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| Man Of The House - 1995 |
Coming up next we have 1995's "Man Of The House", a film about a boy who resents the presence of his mom's new boyfriend and seeks to assert his claim as the man in charge. Joining a group called the Indian Guides may just be what the doctor ordered for this duo.
The film's cast includes Chevy Chase, Farrah Fawcett, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, George Wendt, David Shiner, Art LaFleur, Ron Canada, Christopher Miranda, Zachary Browne, Spencer Vrooman, Nicholas Garrett, and Richard Portnow.
Single mom Sandy Archer is raising her eleven-year-old son Ben the best she can on her own. However, she is seeking a bit of romance in her life.
She finds what she's looking for in lawyer Jack Sturgess. Ben, however, is less than thrilled about this new man in his mom's life.
And Ben really hates it when his mother tells him that Jack will be moving in with them.
He makes it as difficult as he can for Jack, going so far as to refuse to help move in his stuff.
Ben interrupts Jack's shower and then promptly locks him out of the bathroom, examining all of Jack's personal toiletries. Based on all the products that Jack uses, Ben wonders if he is "decomposing".
He even arranges a special bed for Jack to sleep on, as Ben feels that the thought of Jack and Sandy sharing the same bed would be "psychologically damaging".
Jack also doesn't endear himself to Ben when he makes a huge mess in the kitchen and disrupts Ben and Sandy's usual breakfast routine.
Ben decides to test Jack further by having him join a father/son group called the "Indian Guides". Jack genuinely hates it.
Each father/son get to pick names for each other. Ben decides that Jack's Indian name will be "Squatting Dog". It was a toss up between that and "Numb Nuts". The mortification is quite evident on Jack's face.
At an Indian Guides' event, Ben paints Jack's face. Sadly for Jack, the paint doesn't wash off in time for him to participate in a case with some real Native Americans in court, who are offended by Jack's "war paint".
Jack decides to get very involved with the Indian Guides. Eventually, Ben begins to warm up to him and the two start to bond.
On his way to a planned canoe trip with the Indian Guides, Jack's car brakes are cut by a very angry man. Jack had prosecuted the man's father and put him behind bars for fifty years. Now, the accused's son wants revenge and Jack's death is what he seeks. Ben is very upset with Jack when he doesn't show up. Not wanting to worry Ben or his mom, Jack doesn't tell the real reason why he wasn't there.
On an Indian Guide camping trip, Ben is still upset enough with Jack to not help him with his teepee set-up.
However, when Ben goes to fill up the group's canteens with water, he overhears the men who cut Jack's brakes. They followed him on the camping trip in order to finish the job and see him dead. Ben hurries to warn Jack.
Jack comes clean about the reason why he wasn't on the earlier canoe trip, and he tells the other Indian Guides about the situation. They want to help in any way that they can.
Ben wants to help, too. He stays with Jack while the others leave the camp for help.
Have no fear. Everything is all right in the end. The bad guys are caught, and Ben and Jack's relationship couldn't be stronger.
Ben even gives Jack the go-ahead to marry his mom. And Ben admits that he's never seen her happier.
Cast rundown:
Chevy Chase............................Jack Sturgess
Farrah Fawcett..........................Sandy Archer
Jonathan Taylor Thomas.............Ben Archer
George Wendt...........................Chet Bronski
David Shiner.............................Lloyd Small
Art LaFleur................................Red Sweeney
Ron Canada..............................Bob Younger
Christopher Miranda..................Hank Sweeney
Zachary Browne........................Norman Bronski
Spencer Vrooman......................Darryl Small
Nicholas Garrett........................Monroe Hill
Richard Portnow........................Joey Renda
And that's it for Man Of The House. The role of Jack Sturgess was originally offered to Tim Allen before it was given to Chevy Chase. Allen, however, was busy filming "The Santa Clause". Farrah Fawcett and director James Orr were in a relationship at this time. In 1998, Orr was convicted of misdemeanor battery after he attacked Fawcett for refusing his marriage proposal. I guess she made the right decision!
In one scene, we see Jonathan Taylor Thomas reading a magazine, which features the film "The Lion King" on the back cover. Thomas was one of the leading vocal actors in that film, portraying the character of Young Simba.
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