Editing Houseguest

{{About|the comedy film from 1995 in the United States|other uses|House guest (disambiguation)}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Houseguest
| image          = Houseguestposter.jpg
| caption        = Promotional movie poster
| director       = [[Randall Miller]]
| producer       = [[Joe Roth]]<br />[[Roger Birnbaum]]
| writer         = Michael J. Di Gaetano<br />Lawrence Gay
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Sinbad (comedian)|Sinbad]]
* [[Phil Hartman]]
* [[Jeffrey Jones]]
* [[Kim Greist]]}}
| music          = [[John Debney]]
| cinematography = [[Jerzy Zieliński (cinematographer)|Jerzy Zielinski]]
| editing        = Eric Sears
| studio         = [[Hollywood Pictures]]<br>[[Caravan Pictures]]
| distributor    = [[Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures|Buena Vista Pictures Distribution]]
| released       = {{film date|1995|1|6}}
| runtime        = 109 minutes
| country        = [[United States]]
| language       = [[English language|English]]
| budget         = $10.5 million
| gross          = $26,325,256
}}

'''''Houseguest''''' is a 1995 American [[comedy film]] starring [[Sinbad (comedian)|Sinbad]] and [[Phil Hartman]] and directed by [[Randall Miller]], released to theaters in the United States on January 6, 1995.

==Plot==
Kevin Franklin is an inner city [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania|Pittsburgh]] native. Raised in an orphanage, he has [[delusions of grandeur]], and talks about getting rich and driving a [[Porsche]] one day. Twenty-five years later, he drives a rusted [[MG Midget]] and all his ambitions revolve around a series of ill fated [[get-rich-quick scheme]]s. A handshake loan of $5,000 from loan sharks grows to $50,000 through interest and penalties, resulting in him trying to skip town at [[Pittsburgh International Airport]].

Kevin overhears a conversation between lawyer Gary Young and his children as they are waiting to pick up his childhood friend, Derek Bond, who is now a successful, strait-laced and [[vegetarian]] [[dentist]]. Upon hearing him say that he has not seen Derek in twenty five years and does not know what he looks like, Kevin gives his baseball cap to the real Derek to throw off the two dimwitted mobsters chasing him and poses as Derek to the Youngs, who take him to their posh home in [[Sewickley, Pennsylvania|Sewickley]].

Although he knows nothing about dentistry, Kevin still manages to convince those around him that he is in fact Derek Bond, and his affable personality makes him popular with Gary's otherwise stuffy and rich associates. Gary has little time for his family. His wife, Emily, runs a chain of successful new [[frozen yogurt]] businesses, which gradually builds a gap between them, largely due to the demands of his bigoted, arrogant boss at the law firm where he works, and the fact that their clients are a rival yogurt company that is Emily's competition. This leads to Kevin developing a bond with Gary's [[Goth subculture|Goth]] daughter, Brooke, helping her stand up to her cheating boyfriend, and his young son, Jason, who has aspirations of playing pro [[basketball]]. Gary eventually stands up to his boss with Kevin's support and quits the firm to be with his family.

Meanwhile, the mobsters threaten Kevin's best friend, Larry, into revealing his whereabouts, and Kevin asks him to pick him up. After he does so reluctantly, he sparks an argument with him over his lack of appreciation of friendship, causing him to realize that Gary has been his friend all along. He returns to the Youngs' house only to find that the mobsters have taken them hostage, and his true identity is revealed when the real Derek Bond finally shows up.

After the mobsters take Kevin away, he manages to escape, losing them in a charity [[marathon]], where he meets up with Gary, who graciously decides to help him despite his charade, in return for helping bring his family closer together. Kevin reveals that he has an instant [[lottery]] ticket he purchased the previous day for a chance at a $1 million cash prize spin on a Saturday night television show, which he reluctantly gives up to the mobsters in exchange for the forgiveness of his debt.

The film fast forwards to wintertime, Kevin [[parallel parking|parallel park]]s a shiny new red Porsche with Larry in tow, in front of the Youngs' house, appearing for a promotional party for his new [[best-seller]] book, ''Handbook for Houseguests'', based on his experiences with them. The partygoers gather in front of the television to watch the mobsters spin the wheel for the jackpot.

It initially lands on the million dollar jackpot, but then falls and lands on $5,000, much to the mafia don's dismay and Kevin's delight. During the closing credits, Gary and Kevin sing a medley of food based parodies of Christmas songs, as they cook a barbecue in the Youngs' backyard outside of a Christmas party.

==Cast==
{{castlist|
*[[Sinbad (comedian)|Sinbad]] as Kevin Franklin
*[[Phil Hartman]] as Gary Young
*[[Jeffrey Jones]] as Ron Timmerman
*[[Kim Greist]] as Emily Young, Gary's wife
*[[Stan Shaw]] as Larry, the Tattoo Artist
*[[Tony Longo]] as Joey Gasperini, Pauly's older brother
*[[Paul Ben-Victor]] as Pauly Gasperini, Joey's younger brother
*[[Mason Adams]] as Mr. Pike
*[[Chauncey Leopardi]] as Jason Young, Gary & Emily's son
*Talia Seider as Sarah Young, Gary & Emily's younger daughter
*Kim Murphy as Brooke Young, Gary & Emily's older daughter
*[[Ron Glass]] as Dr. Derek Bond
*Kevin West as Vincent Montgomery
*Kevin Jordan as Steve 'ST-3', Brooke's boyfriend
*Patricia Fraser as Nancy Pike
*[[Don Brockett]] as Happy Marcelli
*[[Kirk Baily]] as Stuart the Manager
}}

