76
Metascore
15 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco ChronicleWith House Party, the Hudlins have made a happy, harmless romp of a movie that, in its own minor way, manages to make a contribution to black cinema. There is a measure of social equality in the mere fact that black teens get stupid movies made about them, too. [9 Mar 1990, p.E6]
- 88Washington PostHal HinsonWashington PostHal HinsonHouse Party isn't a great movie, but it's heartfelt and enormously winning. In its own modest, ramshackle way, it manages to seem innocent even when it's profane. And maybe a party that demonstrates that those two qualities aren't necessarily opposed is exactly the kind we need.
- 83Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanThe movie is slick and cartoonish but also extremely clever, and its unabashed conventionality is exactly what’s fun about it.
- 80The New York TimesVincent CanbyThe New York TimesVincent CanbyUnlike most teen-age movies, which attempt to impose some kind of adult order and significance on the events they recall, House Party has the light touch, rude wit and immediacy of rap as improvised by someone in top form.
- 80Los Angeles TimesMichael WilmingtonLos Angeles TimesMichael WilmingtonThis movie has a rhythm. It's exaggerated, loud and consciously vulgar, but the breezy self-assurance carries it along.
- 75Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertHouse Party is silly and high-spirited and not particularly significant, and that is just as it should be.
- 75Tampa Bay TimesTampa Bay TimesMost of the time the film slides along on funky music, lively dance and snappy street-style dialogue. Other teen comedies feature more hair-raising plots and spectacular stunts; other teen comedies are far more sexually explicit. House Party has a wistful, almost naive, air that runs counter to the broad-based perception of young blacks as hardened and hopeless, one step away from doing hard time. [9 Mar 1990, p.6]
- 50Chicago TribuneMark CaroChicago TribuneMark CaroHouse Party aims for the mainstream and hits it- perhaps too often.
- 50USA TodaySusan WloszczynaUSA TodaySusan WloszczynaHouse Party has enough youthful exuberance to shake the rafters. Too bad it has enough plot to fill only a closet. [8 Mar 1990, p.4D]