Bringing the ‘90s back is hard work. So hard this new House Party reboot only gets half the job done. But when it’s on, it’s on.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jan 19, 2023

Filled with celebs and unfunny gags, the bash at LeBron James’ mansion ends up feeling more exhausting than exciting.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Jan 14, 2023

Director Calmatic establishes the stakes but never grounds anything enough to make you believe those stakes, and the characters ring as hollow as the blink-and-you-missed-them celebrity cameos.

| Original Score: C- | Jan 13, 2023

Like any rager gone south, the buzz is fun early on, until it’s suddenly too much, the house is overrun, and the room starts spinning.

| Jan 13, 2023

While this remix of House Party may leave some nostalgic for the original, it smartly doesn't try to copy the first film. However, it does stay true to the first version's celebration of friendship.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jan 13, 2023

James’s heart and hangups might be in the right place. But unless you’ve got nothing else going this weekend, his House Party is one to skip.

| Original Score: 1/5 | Jan 13, 2023

deeply unfunny and downright tiresome.

| Original Score: 1.5/4 | Jan 13, 2023

When it goes high concept in the third act and finally calls for actual story, it excels, but not, perhaps, for long enough.

| Jan 13, 2023

Injecting aspects of social media, clout chasing culture, and old school music into an updated feature does not add spin, depth, or perspective to a reboot.

| Jan 12, 2023

Turn down the invitation.

| Jan 12, 2023

An unimaginative story without a standout comic performance is unlikely to make waves. Directed by commercial and music video impresario Calmatic in his feature debut, House Party feels like a case of too many cooks in the kitchen.

| Original Score: C+ | Jan 12, 2023

If only the movie had been as sublimely odd and inspired as its comic centerpiece, then maybe it could have ranked among the upper echelon of “House Party” movies. Instead, the results feel more “partly” than “party.”

| Jan 12, 2023