Not to be confused with the 2005 film of the same name starring Tommy Lee Jones.
Man of the House is a 1995 film about an eleven-year-old boy, Ben Archer (played by Jonathan Taylor Thomas), who has been raised by his mother (played by Farrah Fawcett) since he was five, when his father left with his secretary. Since then, it has been just the two of them, and Ben has been the eponymous "man of the house".
Now, Ben's mother, Sandy has an announcement. She has started dating seriously, and her boyfriend, U.S. Attorney Jack Sturges (played by Chevy Chase), is moving into their apartment. Wary of a man who will, once again, let the two of them down, Ben begins scheming to sabotage the new relationship. To set Jack up for embarrassment, Ben enrolls the two in the local Indian Guides group. In so doing, Ben hopes that Jack will insist on quitting the group and look bad in front of Sandy.
Meanwhile, in court, Jack has just put Frank Renda, an aging mobster, away for a long time, and his son Joey swears revenge.
Provides examples of:
- Actually Pretty Funny: Even though he gets chewed out for it, Jack showing up with a "war paint" smiley face on his forehead gets a chuckle from the Native American representative present in the court case.Leonard: Your Honor, the appearance of the U.S. attorney today constitutes a complete lack of respect for our case, and I'd like to move for a mistrial.
Judge: Thank you, Mr. Red Crow; I'll take that under advicement. [to Jack] Mr. Sturgis, would you care to comment?
Jack: Your Honor, I assure you, I meant no disrespect to the plaintiff. [to Red Crow] Leonard, really, this is just a rash
Leonard: It looks a lot like war paint, Jack, although... [barely stifling his laughter] the happy face is not technically a native symbol. - Arc Symbol: The collage that Ben and Sandy have been building over the past six years. Jack's completion of the collage in the end symbolizes his completing Ben and Sandy's family by becoming a part of it.
- As Long as It Sounds Foreign: The ending theme, "Return to Innocence", was no doubt chosen because it is a bilingual song that incorporates English as well as what sounds like Native American singing. In fact, the foreign singing is Taiwanese.
- Becoming the Mask: Ben originally joins the Indian Guides in an attempt to embarrass Jack and sabotage the latter's relationship with Sandy. He comes to actually like the group.
- Big Damn Heroes: Just when Jack and Ben have been captured and are about to be blown to bits, the Indian Guides show up to save them.
- Bowdlerize: When Jack objects to the name Squatting Dog, Ben claims that it was after a beloved pet with a case of the squirts. When asked for alternatives, the choice Ben gives depends on whether the movie is airing on network television. The original alternative name Ben gives is "Numb Nuts", allegedly after a beloved pet squirrel. The network-television-friendly alternative name is "Butt Head", after a beloved pet goat.
- Bratty Half-Pint: Ben definitely shows shades of this, setting Jack up for some embarrassing situations, some of which could impact his job. At one point, knowing about Jack's allergy, Ben tricks Jack into putting on war paint to which he is allergic for an Indian Guides outing. The resultant rash is still visible the next day, when Jack has to defend the U.S. government in a lawsuit brought by a local Native American tribe. As a result, Jack gets chewed out by his boss and taken off the case.
- Butt-Monkey: Jack is this, largely thanks to Ben's antics. When Jack moves in, Ben objects to his sleeping with Sandy (in either sense of the word) and Jack has to sleep on the cot from hell. Then, Ben convinces Jack to join Indian Guides with the sole purpose of embarrassing him. To this end, Ben saddles Jack with the Embarrassing Nickname Squatting Dog, tricks him into wearing an Overly Stereotypical Disguise to a cookout, complete with war paint that Jack is allergic to, which causes him trouble at work the next day. Later, thanks to sabotaged brakes courtesy of Joey Renda, Jack ends up in the Puget Sound and comes home sopping wet, to be met with No Sympathy from Sandy and Ben (although, to be fair, Jack did conceal that the "car trouble" he had was a life-threatening situation).
- Call-Back: The film begins with young Ben seeing his dad waving good-bye as he drives away with his mistress, abandoning him and his mother. When the Indian Guide tribe leave for white water rafting without him, the driver waves to Ben, making him flashback to his dad leaving him, and combined with Jack being a no-show,
brought him to tears. - Creepy Child: Ben shows shades of this, describing increasingly gruesome ways to kill people throughout the movie, including:
- Boiling people in acid.
- Throwing people off a cliff after drilling holes in their heads with power-tools to make it look like an industrial accident.
- Wrapping people up in wet rawhide so when it hardens, it mashes their bones and squeezes their internal organs out through their bodily orifices like a tube of toothpaste.
- Deadpan Snarker: Ben and Jack both.
- Diegetic Switch: During the campout, the Indian Guides all start singing "Louie Louie" only for it to shift to the original version by The Kingsmen when the scene changes.
