The House of Yes (1997) User Reviews

House of Fun for the sick-minded and perverse

[MilesKeatonAndrew · 8/10 · 27 January 2004]

The House of Yes is one of my personal favorites. Is it creepy? Yes. Is it funny? No - it's hysterical, at least to those of us accustomed to laughing at things you're not supposed to laugh about - like bizarre social taboo. Younger indie fans may not care for this flick, but The House of Yes is not to be compared with the likes of Chasing Amy. For Parker Posey fans, the film is apples to the oranges of Party Girl, Henry Fool, Clockwatchers, etc.

The House of Yes was adapted from Wendy McLeod's play, so it is a dialogue film with its own language - similar to the Coens' Miller's Crossing. As with Miller's Crossing, the snappy dialogue never misses. While watching The House of Yes, I've caught myself rewinding to catch a phrase I missed because I was still laughing a the preceding gag.

Facial closeups dominate this film, and for reason - the actors' expressions are more telling than the dialogue, delivered flawlessly by every member of the crew - looks you could spread onto a cracker, like when Mama (Bujold) warns her son Marty about Jackie-O's mental state: "I'm going to baste the turkey, and hide the kitchen knives."

The film's biggest surprise: Tori Spelling, as a prudish and naiive Pennsylvanian - perhaps her most believable role to date.

If there were a Cooperstown for comedic acting, this film alone puts Parker Posey into the Hall of Fame.

Highly recommended for the sick-minded and perverse.

Miles Keaton Andrew

Parker Posey, Bless You

[gavin6942 · 7/10 · 9 March 2016]

A mentally unbalanced young woman (Parker Posey) who thinks she is Jackie Kennedy flips into a murderous rage when her brother returns home to reveal he is engaged.

Why does it always seem that Parker Posey never rises above a B-list actress? She is exquisite here, was great in "Waiting for Guffman", and is just a joy to watch. he should be in so many more high profile movies. Heck, I don't know what she does these days (perhaps she is on a show I don't watch).

But anyway, what a dark, twisted and irreverent twist on the Kennedy assassination. While it should not be something to joke about, neither should mental illness or incest. And yet, this is what the film does, all together, and presents a very nice movie. Not laugh out loud, but just offbeat enough to be enjoyable for those who love subversion.

incredible

[schmucko · 8/10 · 6 May 1999]

Seldom does a movie manage to be at the same time this dark and this funny. Nearly every line of dialogue is wickedly sarcastic--as a playwright, I spent of the time during my first viewing wishing that I could write such biting dialogue.

Parker Posey is wonderful, as is Josh Hamilton as her brother-with-benefits. The mother (the actress' name escapes me right now) is also wonderful, despite her deficient screen time. Even Tori Spelling--pariah of good actors everywhere--does a great job as Hamilton's stupid/naive fiancee (a bit of helpful typecasting). In fact, only Freddy Prinze jr. really didn't do that well in this movie, but his performance was by no means bad enough to ruin it. He seemed handily the most awkward of the bunch.

At any rate, I wound up watching it again, two days after the first time, and would recommend that anyone who hasn't done so follow my lead. Not only doesn't it lose anything on second screening, but the whole thing gets better (check out the Posey/Spellling "Marty's first girlfriend" scene)...

Outstanding Small Film

[Fourstar · 3 February 1999]

Don't listen to reviews that tag this movie with a "predictable" or "poor" ending - they don't get it. The House of Yes is a brilliant adaptation of stage-to-film. Although the entire movie takes place in a single location, there is no claustrophobic effect - the result of magical cinematography. Each room of the house reveals a new secret, a new mystery. The acting is superb, due to the amazing range of affect offered by Parker Posey, sharply contrasted by the humorously flattened delivery of the other cast members. The script is flawless, the directing well-hidden. Nothing about this movie screams "This is a cool indie film I just made" (hopefully a doomed approach to filmmaking) This is not Ben Affleck posing as a post-punk Dalai Lama in a waste of celluloid, but a true work of art. The incest issue is handled with grace, wit, and true affection, not to mention the laugh-out-loud black humor. It's one of my top ten, right up there with True Romance, Naked Lunch and Miller's Crossing. Again, don't fret over warnings about a predictable ending - the ending is not what it seems. Think about it.

Good filmed play.

[Edu-2 · 7/10 · 16 August 1998]

I still don't know what to think about films like this, which are not more than a play that happens to be filmed. Very good screenplay, good acting, specially Posey and amazingly, Spelling.Predictive ending. Good analysis about feeling comfortable with your own, even though it's a very weird own.

