The House
Warner Bros. | Release Date: June 30, 2017 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
30
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 22 Critic Reviews
Positive:
2
Mixed:
6
Negative:
14
Watch Now
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
IGNSimon ThompsonJun 30, 2017
The House isn’t quite another Will Ferrell classic but it’s a solid comedy offering that’s well put together and very funny. It’s as smart as it is stupid, it’s very entertaining, it delivers on what you’d expect it to and holds a few neat surprises. Read full review
70
VoxAbbey WhiteJun 30, 2017
In the midst of what feels like a dark time, The House offers relief in its assertion that it’s okay to laugh at the lengths to which we must go to get by — up to and including an accidentally severed finger. Read full review
60
EmpireJimi FamurewaJul 3, 2017
Old School with added poker chips? Perhaps. But this Ferrell and Poehler-powered comedy blockbuster has big laughs, an enjoyably grisly streak, and a film-stealing turn from Jason Mantzoukas. Read full review
60
The New York TimesA.O. ScottJun 30, 2017
It is a dark, startlingly bloody journey into the bitter, empty, broken heart of the American middle class, a blend of farce and satire built on a foundation of social despair. Read full review
50
TheWrapAlonso DuraldeJun 29, 2017
You get flashes of the clever comedy this might have been — a funny line here, an amusing bit of business there, the occasional whiff of relevance — but it too often lumbers along, coasting on the backs of some very talented performers. Read full review
42
The Film StageJohn FinkJul 13, 2017
Mainstream summer comedies are not off to a terribly ambitious start this year and The House is one of the low points thus far. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsJordan HoffmanJun 30, 2017
Ferrell, Poehler and Mantzoukas eventually lean into their neo-gangster personas, and the movie takes the easy route, slipping in parodies of “The Sopranos,” “Terminator 2” and even “The Six Million Dollar Man.” Read full review
40
The GuardianGwilym MumfordJun 30, 2017
The exuberant comic talents of Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler are largely wasted in this uninspired addition to the frat movie canon, which resembles reheated leftovers of the Hangover, albeit with a curious detour into some heavy bloodletting. Read full review
38
Slant MagazineClayton DillardJun 30, 2017
The House's limp comedic pieces are only sporadically enlivened by a game cast. Read full review
38
Movie NationRoger MooreJun 30, 2017
It all feels random and slapped together, with seriously under-developed heroes, villains, over-the-top geyser-of-blood violence played for laughs. Read full review
30
Los Angeles TimesKatie WalshJun 30, 2017
While there’s no shortage of comedy talent on screen in The House, there’s a dire lack of actual laughs to be found in this strange shell of a movie. Read full review
30
New York Magazine (Vulture)Emily YoshidaJun 30, 2017
All these performers are given decent setups, but the script loses interest in anything that starts to look like a comedic through line. Read full review
30
VarietyOwen GleibermanJun 29, 2017
The House, like too many Hollywood comedies of outrage, turns the extreme into the innocuous. Read full review
27
Paste MagazineTim GriersonJul 5, 2017
The film is a black hole that sucks comedy into its vortex, never to be seen again. Read full review
25
IndieWireMichael NordineJun 30, 2017
It would almost be impressive how many funny people it took to make something so unfunny — the full ensemble includes Nick Kroll, Allison Tolman, Michaela Watkins and Rob Huebel — only it’s difficult to be impressed when you’re focused on how little you’re laughing. Read full review
25
The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyJun 30, 2017
The pace is hectic, but the jokes just aren't there. Read full review
25
RogerEbert.comChristy LemireJun 30, 2017
In theory, these actors should be able to just show up, be themselves, tap into their formidable improvisational abilities and let the laughs flow freely. In reality, though, movies require scripts. They require actual characters and dialogue and narratives that evolve in ways that are logical, or at least engaging. Read full review
25
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperJun 29, 2017
Despite the pairing of the eminently likable and talented Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler as the leads, and about a dozen recognizable (and usually funny) supporting players, The House is a fetid, cheap-looking, depressing and occasionally even mean-spirited disaster. Read full review
20
Total FilmMatthew LeylandAug 11, 2017
Strained, shrieky and lacking likeable characters, it bizarrely forgoes any insight into parenting, gambling, or the cost of education for Grand Guignol limb-lopping. Read full review
20
Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenJul 5, 2017
Even though everything about this project probably looked good on paper, upon completion The House comes up snake eyes. Read full review
20
Time Out LondonTom HuddlestonJun 30, 2017
There’s nothing here that works. Read full review
20
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeJun 29, 2017
Very funny people are running around onscreen doing very unfunny things. Read full review
More From This Movie

30 Critic Reviews

4.5 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL