House Party is a predictable ride, but one I immensely enjoyed nonetheless. Because it has been about a decade since the last film, no one was clamoring for a remake of the 1990 film. Alas, as today’s endless franchises continue, Warner Bros. decided to greenlight this film. I went into this film just hoping for a simple, fun time. That was precisely what I got. 

The film follows 2 friends, Damon (Tosin Cole) and Kevin, who work odd jobs until they get a gig cleaning LeBron James's house. This quickly turns into an ill-fated, well… house party. At times, this film’s comedy felt a bit trite and stale. The pacing is also not the best, as not only does it take about 45 minutes to get to the actual party, but the comedy bits can also overstay their welcome. Despite its flaws, however, I was thoroughly charmed by this film. It fully delivers on the celebrity cameos, pop culture references, and crazy drug-induced sequences that are to be expected for a film of this nature. My favorite cameo had to be Kid Cudi playing a completely unhinged version of himself (reminiscent of Neil Patrick Harris in the vastly underrated Harold and Kumar trilogy). The setup for his role in the film leads to a genuinely fantastic comedic moment at an Illuminati party. Calmatic does a solid job directing for his debut feature and adds a timeless vibe to the film. I immensely enjoyed Tosin Cole’s performance as the incredibly selfish, self-centered, and entertaining Damon. Even when the writing slumps, he manages to live up every mment. It was thrilling to see his versatility as an actor develop after his recent portrayal of the timid Ryan Sinclair in Doctor Who.

I cannot say that everybody who sees this film will enjoy it. In a few months, it will be far from one of the best of 2023. And unfortunately, it is likely that it won’t be remembered at all by then. However, none of these things change the fact that in my opinion, House Party works well as a successful enjoyable Friday afternoon watch.

7/10