Psychosis and incest on the east coast.

[Puregold · 6/10 · 2 December 1998]

When I first noticed The House of Yes, I saw it billed as a comedy. Dark humor, or black comedy as it's sometimes called, is not for everybody, and while I usually appreciate the attempt, here it just falls slightly short. Dealing with serious, deep, dark issues such as mental illness and incest, this film dove head first into the dark comedy lair, but unfortunately for my tastes, had a difficult time making its point. The film proves a couple of things for sure, family messes with your mind, and no matter what your standing or station in life, your family is the one place you are always greeted back with open arms. Parker Posey is amazing as the mentally disturbed sister the film centers around. The family itself bows to her every wish and the question finally becomes who in this twisted family is really the most crazy, and can anyone really leave the big empty house once they enter. One's sanity is in jeopardy as you begin to know each character, or family member, and while Posey plays the crazy one, at times she seems the most sane. This film was taken from a play, and that is evident here. With very few characters and the house in Washington being the only setting, the movie has a live theater feel. Overall the film just treads a bit too much on the dark side for even my tastes, despite its valiant effort to redeem itself in the end. If nothing else however, Parker Posey may be worth the price of admission.

Parker Posey rules the screen!

[yossarian100 · 10/10 · 31 December 2003]

Doing a film adaptation of a play rarely works, but when it does, as it most assuredly does in this movie, the performances are overwhelming and intoxicating. Parker Posey's characterization will be forever burned into my memory. The House Of Yes is completely enjoyable, even startling, and is a 'must see' excellent piece of cinema.

Disturbingly worth watching

[Art1-2 · 7/10 · 15 April 2002]

First, watch the movie with an open mind and listen to the dialogue. It was like watching a car wreck: You don't want to watch, but you are drawn to the carnage and cannot step away. Parker Posey is fantastic in her "is she crazy or just disturbed" portrayal of Jackie O.

Second, this is one of those movies where you mention it to another movie buff and he/she immediately shudders. Give the movie a chance. You may hate it, but you won't forget it.

Wonderful, Altmanesque: Nashville meets 5 & Dime Jimmy Dean

[Jared X · 10/10 · 6 May 1999]

A wonderful Altmanesque cross between Nashville and Come back to the Five and Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean. This is one obsessive, compulsive, spread-eagled, dysfunctional play, extremely well written and very tight. Parker Posey's best performance yet and extremely well cast all around.

I can't recommend it highly enough. This is the kind of movie worth waiting years for!

Enjoy.

The house of maybe

[=G= · 6/10 · 11 August 2003]

In "The House of Yes" Posey plays a nut case who calls herself Jackie-O, dresses like Jacqueline Onassis, and likes to have incestuous liaisons with her brother while doing impromptu reenactments of the Kennedy assassination. A claustrophobic dark ensemble theatrical knock-off, this stagey flick relies on the nonstop repartee of its quirky characters for entertainment as it is devoid of just about everything we go to movies to see. People and talk is all you'll get with "The House of Yes" which squeaks by with a script just clever enough to shore up a marginal concept. Okay fodder for those into dark, sardonic, and misanthropic comedy. (B-)

As a showcase for Parker Posey, interesting; on its own, fairly dire...

[moonspinner55 · 3/10 · 28 March 2009]

From Wendy MacLeod's play about a 1963 Thanksgiving reunion between a young man and his peculiar family, including a twin sister who is obsessed with Jacqueline Kennedy. Oppressively set in a shadowy house during a raging storm, this head-scratching talk-fest quickly tires both the eye and the ear. The scenario is full of dreary eccentrics, although Parker Posey's 'Jackie-O' is a dark, original creation unto herself. The actress, known for going out on a limb with basically unplayable roles, manages to walk a fine line between comically scabrous and downright scary (which, in an otherwise boring movie, is a triumph). Other performances by Josh Hamilton, Tori Spelling, Freddie Prinze, Jr., and a sadly under-valued Genevieve Bujold are not quite as on-target, mainly due to the sophomoric writing. *1/2 from ****

One Screwed Up LOT

[bellhollow · 8/10 · 6 April 2004]

This movie is about the games between twins and their incestuous relationship. The whole family is screwed up beyond repair. Everyone seems to have a really bad hang-up on someone. The banter among the siblings is hilarious and they set each other up as much as possible to keep their screwed up family ticking. And the family keeps on ticking. The acting is very good and the movie flows very quickly. The ending stays true to the insane qualities of the family. The reality of this is how would someone get away with murder without somebody asking? Either someone got away or they got murdered and that just makes me believe the family would be found out and all sent to the looney bin. Even if you don't like the subject matter, the movie works keeping the characters nutty as all get out. You should watch this.

