Bringing Down the House

Bringing Down the House

Everything he needed to know about life, she learned in prison.

PG-13 2003 · 105 min · ★ 6.0 · Comedy, Drama

Uptight lawyer Peter Sanderson wants to dive back into dating after his divorce and has a hard time meeting the right women. He tries online dating and lucks out when he starts chatting with a fellow lawyer. The two agree to meet in the flesh, but the woman he meets — an escaped African-American convict named Charlene — is not what he expected. Peter is freaked out, but Charlene tries to convince him to take her case and prove her innocence. Along the way, she wreaks havoc on his middle-class life as he gets a lesson in learning to lighten up.

Directed by Adam Shankman · Written by Jason Filardi

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Rent or Buy

Apple TV Store

Cast

Make it a double feature

3h 27m together

Bringing Down the House

A Walk to Remember

Both from Adam Shankman.

More from Adam ShankmanSee all →

FriendsFriends · 1994
Friends
★ 8.41994
SeriesComedy
Six young people from New York City, on their own and struggling to survive in the real world, find the companionship, comfort and support they get from each other to be the perfect antidote to the pressures of life.
Only Murders in the BuildingOnly Murders in the Building · 2021
Only Murders in the Building
★ 8.42021
SeriesComedyMystery
Three strangers share an obsession with true crime and suddenly find themselves wrapped up in one.
Buffy the Vampire SlayerBuffy the Vampire Slayer · 1997
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
★ 8.11997
SeriesComedyDrama
Into every generation a slayer is born: one girl in all the world, a chosen one. She alone will wield the strength and skill to fight the vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness; to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their number. She is the Slayer.
MonkMonk · 2002
Monk
★ 7.92002
SeriesDramaComedy
Adrian Monk was once a rising star with the San Francisco Police Department, legendary for using unconventional means to solve the department's most baffling cases. But after the tragic (and still unsolved) murder of his wife Trudy, he developed an extreme case of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Now working as a private consultant, Monk continues to investigate cases in the most unconventional ways.
Modern FamilyModern Family · 2009
Modern Family
★ 7.92009
SeriesComedy
The Pritchett-Dunphy-Tucker clan is a wonderfully large and blended family. They give us an honest and often hilarious look into the sometimes warm, sometimes twisted, embrace of the modern family.
RoundhouseRoundhouse · 1992
Roundhouse
★ 7.81992
SeriesKidsComedy
Roundhouse is an American sketch comedy television series that aired on Nickelodeon from 1992 through 1996.
A Walk to RememberA Walk to Remember · 2002
A Walk to Remember
★ 7.72002
MovieDramaRomance
When the popular, restless Landon Carter is forced to participate in the school drama production, he falls in love with Jamie Sullivan, the daughter of the town's minister. Jamie has a "to-do" list for her life, as well as a very big secret she must keep from Landon.
Boogie NightsBoogie Nights · 1997
Boogie Nights
★ 7.61997
MovieDramaComedy
In 1977, an idealistic porn producer and his promising protege try to catch up with the end of an era before their never-ending party collides with cold, hard reality.
AJ and the QueenAJ and the Queen · 2020
AJ and the Queen
★ 7.52020
SeriesComedyDrama
While traveling across the country in a run-down RV, drag queen Ruby Red discovers an unlikely sidekick in AJ: a tough-talking 10-year-old stowaway.
Mrs. WinterbourneMrs. Winterbourne · 1996
Mrs. Winterbourne
★ 7.21996
MovieRomanceDrama
Connie Doyle is eighteen, pregnant and alone. She accidentally ends up on a train where she meets Hugh Winterbourne and his wife pregnant Patricia. The train wrecks and she wakes up in the hospital to find out that it's been assumed that she's Patricia. Hugh's mother takes her in and she falls in love with Hugh's brother Bill. Just when she thinks everything is going her way, her ex-boyfriend shows up.
Step UpStep Up · 2018
Step Up
★ 7.22018
SeriesDrama
Twins Tal and Janelle relocate from Ohio to Atlanta, where at their new school High Water is always a beat.
Hocus Pocus 2Hocus Pocus 2 · 2022
Hocus Pocus 2
★ 7.12022
MovieFantasyComedy
29 years since the Black Flame Candle was last lit, the 17th-century Sanderson sisters are resurrected, and they are looking for revenge. Now it's up to three high school students to stop the ravenous witches from wreaking a new kind of havoc on Salem before dawn on All Hallow's Eve.
AfterAfter · 2019
After
★ 7.12019
MovieDramaRomance
Tessa Young is a dedicated student, dutiful daughter and loyal girlfriend to her high school sweetheart. Entering her first semester of college, Tessa's guarded world opens up when she meets Hardin Scott, a mysterious and brooding rebel who makes her question all she thought she knew about herself -- and what she wants out of life.
Heart and SoulsHeart and Souls · 1993
Heart and Souls
★ 7.01993
MovieFantasyComedy
A fateful night in 1959, four people die when the bus they are riding crashes. They continue as ghosts; their souls become eternally entwined to the life of a child born at the moment of their deaths as his guardians. Baby Thomas grows up to be a businessman who has memories of his playmates, but assumes they are products of his youthful imagination. When the ghosts realize they need Thomas' help to move on to the afterlife, they decide to make an appearance once more.
Addams Family ValuesAddams Family Values · 1993
Addams Family Values
★ 7.01993
MovieComedyFamily
Siblings Wednesday and Pugsley Addams will stop at nothing to get rid of Pubert, the new baby boy adored by parents Gomez and Morticia. Things go from bad to worse when the new "black widow" nanny, Debbie Jellinsky, launches her plan to add Fester to her collection of dead husbands.
Step Up RevolutionStep Up Revolution · 2012
Step Up Revolution
★ 6.92012
MovieMusicDrama
Emily arrives in Miami with aspirations to become a professional dancer. She sparks with Sean, the leader of a dance crew whose neighborhood is threatened by Emily's father's development plans.