- Disappeared Dad:
- Ben's dad deserted the family when Ben was five.
- We don't know about Norman's biological father, only that he is raised by his stepfather, Chet.
- It is heavily implied that Monroe's father is out of the picture, as Monroe seems to know a lot about the perils of moms who date and how to get rid of their boyfriends.
- Embarrassing Nickname: As members of the Indian Guides, Ben and Jack need to adopt "Indian" names. Jack gives Ben the reasonable "Little Wing", but Ben, as part of his scheme, saddles Jack with the embarrassing handle "Squatting Dog".
- Even Evil Has Standards: Joey is rather squicked out by Ben's "wrap us up in wet rawhide" idea, though it doesn't show on his face.Joey: Let me tell ya something, Sturgis, this kid is sick. If I wasn't going to kill the two o' yous, I'd recommend you get him psychiatric help, immediately.
- The Family for the Whole Family: Zig-zagged. Joey Renda and his goons come across as this. They do have a genuine moment where they cause alarm, nearly killing Jack by tampering with his brakes, an act that causes a lot of mayhem for other drivers that could have hurt or even killed innocent people. But after that their actions come across as comical rather than menacing...until the ending when they're about to kill Ben and Jack and completely get away with it. Ben becomes genuinely scared and Jack can do nothing but comfort him as they think they're about to die...and then the Indian Guides rescue them, managing to take out three grown men who are supposed to be hardened criminals with a few simple moves.
- Fire-Forged Friends: Ben finally warms up to Jack during the camping trip, when they face off against Joey Renda and his goons.
- Freudian Excuse: Ben's antics stem from a desire to protect himself and his mother from being hurt by someone like his father again.
- Friendly Rivalry: Jack encounters Chief Red Crow in defending a lawsuit brought by the latter's tribe against the U.S. government. Later, Jack recruits the chief to make his Indian Guides tribe more authentic.
- Good Stepfather:
- Jack's objective is to prove to a mistrustful Ben that he can be this. He succeeds in the end.
- Chet is another example of this, as he is Norman's stepfather and went through similar experiences with Norman as Jack goes through with Ben. As such, Chet counsels Jack on how to earn Ben's trust.
- Happily Adopted: Since Norman has the same last name as his stepfather, Chet, it is clear that a stepparent adoption has taken place. The movie makes it clear that they have a good relationship.
- Hollywood Law: Not the law itself so much as how it's practiced. In the movie, Jack, a U.S. Attorney, is seen prosecuting a criminal and later defending a lawsuit against the government. Especially in a big city like Seattle, civil and criminal law are practiced by separate divisions of the U.S. Attorney's Office, so Jack would either be prosecuting criminals or prosecuting (and defending) lawsuits, but not both.
- "Home Alone" Antics: Ben and Jack do this, not in their home, but in the forest where they're camping out as they dodge the mobsters.
- I Gave My Word: An important theme throughout the movie:
- In the backstory, when Ben's biological father left, he promised to return, but didn't.
- Jack is prevented from keeping a promise to take Ben white water rafting by an attempt on his life courtesy of Joey Renda and his goons. Unfortunately, since Jack withholds the truth from Ben and Sandy, that he was in real danger, this causes Ben to feel betrayed and sets back their relationship.
- Jack refuses a transfer order to Portland in order to keep a promise to take Ben to an Indian Guides campout.
- Indecipherable Lyrics: During the Indian Guides campout, Jack suggests everyone sing "Louie Louie". When Red comments that the kids might not know the words, Jack responds that no one does.
- Internal Reveal:
- Seeing Ben upset at his decision to quit Indian Guides after getting in trouble at work, Jack goes to try to talk further with the boy. At this point, he overhears Ben talking to Monroe on the phone, bragging about the success of his plan to break up Sandy and Jack. Rather than give up, Jack doubles down on his attempts to win Ben over, seeking advice from Chet (who is Norman's stepfather and went through the same experience) and enlisting the aid of Chief Red Crow.
- During the campout, having spied the mobsters, a horrified Ben learns that the time Jack's absence made him miss out on white water rafting was, in fact, due to an attempt on Jack's life rather than the lame excuse he previously believed.
- It's All About Me: Ben shows shades of this when Jack moves in, only seeing the impact it has on his life. Justified because Ben is eleven years old.
- Jerkass Realization: Although no lecture is needed, Ben realizes that he has been a Jerkass to Norman when, during a sleepover, they bond over video games.
- Lethal Chef: Ben thinks of Jack as this due to the high cholesterol count of the breakfast he prepares, but it is clear from Sandy's reaction that Jack is competent in the kitchen.
- Locked Out of the Loop: Jack hides the truth from Sandy and Ben that the mob is out to kill him and has sabotaged his car. This leads Ben to feel betrayed when Jack's absence (caused by the Vehicular Sabotage below) causes Ben to miss a white water rafting trip.
