Review: The House

Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler play a couple in The House, the first feature film directed by Andrew Jay Cohen. In the plot, they are the zealous parents of Alex, who has just been accepted into college. The problem is that after the euphoria over the adolescent’s entry into the institution, they realize that they don’t have the money to pay for the course. And now? The solution found is to manage a clandestine casino, and it is clear that this new “beak” generates a series of unexpected and insane situations for the couple.

The Course Of History

Scott and Kate Johansen (Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler) are a small-town couple. They rely on the city’s scholarship program to support their daughter Alex’s (Ryan Elise Simpkins) college costs.

Everything seems to be going well; they are waiting for the result of the selection, and Alex is admitted to the course. The problem is that, at the community meeting, the councilor announces the change in the destination of some funds. He simply starts to allocate the scholarship funds to construct a swimming pool. 

The Johansen couple finds themselves in a big mess, as they do not want to admit to their daughter that they cannot afford the girl’s studies, now that the scholarship has been excluded. So they start to analyze some way to get that money. And for those who want to keep watching casino movies, check out the list of casino movies put together by OLBG. 

They have a friend, Frank (Jason Mantzoukas), who went through a wrong time after his wife left him because of his gambling and pornography addictions. But Frank gives them an idea to raise a jackpot, able to pay for Alex’s tuition and adjust his own life as well. He suggests opening a clandestine casino in his home.

At first, the idea seemed quite complicated, but things started to work. City dwellers are very bored with the quiet life they lead, and the opportunity to take a chance on something like this comes in handy to soothe this monotony.

However, the situation gets out of control, as gambling takes on significant proportions. Everyone wants to go to The House, and it becomes difficult to hide the venture.

The Main Characters: Will Ferrell

The talented and funny Will Ferrell is 53 years old and has many movies under his belt. After starting his comedy with comedy group The Groundlings, Ferrell was hired as an artist on “Saturday Night Live,” a job he held from 1995-2002, and he returned to performing the show on his own four times. From there, Hollywood nodded to the actor. Starting with supporting casting work on such films as 2003’s “Incredible Days” and 2005’s “The Producers,” Ferrell soon graduated to starring comic book status and hits such as “The Anchor: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” and “Ricky Bobby: Full Speed.”

Ferrell’s comedic skills (plus his occasional forays into drama) earned the actor two Golden Globe nominations for 2006’s “The Producers” and “Stranger Than Fiction.” In addition, for Farrell’s television work, he received Emmy nominations for his performances on “Saturday Night Live” and as a producer on the Emmy-nominated Comedy Central series “Drunk History.” Additionally, Farrell was nominated for a Broadway Tony Award for his 2009 political satire “You’re Welcome America.”

Ferrell has become a successful film producer in recent years, responsible for acclaimed films such as “Vice” of 2018 and “Booksmart” of 2019. In addition, he won his first Emmy in 2020 for producing the “Live in” variety unique Front of a Studio Audience: ‘All in the Family’ and ‘The Jeffersons” by Norman Lear.

Amy Meredith Poehler

She is an American actress, comedian, producer, and screenwriter. Amy began her career in improvisational theater in Chicago and later in New York. She was one of the founders of the Upright Citizens Brigade theater group. She was famous for being cast on NBC’s Saturday Night Live television show from 2001 to 2008. She was nominated for Emmy Awards twice during her appearance on the show.

In 2016, she won an Emmy for Guest Actress in Comedy and Tina Fey for the Saturday Night Live episode that the two presented in 2015, the first duo to win an Emmy for acting. After she departed from Saturday Night Live, Amy starred in the series Parks and Recreation between 2009 and 2015 as Leslie Knope. This role earned her the Golden Globe in Best Actress in a Comedy Series in 2014. She has distinguished herself in Mean Girls, Baby Mama, Sisters, and Inside Out. Amy has German, Iranian, Portuguese, and British ancestry.