It's interesting, but in no way a comedy

[kb-70 · 7/10 · 17 January 2007]

--- MAJOR SPOILERS ---

I have to disagree with all the comments calling this a "black comedy". I think it's only funny to the extent that it causes shocked, nervous laughter at incest, insanity and the damage done by a badly dysfunctional family. Maybe it's because I'm no longer a young person. I've seen all of these things in real life so the shock value's worn away.

From my perspective, this was a creepy, uncomfortable look into this disaster of a family, just as it all finally, inevitably, comes apart. There's no protecting Jackie-O this time, and mom's in for a little court-enforced vacation of her own (a long one if daddy's really buried in the backyard). I expect Anthony to hang himself the first night he's left alone in the house.

But other than it being mislabeled as a comedy/drama, it was fascinating. Wonderful, fast-paced dialog. Beautifully acted. Everyone here talks about Parker Posey's work, and I agree it's an excellent performance. But I particularly enjoyed watching Josh Hamilton as Marty. Watch his face during that last scene. Marty knows what's about to happen, but realizes he simply doesn't have it inside him to thwart Jackie-O.

*** out of ****

The House That Jack Built

[wes-connors · 4/10 · 29 December 2014]

On Thanksgiving 1983, twenty years after US President John F. Kennedy's assassination, the wealthy Pascal family of Virginia prepare for a stormy reunion. Recently released from a psychiatric institution, attractive Parker Posey (as Jacqueline "Jackie O" Pascal) takes center stage. She remains there, for the most part. Arriving home is Ms. Posey's twin brother Josh Hamilton (as Marty). His surprise for the family is fiancée Tori Spelling (as Lesly), a donut shop clerk. She arouses attention from the twins' younger brother Freddie Prinze Jr. (as Anthony). We know there are going to be some serious sexual problems when family matriarch Genevieve Bujold tells Ms. Spelling her twins are so close, "Jackie's hand was holding Marty's penis when they came out of the womb."...

As you'll see, she has a hard time letting go...

Mark Waters took this story from Wendy MacLeod's play, without giving us many reasons why it shouldn't have remained there. The inserted footage of the real Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, whom Posey emulates, reveals the actress' hair and make-up are off the mark. The pink outfit with "pill box" hat is recognizable, though. Other than that, Posey offers an interesting but insensitive characterization. It is not impersonation and the association of President and Mrs. Kennedy with this family's insanity lacks depth. It's happenstance. The film is promoted as a comedy, with the quotes "Dark, Clever Comedy!" (GQ Magazine) and "Bitingly Funny!" (Elle) prominently featured. However, the film is not very funny. The comic aspects likely worked better in the stage production.

**** The House of Yes (9/12/97) Mark Waters ~ Parker Posey, Josh Hamilton, Tori Spelling, Freddie Prinze Jr.

I will never read film reviews again!

[Jelly-4 · 18 June 1999]

This is the kind of movie that I would have ordinarily RUSHED to the movie theaters to see. It's got all the right elements: it's dark comedy, a great female lead, a bizarre storyline...Yet I read reviews that the movie disappoints so I was in no rush to see it. But I finally saw it last night and wow was it great! What terrific performances, esp. from Genevieve Bujold. Posey was as delightful as ever, and even Spelling was able to do a complete 180 in contrast to her usual Bev. Hills type. The dialogue was so witty yet dark. It's a two night rental so for the first time I think I'll see a movie twice in two days! I give this movie a 9 - I would give it a 10 if it weren't for the very predictable ending.

Funny, But A Bit too "Stagey"

[BlackSox1919 · 7/10 · 31 July 2005]

A very dark, funny little movie. Parker Posey is tremendous, and most of the film exists as little more than a set-up for her character. My only real complaint is the stilted, "stagey" way the dialog is delivered. It feels like they are going for a 1930's Broadway play vibe, a twisted Rogers and Hart show, and the acting shows that direction. On a live stage, I'm sure it wouldn't have been noticeable; but the delivery is conspicuous when captured on camera. Still enjoyable, but the effect is distracting. See it for Parker Posey, and for a surprising Tori Spelling, and try not to worry too much about what happens at the end.

Tori Spelling shines...who would've thunk it

[Squonk · 7/10 · 28 January 1999]

Now here's a movie about some sick people. Still, it does pull you in and, for the most part, holds your attention. The highlight is a surprising performance from Tori Spelling. While Parker Posey's performance isn't bad, there's just nothing original about it. You have to try hard to forgive the filmmakers for the ending which is so predictable it's pitiful.