- Magic Brakes: The brakes on Jack's vehicle are this. Once they are cut by Joey's goons, the only thing that stops his car is landing in Puget Sound.
- Magical Native American: Played for Laughs as Chief Red Crow, an actual Native American chief, teaches the Indian Guides to do a Rain Dance, jokingly claiming credit for all the rain in Seattle.
- Meaningful Name: Ben Archer. He becomes an actual archer by joining Indian Guides, and his archery skills help him and Jack evade the mobsters during the climax.
- One of the Kids: Chet Bronski, Norman's dad. When he isn't at his job, teaching woodshop to junior high students, he's running the local Indian Guides tribe. As such, he is a big kid, as Ben lampshades in the end.
- Overly Stereotypical Disguise: As part of his scheme to embarrass Jack, Ben tells him he has to wear one of these to an Indian Guides cookout.
- Parent with New Paramour: Type 2 with Sandy and Jack. Ben is wary of Jack because of his own father's desertion, but comes to warm up to Jack once Jack proves himself.
- Parental Bonus:
- Ben's Indian name, Little Wing, is the title of a song by Jimi Hendrix.
- The singing of the notoriously incomprehensible "Louie Louie" during the campout.
- Parents as People: Sandy's desire to date is portrayed realistically and sympathetically.
- Rain Dance: Led by Red Crow, the Indian Guides do a rain dance to "Gonna Make You Sweat".
- Scout-Out: The Indian Guides are a Real Life example, engaging in crafts, campouts, cookouts, and white water rafting.
- Sexy Discretion Shot: At one point in the movie, Jack and Sandy put an exhausted Ben to bed, then Sandy suggests they go to bed. They start kissing before the movie fades to black.
- Sexy Secretary: In the backstory, Ben's father ran off with his secretary.
- Shame If Something Happened: Right before his sentencing, Frank Renda makes a big show of graciously thanking Jack for giving him a fair trial and saying he hopes that none of his future endeavors will be plagued by misfortune. It's blatant enough for Jack to comment on this to the judge.
- Shout-Out: The "Indian" name Jack chooses for Ben is "Little Wing", after a song by Jimi Hendrix.
- The Smurfette Principle: Despite being an All Girl Production, the movie has exactly one female role: that of Sandy.
- Stereotype Flip: When Ben comes home from school following what he thinks was a successful Wounded Gazelle Gambit, he finds Jack with Chief Red Crow, who greets Ben with a stereotypical "Hao", before reverting to his normal speech — General American English.
- Stuffed into a Locker: Ben meets Norman by discovering him in a locker. Later, when Ben tries to stand up for Norman against bullies, Ben and Norman both end up in lockers.
- Time-Shifted Actor: Ben is played by Jimmy Baker at age five, and Jonathan Taylor Thomas at age eleven.
- Toilet Humor: Jack's Indian name, Squatting Dog, is this.
- Token Black Friend: Monroe to Ben. He 's established as Ben's best friend from the beginning and, in one scene, they hang out at the arcade. When Ben tries to get rid of Jack, Monroe gives encouragement. However, he doesn't really get any development, and the only thing we know about him is that he really doesn't like the idea of camping out under the stars.
- Troubling Unchildlike Behavior:
- When Ben's mother says she is dating seriously, Ben responds, "This is about sex, isn't it?"
- Throughout the film, Ben describes especially gruesome ways to kill people, such as boiling people's heads in acid, dumping them off cliffs after drilling holes in their heads to make it look like an industrial accident, and wrapping people up in wet rawhide so when it hardens, it will mash their bones and squeeze their internal organs out of their bodily orifices like a tube of toothpaste.
- Tyrant Takes the Helm: Ben sees Jack's moving in as this, because of the changes it brings about, but the film actually subverts this trope.
- Ultra Super Death Gore Fest Chainsawer 3000: It is by bonding over this type of game that Ben realizes that Norman can actually be a good friend.
- Vehicular Sabotage: Joey's goons cut the brakes on Jack's car, sending him into Puget Sound.
- The Voiceless: "Mr. Silent Thunder" one of the other dads and a circus performer who mimes everything.
- Wedding Finale: The movie ends when Jack, having earned Ben's blessing, marries Sandy.
- Would Hurt a Child: Although Jack is the mobsters' target, they are perfectly willing to kill Ben to cover their tracks.
- Wounded Gazelle Gambit: Of the emotional rather than the physical variety. After Ben's stunt with the war paint gets Jack in trouble at work, Jack tells Ben that they have to quit the Indian Guides. Ben acts upset, but this is the payoff for his entire scheme: making Jack appear to upset Ben to drive Jack and Sandy apart.
- You Keep Using That Word: In the intro, Ben describes their new place as a "small loft apartment". While obviously colored by young age and moving from his childhood home, the loft is enormous.
