For this review, I wanted to take a look at a couple Disney favorites – the 1995 movie “Man of the House” (its 30th anniversary) and the 1989 family comedy “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.” Next week, to wrap up my Family Movie Night series, I will be checking out one more Disney favorite that’s also celebrating its 30th anniversary!
In the 1995 Disney movie “Man of the House,” despite having a dangerous criminal with a vendetta after him, attorney Jack Sturges has a tougher adversary to worry about – his girlfriend’s son, Ben.
As Sturges and Ben’s mom, Sandy, become more serious, Ben increasingly ups his efforts to sabotage their relationship, since he has no intention of giving up his prime spot in the household dynamic. Sturges is determined to connect with Ben, but Ben is going to make him work for it.
While the initial critic reviews for this 1995 classic were very mixed, most audiences have enjoyed it as a nostalgic, heartwarming family movie. I’ll admit the movie can be formulaic and a little cheesy at times, but it’s still great family entertainment!
“Man of the House” delivers a lot of fun moments and many viewers (such as myself) have grown up with this 1995 Disney favorite. In fact, I actually still have the old VHS copy somewhere! Even though some may think that the movie can be predictable, the central story of a boy learning to trust and accept a new stepfather can be enduring and also hilarious.
This family comedy features a lot of very funny moments that will have the family laughing, especially once Jack moves in with Sandy and Ben does everything possible to give him a hard time. Ben also pulls quite a few pranks on his potential stepfather, including making him sleep on a folding mattress that doesn’t quite work. A lot more humor comes into play once Ben and Jack join the Indian Guides, led by the late humorous George Wendt.
The movie’s primary arc of Ben finally accepting Jack as a father figure is easily one of the best parts of this movie. The conflict stems from Ben missing his real father, and the resolution comes when Ben realizes that family bonds are built on love and support. There’s also a moment at the end when Ben and Jack finally complete a family collage that Ben and his mom have been working on for years, which signifies that the three of them are finally one whole family.
“Man of the House” is a classic mid-’90s Disney family movie that prioritizes a feel-good, heart-warming message. The comedy centers on themes of family dynamics, personal growth and acceptance. While it received generally mixed to negative reviews from critics, it performed moderately well and is often remembered fondly as a nostalgic ’90s favorite.
MPA: Rated PG for mild thematic elements (runtime 96 minutes)
In “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids,” when kids sneak into Wayne Szalinski’s upstairs lab to retrieve a baseball, his experimental shrink ray miniaturizes them. When he returns home, he destroys the machine – which he thinks is a failure.
The children, now ¼ inch tall, must survive the journey back to the house through a yard where sprinklers bring treacherous storms and garden-variety ants stampede like elephants.
The 1989 movie “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” is a real fun, adventurous family movie that used really great practical effects at the time to create a very convincing “backyard wilderness”. I also really enjoyed the blend of comedy and heartwarming family drama, especially the way the children learned to work together and how the parents’ concerns reunited them.
Throughout this Disney classic, there are quite a few adventure-filled moments, such as when the sprinklers go off in the yard and to the mini-sized children, the massive water droplets are like bomb blasts, and one of the children gets the scientist’s attention while falling into a bowl of Cheerios. In their journey, the kids also befriend a foraging ant they call “Antie”, who becomes their loyal companion.
The movie received favorable reviews from critics and audiences who praised its originality, humor and heart when it was initially released. This movie also became an unexpected smash hit for Disney and even spawned a couple sequels, a TV series and a theme park attraction.
MPA: Rated PG (runtime 93 minutes)
You can currently stream both “Man of the House” and “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” on Disney Plus!