Parker Posey At Her Best!

[Nglas · 10/10 · 15 July 2008]

Very few movies based on plays can be successful, but House of Yes is not one of those that fail. It succeeds where others have failed because of the energy put into a film that is mostly dialog. Parker Posey shines as Jackie-O, the mentally troubled sister of Josh Hamilton and Freddy Prinze Jr. Tori Spelling, whose only other film I have enjoyed was Trick, did a great job of playing Jackie-O's doormat.

The movie is at its strongest when Parker bares her sadness, always hidden beneath sarcasm. A classic movie of family dysfunction without playing out the same old tired roles. This family is anything but a typical dysfunctional family and though they all appear to be nuts, part of you wants to run out and find a family just like them, because looking past all of the sarcasm and insults, you sense and feel the love.

I highly recommend this movie to anyone who wants to see strong acting. Parker Posey is on top of her game here.

Cozy

[moneygirl-227-676452 · 7/10 · 1 February 2015]

The eccentric nature of this film initially caught me off guard because the writer seems to be going for surprising rather than expected. I choose to say that because the viewer never knows what might happen next. For example, Posey tapes masking tape in the shape of an "X" on the windows of their luxury home and when asked why she's doing this, she says she "saw it on the news" and after this they move on to another random activity that fits into the setting. Never boring, the random events come together well. While the incestuous relationship between the twins is predominantly one-sided with Jackie-O being obsessed with Marty, Marty continues to feed his sister's desires by playing the role of John F. Kennedy even though he knows his sister is on medication. Their mother suggests to Lesly, Marty's fiancé that she is a symbol of purity for Marty and that she should go away or inevitably leave without Marty because he isn't. Anthony, played by Freddie Prinze Jr., was unnecessary to the film because you could literally delete his character and not much would change. When he annoys Lesly in her room, I as a viewer was also annoyed because I was anxious to get back to the more interesting developments in the film. The mother could remain because she adds an interesting layer to because of the mysterious death of the father and the mother's view of her incestuous twins. Tori Spelling and Parker Posey had good chemistry together. *spoiler alert* When Marty decides to be with the "symbol of purity" character Lesly over his maniacal twin sister, the narrative lost some of its power. He had just spent the night making love to his sister. His fiancé, Lesly, spent the night having sex with his brother Anthony, yet they still decide to be together even though they had gone through this experience of sexual promiscuity. I don't mean to say they should have cared more. I think the writer should have explained in a more thorough way why the characters would make the decisions they made. Overall, it was a good film and worth a watch.

Family dysfunction at it's funniest

[jawbreakerjohn · 10/10 · 12 September 2000]

I first saw a preview for this film about three years ago and had thought it looked like a very interesting movie, but I soon forgot about it. On February 4, 2000, I saw scream 3 and noticed what a great actress Parker Posey was. I had seen her previously in Dazed and Confused and she was absolutely hysterical, so I wanted to see other movie with her in it. That is when I remembered the preview of the house of yes. So I rented it, expecting a few good laughs. What I got was one of the funniest dark comedies ever made.

It starts off simple enough: A sister waiting for her twin brother to come home for thanksgiving (did I mention that she is obsessed with the Kennedy assasination and wears a copy of the outfit Jackie Kennedy was wearing when her husband murdered. And, oh yeah, she had sex with her twin brother when they were in their early teens). Anyways, she his disturbed to find out her brother is brining a friend home with him. He also happens to be engaged to this friend. Jackie O.(Posey) does not take this news too well. She is actually p****d off royaly (I almost forgot to say that she spent a quite a while in a mental hospital when her brother left).

You'll have to find out the rest yourself. It is worth the rent. And surprisingly, Tori Spelling is tollerable as the brothers girlfriend. This also features a great supporting cast including Freddie Prinz Jr., Josh Hamilton, Genevieve Bojould, and Rachel Leigh Cook as Posey's younger counterpart.

Cool Flick - But why cast Tori Spelling?!?!?!?!?!?!?

[mikehamilton · 7/10 · 10 June 2001]

I thoroughly enjoyed this film! It was very entertaining. Lots of fun. The characters were insanely fun. The script was truly comical and the acting was also good. I liked the story line and although it was on the sick side....that's what this film had going in its favor! It was unpredictable and edgy. A nice change! I've been wanting to pick this film up for years since I first saw it on the video store shelf...Boy am I glad I did. We all were very entertained!

