoga, janab-e-wali'.

Styling: Both Deepika and Lara sport the urbane and chic look with their skimpy dresses. Jiah Khan oscillates between the traditional and the oomphy image by donning both the salwar kameez and the bikini. The boys -- Akshay, Arjun, Riteish -- are cool and casual.

Anupama Chopra reviews: Housefull * * 2 stars(Comedy) Anupama Chopra, Consulting Editor, Films, NDTV Friday, April 30, 2010

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Cast: Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone, Jiah Khan, Lara Dutta, Riteish Deshmukh, Arjun Rampal Music: Shankar Mahadevan/Ehsaan Noorani/Loy Mendonca Director: Sajid Khan In Housefull, director Sajid Khan has only one purpose: he wants to make you laugh. Does he accomplish this? Not often enough. Housefull belongs to the same school of comedy that gave us Welcome, No Entry, Golmaal and All the Best. There is no craft or narrative or characterisation to speak of. Random events and characters, lies and misunderstandings, serve to create a low-IQ comedy. Perhaps Sajid has a bigger budget than Rohit Shetty. So, the stars are A-list and instead of Goa, the locations are London and Italy. But the comedy is the same: broad, farcical and mostly dim-witted. Which in itself is not a bad thing. There are plenty of cheap laughs to be mined from people slapping each other. But Housefull, about the misadventures of a singularly unlucky man named Aarush, played by Akshay Kumar, is exhaustingly inconsistent. There are a few laugh-out loud moments here and some sparkling asides. I found Lillette Dubey's over-sexed Urdu spouting widow and an exchange on night suit pajamas very funny. There is also a great answering machine message that Boman Irani playing the farsan king Batuk Patel has on his phone. It simply says: Beep pacchi Bako. But Sajid, who also wrote the film, strains too hard to add humour to every frame. He resorts to the usual gay and Gujarati gags. The film feels laboured and many of the jokes, like Chunky Pandey as a half Italian named Aakhri Pasta, are flatter than Deepika Padukone's stomach. Sajid, who prides himself on being a voracious film watcher, has also cheerfully copied moments from films like Night In The Museum and The Hangover. We even have Arjun Rampal re-creating Robert De Niro's over-watchful intelligence officer from Meet the Parents. Strangely, Sajid also bungs in moments of high emotion but it's impossible to take these characters seriously. The half-a-dozen leads here all seem to be having a good time. Akshay Kumar works well as the ace loser. He seems to have perfected the sincere geek act and he has a nice chemistry with Ritesh Deshmukh who plays his best friend. For the women, the biggest challenge is wearing resort wear well and they carry it off with aplomb. But eventually, the writing in Housefull is too mediocre and the film is, at best, a below average entertainer. Keep your expectations low and see it if you must.

I can use some good laughs. 😃😃

i will catch it...this weekend...

Double standard of the media for different actresses.......

Oh don't just blame the media now! 😛😛

Double standards prevail even here on the forum for the 'different' actress. After all, almost everyone made fun of her when she was speculated to be in the movie with Ranbir/PC, but now that Deepika is speculated, everyone is all for it. 😛😛 So trying to make snide remarks about the 'different' actress in here just to bash her is not in good taste. 😛

Lucky for Deepika, she is not blamed for failure of her last movie with Akki. Even that blame was on Akki. Let's wait and watch before jumping the gun and start putting blames. 😛

I hope it works with the audience and is a hit.

Got this from TOI, the critics review is not out, guessing this review is from family/friends of the Houseful team which attended the special screening.