More Like This

Antonia's LineAntonia's Line · 1995
Antonia's Line
★ 6.91995
MovieDramaComedy
After World War II, Antonia and her daughter, Danielle, go back to their Dutch hometown, where Antonia's late mother has bestowed a small farm upon her. There, Antonia settles down and joins a tightly-knit but unusual community. Those around her include quirky friend Crooked Finger, would-be suitor Bas and, eventually for Antonia, a granddaughter and great-granddaughter who help create a strong family of empowered women.
The Docks of New YorkThe Docks of New York · 1928
The Docks of New York
★ 7.01928
MovieDramaRomance
A blue-collar worker on New York's depressed waterfront finds his life changed after he saves a woman attempting suicide.
Cool Hand LukeCool Hand Luke · 1967
Cool Hand Luke
★ 7.71967
MovieDramaCrime
When petty criminal Luke Jackson is sentenced to two years in a Florida prison farm, he doesn't play by the rules of either the sadistic warden or the yard's resident heavy, Dragline, who ends up admiring the new guy's unbreakable will. Luke's bravado, even in the face of repeated stints in the prison's dreaded solitary confinement cell, "the box," make him a rebel hero to his fellow convicts and a thorn in the side of the prison officers.
Dog Day AfternoonDog Day Afternoon · 1975
Dog Day Afternoon
★ 7.91975
MovieCrimeDrama
Based on the true story of would-be Brooklyn bank robbers John Wojtowicz and Salvatore Naturile. Sonny and Sal attempt a bank heist which quickly turns sour and escalates into a hostage situation and stand-off with the police. As Sonny's motives for the robbery are slowly revealed and things become more complicated, the heist turns into a media circus.
HeatHeat · 1995
Heat
★ 7.91995
MovieCrimeDrama
Obsessive master thief Neil McCauley leads a top-notch crew on various daring heists throughout Los Angeles while determined detective Vincent Hanna pursues him without rest. Each man recognizes and respects the ability and the dedication of the other even though they are aware their cat-and-mouse game may end in violence.
Boyz n the HoodBoyz n the Hood · 1991
Boyz n the Hood
★ 7.61991
MovieDramaCrime
Three friends growing up in South Central Los Angeles navigate a neighborhood plagued by violence, unemployment, and crime, each responding differently to the harsh realities of street life. As tragedy strikes close to home, their friendship, choices, and hopes for a better future are put to the ultimate test.
Paris, TexasParis, Texas · 1984
Paris, Texas
★ 8.11984
MovieDrama
A man wanders out of the desert not knowing who he is. His brother finds him, and helps to pull his memory back of the life he led before he walked out on his family and disappeared four years earlier.
TwisterTwister · 1996
Twister
★ 6.61996
MovieActionAdventure
An unprecedented series of violent tornadoes is sweeping across Oklahoma. Tornado chasers, headed by Dr. Jo Harding, attempt to release a groundbreaking device that will allow them to track them and create a more advanced warning system. They are joined by Jo's soon to be ex-husband Bill, a former tornado chaser himself, and his girlfriend Melissa.
Pulp FictionPulp Fiction · 1994
Pulp Fiction
★ 8.51994
MovieThrillerCrime
A burger-loving hit man, his philosophical partner, a drug-addled gangster's moll and a washed-up boxer converge in this sprawling, comedic crime caper. Their adventures unfurl in three stories that ingeniously trip back and forth in time.
