House Arrest

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House Arrest

PG

1996

1h 48m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

11%

Tomatometer

27 Reviews

45%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

When Janet Beindorf (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her husband, Ned (Kevin Pollak), announce their separation, their two kids decide to lock them in the basement of their home until they sort things out. Soon other parents are getting the same treatment from their children, including the divorce-happy Vic Finley (Wallace Shawn), with all the adults confined to the Beindorfs' basement along with Janet and Ned. Unable to escape their prison, will the parents finally make some changes in their lives?

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Critics Consensus

Constructed out of cliches, thinly written characters, and fundamental misunderstandings of human nature, House Arrest is a dull (and borderline irresponsible) waste of a talented cast.

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Erin Richter

Entertainment Weekly

Jun 14, 2013

D-

[A] predictable and sugarcoated (even criminally negligent) take on The Parent Trap.

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Jeff Shannon

Seattle Times

Jun 14, 2013

1.5/4

To the slim degree that it qualifies as a comedy, House Arrest is a comedy with rank amateur pathos, and it's totally out of touch with its own superficially treated emotions.

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Steven Rea

Philadelphia Inquirer

May 29, 2013

2/4

A headache of a movie with a Parent Trap premise that quickly devolves into clamorous farce.

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Dennis King

Tulsa World

Jul 26, 2014

1.5/4

Borrowing liberally from both The Parent Trap' and The Great Escape, this misguided attempt at family farce rests on a couple of incompatible premises -- romantic matchmaking and imprisoned dispair.

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John Ferguson

Radio Times

Jul 26, 2014

3/5

The performances of both adults and youngsters are uniformly strong and, despite the occasional invasion of sentimentality, this makes for thoughtful entertainment.

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Stephen Hunter

Baltimore Sun

Jun 14, 2013

2/4

Only Pollak and Curtis create any semblance of character in this tapestry of stereotype, but the movie doesn't give them enough to do as the louder idiots take to the fore with clumsily imagined escape gambits.

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thiago s

@Thiagostone Sep 19, 2025

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

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sammy s

@RT59484429 Dec 30, 2023

One of my favorite movies!

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steve d

@RT35616104 Jul 7, 2020

A ridiculous idea that's cast is somehow able to sell.

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Sep 14, 2019

Great coming of age movie from the 90s. Cool to see these actors nearly 30 years younger.

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Jul 24, 2017

Love this movie! #90kid

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Dec 24, 2014

House Arrest is without a lie the worst comedy film ever. This movie is not funny to watch. The movie was mean-spirited, and the jokes were terrible.

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Harry Winer

Director

Jamie Lee Curtis

Janet Beindorf

Kevin Pollak

Ned Beindorf

Jennifer Tilly

Cindy Figler

Christopher McDonald

Donald Krupp

Sheila McCarthy

Gwenna Krupp

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Synopsis

When Janet Beindorf (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her husband, Ned (Kevin Pollak), announce their separation, their two kids decide to lock them in the basement of their home until they sort things out. Soon other parents are getting the same treatment from their children, including the divorce-happy Vic Finley (Wallace Shawn), with all the adults confined to the Beindorfs' basement along with Janet and Ned. Unable to escape their prison, will the parents finally make some changes in their lives?

Director: Harry Winer
Producer: Judith A. Polone, Harry Winer
Screenwriter: Michael Hitchcock
Production Co: Metro Goldwyn Mayer, Home Box Office (HBO), Rysher Entertainment
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 14, 1996, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $7.0M
Runtime: 1h 48m
Sound Mix: Surround

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