But Why?!?!?!? Oh Why!??!?!?! Would ANYONE cast Tori Spelling - in anything?!?!?!?!? This film lost one whole point on my 1 to 10 scale because of her! She's just sooooooo awful that she actually brought the whole film down. She's the reason I hadn't picked the film up for years.... A number of interesting actresses could have been cast in this pivotal part. I think this film would have done much better at the box office if that awful excuse for an actress hadn't been in this otherwise entertaining film. Parker Posey was just priceless in her role as "Jackie-O"! And Josh Hamilton and Freddie Prinze Jr were totally fun in their parts too!

If you just want to have a good laugh and not think about a lot .... this might just be your film! Thumbs up for this production.....

theater of the absurd is so over

[sophiej468 · 1/10 · 29 May 2009]

this 1997 film of an earlier play is the proof. there's just too much real absurdity going on. Genevieve Bujold as the disconnected mother is the best thing in it, but these days, that isn't saying much, because so many people are disconnected. What there is of a plot about sibling incest and insanity is today totally predictable. A few (too few)funny lines. no one seems to know quite what to do with Parker Posey, except Christopher Guest, in his wonderful mockumentaries, in which she's very funny. Here, she just seems strained. Tori Spelling is quite appealing as the only normal character, a donut shop waitress who lands in a pretentious upscale family.

Fans of Parker Posey will love this movie

[Bill-175 · 10/10 · 7 September 1998]

The subject matter (incest) may turn some viewers off, but actually it is handled quite well and is not offensive. The acting and dialogue are outstanding. The family is crazy, but then don't we all have some nutty relatives.

A street car named Nasty

[onepotato2 · 2/10 · 5 January 2008]

House of Yes starts weird, gets unpleasant, then malicious, then off the charts icky, then it becomes nasty, etc.. Presumably it does this in a very conscious attempt to become a cult movie with the blackest humor in about twenty years. And if you can make it all the way through, you're the hippest viewer left standing! some reward. It's such a harangue that sensitive viewers will be turned off, anti-social viewers will be happy to see middle-class values punctured, and thoughtful viewers will just see it as a machine for provocation. The story is an escalating series of irritants: A girl waits for her brother to visit from college. We learn she has pretty bad taste, but that's excused because she's insane. But she's insane because she has an incestuous relationship with her twin brother. But her twin brother shows up with a fiancée. Then, amateurish verbal tics start to accumulate, upstaging the material (She's not a fiancé, she's a fee-OHN-SAY). Then the girl humiliates the fiancé, with about thirty cruel remarks. Then the girl and the twin brother let their sexual boundaries lapse in front of the others, and start touching inappropriately. etc. That's about the first half an hour. All of this heads nowhere... except to a reenactment of the moment she almost killed him reenacting the Kennedy assassination.

It's very difficult to put your head into the mind of its makers and imagine who the target demographic is for this; which means it's extremely hard to imagine how it got made... how someone sat through the play and thought, "Incest... humor... psychosis... this will make a terrific movie!" The stagey script makes annoying use of a cutesy device where characters repeat lines twice, or even three times before they can move on. A character will say "Marty's coming home." the 2nd character will say, "Marty's coming home?" and then back to character one who says "I said, Marty's coming home." This becomes irritating extremely fast. Three minutes don't pass without a repeated line. It's like listening to people act out a flowchart.

I used to think the humor in this outweighed the Ick factor (it's why I own a copy) but then I grew up. This was my first Parker Posey movie. And as always, she's sly and memorable. But now after seeing her other movies, this is really a piece of nastiness. It's made competently for a low budget, but it's almost mannerist in how off-putting it is. I'm not a believer in the idea that I need to like the characters in a piece, but I haven't seen a decent movie yet where I actively dislike everyone on screen.

Quirky & Loving it

[AppleAsylum · 12 July 2002]

When you have a house with 5 insane family members in it, you know it has got to be interesting. The strange mother. The foolish dumb son. The other son who has "some kind of past." The girlfriend who reminds me alot or Chrissy &/or Cindy Snow from Three's Company. The daughter, who by far is the craziest insane & jealous person you will meet...played by no other than the incredible Parker Posey! The second this film started, I was hooked. For sure this movie is NOT for everyone. But if you enjoy independant quirky flims, then this is MUST-SEE! Its twisted, perverted, and in some parts mad. In my opinion, Parker has yet to do a bad movie. But if you are not familer with her work, this is a good one to start with. If you like this, you'll enjoy: Clockwatchers; Party Girl; Misadventures of Margret. 1-10(10)Z.