Dead Man WalkingDead Man Walking · 1995
Dead Man Walking
★ 7.31995
MovieDrama
A death row inmate turns for spiritual guidance to a local nun in the days leading up to his scheduled execution for the murders of a young couple.
The Bridges of Madison CountyThe Bridges of Madison County · 1995
The Bridges of Madison County
★ 7.71995
MovieDramaRomance
Photographer Robert Kincaid wanders into the life of housewife Francesca Johnson for four days in the 1960s.
PickpocketPickpocket · 1959
Pickpocket
★ 7.31959
MovieCrimeDrama
Michel takes up pickpocketing on a lark and is arrested soon after. His mother dies shortly after his release, and despite the objections of his only friend, Jacques, and his mother's neighbor Jeanne, Michel teams up with a couple of petty thieves in order to improve his craft. With a police inspector keeping an eye on him, Michel also tries to get a straight job, but the temptation to steal is hard to resist.
Meet the FockersMeet the Fockers · 2004
Meet the Fockers
★ 6.32004
MovieComedyRomance
Hard-to-crack ex-CIA man Jack Byrnes and his wife Dina head for the warmer climes of Florida to meet the parents of their son-in-law-to-be, Greg Focker. Unlike their happily matched offspring, the future in-laws find themselves in a situation of opposites that definitely do not attract.
Short CutsShort Cuts · 1993
Short Cuts
★ 7.21993
MovieDramaComedy
Many loosely connected characters cross paths in this film, based on the stories of Raymond Carver. Waitress Doreen Piggot accidentally runs into a boy with her car. Soon after walking away, the child lapses into a coma. While at the hospital, the boy's grandfather tells his son, Howard, about his past affairs. Meanwhile, a baker starts harassing the family when they fail to pick up the boy's birthday cake.
ManhattanManhattan · 1979
Manhattan
★ 7.71979
MovieComedyDrama
Manhattan explores how the life of a middle-aged television writer dating a teenage girl is further complicated when he falls in love with his best friend's mistress.
American GraffitiAmerican Graffiti · 1973
American Graffiti
★ 7.11973
MovieComedyDrama
A couple of high school graduates spend one final night cruising the strip with their buddies before they go off to college.
Who Framed Roger RabbitWho Framed Roger Rabbit · 1988
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
★ 7.51988
MovieFantasyAnimation
Toon star Roger is worried that his wife Jessica is playing pattycake with someone else, so the studio hires detective Eddie Valiant to snoop on her. But the stakes are quickly raised when Marvin Acme is found dead and Roger is the prime suspect.
Sleepless in SeattleSleepless in Seattle · 1993
Sleepless in Seattle
★ 6.71993
MovieComedyDrama
After the death of his mother, a young boy calls a radio station in an attempt to set his father up on a date. Across the country, an engaged woman becomes convinced that they belong together, despite their never having met. Will their paths collide despite the odds?
Finding NeverlandFinding Neverland · 2004
Finding Neverland
★ 7.32004
MovieDramaFantasy
During a writing slump, playwright J.M. Barrie meets a widow and her four children, all young boys—who soon become an important part of Barrie’s life and the inspiration that lead him to create his masterpiece. Peter Pan.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter