Steve Martin shows his mastery in ‘Bringing Down the House’

Steve Martin honed is physical comedic skills to perfection when he played the workaholic turned fly guy in “Bringing Down the House.” This movie proves once again that there is little funk in us all.

I laughed so hard I cried. Many say that the previews probably gave away the funniest parts of this movie. Incredibly not true! The film delivers surprise after hilarious surprise that keeps its audience in stitches.

Steve Martin plays the all-work and no-play tax attorney who let his job break up his marriage and interfere with his relationship with his children. He meets an escaped con online who poses as a fellow lawyer and sets a date to meet her thinking that she is petite, blonde and “universally cute.”

Imagine his surprise when Queen Latifah shows up at his door wearing cutoffs. She pleads with him to help prove her innocence from an armed bank robbery.

Charlene (Queen Latifah) throws Peter (Martin) into a series of humiliating situations including a wet and wild party at his house in a decidedly white neighborhood.

To add to the complications in his life, Peter’s neighbor is the sister of his boss played by Betty White. She is hilarious as the super racist old maid who is constantly making comments like “I thought I heard Negro,” and “If they’re [Hispanics] in this neighborhood and not carrying a leaf blower….”

In addition to her presence, Peter is also trying to land an account with a super conservative client, Mrs. Arness played by Joan Plowright. Her highest comedic moment was at a dinner with Peter where Charlene was pretending to be their waitress, and Plowright starts singing a Negro spiritual that she remembered her servants in Georgia singing when she was little.

Eventually, Charlene convinces Peter to handle her case and while he is working on it, she moves in and shows him that life can be fun. She teaches him how to dance, instructing him to “show her how he made them babies.” She teaches him how to relate to his kids and, in a moment of insane hilarity, she teaches him how to get freaky. I don’t want to give anything away about this scene, but it makes the movie worth the six dollars you pay to get in.

In the end, Peter cracks the case and travels to a club in the ghetto to confront Widow, a local thug. You might recall seeing Martin sporting his club gear in the previews. I guarantee that you will laugh ten times harder than you did when seeing the preview when you see Martin getting his groove on in an all- black club.

Mrs. Arness ends up at the club as well, gets high and then starts spouting catch phrases such as “fashnizzle my nizzle.”

This movie wouldn’t have been complete without Eugene Levy playing Peter’s associate who falls head over heals for Charlene. His freaky side comes out and he lands lines such as “I like my jello to jiggle” and “you got me straight trippin boo.”

Each player added tremendously to the overall comedic effect of “Bringing Down the House.” I definitely recommend this movie to anyone over the age of 13.