== Production ==
{{Expand section|date=March 2010}}
In February 1993, Sinbad signed a deal with Disney for a [[The Sinbad Show|13 episode TV show]] and a pay or play deal for the film.<ref name="SinbadSailsDisney">{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/1993/film/news/sinbad-sailing-to-disney-103608/|title=Sinbad sailing to Disney|publisher=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=July 19, 2021|archive-date=July 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210721044611/https://variety.com/1993/film/news/sinbad-sailing-to-disney-103608/|url-status=live}}</ref> Phil Hartman joined it in March 1994.<ref name="HouseguestHartman">{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/1994/film/news/houseguest-makes-room-for-hartman-119439/|title='Houseguest' makes room for Hartman|publisher=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=July 19, 2021|archive-date=July 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210721044610/https://variety.com/1994/film/news/houseguest-makes-room-for-hartman-119439/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Some scenes for the film were shot on location at the [[Pittsburgh International Airport]], Pittsburgh's historic [[Hill District (Pittsburgh)|Hill District]] and [[South Side (Pittsburgh)|South Side]], [[Downtown Pittsburgh]], and the [[Sewickley, Pennsylvania|Sewickley]] suburb. Since Sewickly does not have a [[McDonald's]], production built a complete functional one where at the Bruegger's Bagels location which remained open for business during the shoot before being closed and dismantled. Randall Miller confirmed in a 2023 interview that the production received no subsidies from McDonald's and that the heavy incorporation into the narrative was simply part of a recurring joke. <ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRwZzNm77xI/ Interview with "Houseguest" Director Randall Miller] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240624140638/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRwZzNm77xI/ |date=2024-06-24 }}. (June. 21, 2023).</ref>

==Reception==
===Box office===
The film debuted at No. 3.<ref>{{cite news|title=Weekend Box Office : 'Dumb and Dumber' Has Last Laugh|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=1995-01-10|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-01-10-ca-18192-story.html|access-date=2012-06-03|first=Robert W.|last=Welkos|archive-date=2016-03-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306120159/http://articles.latimes.com/1995-01-10/entertainment/ca-18192_1_weekend-box-office|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Holiday Spurs Record-Setting Movie Weekend|work=Los Angeles Times|date=1995-01-17|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-01-17-ca-20974-story.html|access-date=2012-06-07|first=Richard|last=Natale|archive-date=2022-11-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221115132614/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-01-17-ca-20974-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> It eventually grossed $26 million in North America. When compared to its $10.5 million budget, it was a modest commercial success.

===Critical response===
The film received negative reviews.<ref>{{cite news|title=MOVIE REVIEW : 'Houseguest' Goes In for Broad Comedy|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=1995-01-06|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-01-06-ca-16916-story.html|access-date=2012-06-03|first=Kevin|last=Thomas|archive-date=2023-07-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230730032441/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-01-06-ca-16916-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Rotten Tomatoes]] gives the film a score of 17% based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 3.80/10. The site's consensus reads, "Perplexingly unfunny given the involvement of its two hilarious leads, ''Houseguest'' wears out its welcome almost immediately".<ref>[https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/houseguest/ ''Houseguest''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250204010700/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/houseguest |date=2025-02-04 }} at [[Rotten Tomatoes]]</ref> Caryn James of ''[[The New York Times]]'' describes the film as "an inane fish out of water comedy" and says "That Sinbad survives with his dignity and comic reputation intact is amazing" but notes that Phil Hartman is not so lucky.<ref>{{cite news |title= FILM REVIEW; With Guests Like These. . . .|work= [[The New York Times]] | author = Caryn James |date= January 6, 1995 |url= https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=990CE3D9173FF935A35752C0A963958260 |access-date=2012-06-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title= Houseguest |publisher= [[Deseret News]] | author = Chris Hicks |date= Jan 10, 1995 |url= http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700000821/Houseguest.html|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100105220954/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700000821/Houseguest.html|url-status= dead|archive-date= January 5, 2010|access-date=2012-06-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title= Comic at Home As 'Houseguest'|work= [[San Francisco Chronicle]]|url= http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1995/01/06/dd29435.dtl#ixzz1whZeeGOk|access-date=2012-06-03}} {{Dead link|date=December 2012}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|id=0110066|title=Houseguest}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|houseguest|Houseguest}}
* {{Mojo title|houseguest|Houseguest}}

{{Randall Miller}}

[[Category:1990s American films]]
[[Category:1990s English-language films]]
[[Category:1995 comedy films]]
[[Category:1995 films]]
[[Category:American buddy comedy films]]
[[Category:American children's comedy films]]
[[Category:American crime comedy films]]
[[Category:Caravan Pictures films]]
[[Category:Films about con artists]]
[[Category:Films about identity theft]]
[[Category:Films directed by Randall Miller]]
[[Category:Films produced by Joe Roth]]
[[Category:Films produced by Roger Birnbaum]]
[[Category:Films scored by John Debney]]
[[Category:Films set in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Films set in Pittsburgh]]
[[Category:Hollywood Pictures films]]