The ensemble cast for "The Big House" is big on laughs.
April 02, 2004
The Big House
By Barry Garron
Bottom line: "The Big House" is home for big laughs and big heart.
8:30-9 p.m. Fridays ABC
As if any were needed, here's still more evidence that, in a sitcom, it's the "com" that matters more than the "sit." "The Big House," ABC's latest addition to Friday night and far and away the snappiest in the network comedy block, is "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" turned inside out.
In this duck-out-of-water series, it's the wealthy young son of a Malibu embezzler who gets sent east to Philly to live with his working-class aunt and uncle and their three kids. It soon becomes clear that the "Big" in "Big House" has more to do with the size of its boisterous inhabitants than the privacy they are afforded. Seen through the eyes of newly arrived Kevin (Kevin Hart), the culture shock is immediate, enormous and hilarious.
Accustomed to fast cars and the use of smooth pickup lines, Kevin finds himself having to adjust to shared basement quarters with his husky cousin Warren (Faizon Love), a security guard. In the premiere, Warren demonstrates a rebellious streak with some quickly hatched white lies, yet in a subsequent episode, he's a plodding and overly devoted mama's boy. He's funny either way, but a little consistency would be in order.
Love is part of a talented supporting cast blessed with fine timing and great expression. Others include Arnetia Walker as manipulative but loving Aunt Tina, Keith David as blustery Uncle Clarence, Yvette Nicole Brown as smart but resentful cousin Eartha and Aaron Grady as CJ, mama's little angel. The presence of these rich, multidimensional characters separates this series from some run-of-the-mill sitcom in which the one-liner is everything.
The script from executive producer Stephen Engel sets the scene in record time, then it's on to a recitation of house rules around the family dinner table. Soon thereafter, Kevin makes a play for a college beauty, doing his best to convince her that he lives a life of privilege in a luxury hotel. Predictably, things unravel for Kevin but in a way that is nonetheless fresh and clever.
Adapting stand-up to sitcom can be tricky, but Hart manages it nicely here, creating an energetic character in transition from teen to adult. Seasoned sitcom director Barnet Kellman gets the series off to a rousing start, eliciting effective delivery and a steady pace. Considering the success of the more tepid comedies in ABC's Friday night lineup, prospects would seem bright for "The Big House."
THE BIG HOUSE ABC Imagine Television in association with 20th Century Fox Television Credits: Executive producers: Stephen Engel, Brian Grazer, David Nevins Co-executive producers: Kevin Hart, Mark Reisman, Rob Lotterstein, Bill Kunstler Consulting producer: Julie Brown Producer: Kevin Slattery Director: Barnet Kellman Writer: Stephen Engel Director of photography: Joseph Calloway Production designer: Michael Gallenberg Editor: Timothy Ryder Music: John Adair, Steve Hampton, Korbin Kraus Set decorator: John Philpotts Casting: Sally Stiner, Barbie Block Cast: Kevin: Kevin Hart Warren: Faizon Love Uncle Clarence: Keith David Aunt Tina: Arnetia Walker Eartha: Yvette Nicole Brown CJ: Aaron Grady Pierce: Judy Davis Stacey Pierce: Selma Blair Gary Pereira: Saul Rubinek Clifford Wordsworth: John Salley Stanley Tarlo: Paul Mazursky Benjamin Pierce: David Julian Hirsh Hal Kessler: Fred Ward Casimir Michaelstadt: Maximillian Schell Randolph Carroway: Owen Rotharmel
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