Smart House (1999)
Ben Cooper and his family are struggling to get a grip on household chores, school and work. So when Ben sees that a Smart House is being given away, he enters the competition as often as he can, until they eventually win the house (named Pat). After moving in, Pat's personality begins to radically change, and the family starts to resent her.
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Reviews
Good start, but then it gets ruined
Don't listen to the negative reviews
Blistering performances.
It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
Nick Cooper (Kevin Kilner) is a widower trying to raise two children, Ryan and Katie. Ryan, who misses his real mother very much, has a head for computers. When a contest is announced for a family to win a computer controlled house, Ryan secretly enters his family. They win! Nick is a bit reluctant to make the move until he gets a look at the home's attractive designer, Sara. Deciding to give it a whirl, Nick, Ryan and Katie begin living in the "smart" house. What could go wrong? Plenty.This movie falls into the realm of good, clean fun. The house "talks", with a voice brought to life by Katey Sagal; consider her a kinder, gentler "big brother". The children are charming and intriguing while the film contains a romance, which should please the adult viewers. Families searching for nice films for a wintery Saturday night at home should consider this one. It is a guaranteed crowd pleaser.
A cute little Disney feature. In fact, "cute" says it all; Kevin Kilner as the father is very cute indeed, and the romance between him and Jessica Steen (the creator of the Smart House in the title) is adorable. And the kids, of course, are very sweet. But the plot is achingly wheezy; even a couple of references to Kubrick's 2001 can't save it. The best thing about it is the ever-enjoyable Katey Sagal, who voices the Smart House and who never fails to entertain. The other actors - notwithstanding their adorability - seem to be sleepwalking through the script. This might be a good choice for a rainy afternoon and a houseful of kids - but it would be best to have a couple of other movies in your pocket at the same time.
Tiny SpoilersThis movie is alright. The part where they enter the house and tour it - thats pretty cool. But at the ending/middle parts it gets really boring and people don't want to watch it anymore.
Like many of the recent made for TV Disney movies, (i.e. Johnny Tsunami, Genius, You Lucky Dog, among others) Smart House has a potentially good story line. All of these movies turned out stupid though. The directing is poor, as well as the acting. The script is questionable. Also I do not like all of the modern allusions from the "popular world" and disney references inside the movie. Smart House could have been a good movie, but there are just too many dumb things in it. I especially dislike the pointless and overdone climaxes in each of these movies. I give Smart House a 4 out of 10