1287 House Party

[domino harvey]

In this dazzlingly imaginative teen comedy, the breakthrough feature debut by writer-director Reginald Hudlin, hip-hop duo Kid ’n Play bring their star power to the big screen as aspiring MCs preparing for the party of the year. When Kid’s father (Robin Harris) forbids him from attending Play’s party, Kid sneaks out anyway, kicking off a wild night full of dance-offs and rap battles, run-ins with bullies and cops, and a bit of romance. With an ensemble cast that also includes Tisha Campbell, AJ Johnson, Martin Lawrence, Daryl “Chill” Mitchell, and members of the music group Full Force, plus a hit soundtrack, House Party is a beloved, feel-good snapshot of early-1990s hip-hop culture that brought Black teenage experience to the mainstream, and that shines bright to this day.

New 4K digital restoration, supervised by director of photography Peter Deming and approved by writer-director Reginald Hudlin, with 4.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
New audio commentary featuring Hudlin
New conversation featuring Hudlin, producer Warrington Hudlin, and film scholar Racquel Gates
New cast reunion featuring actors B-Fine, Bowlegged Lou, and the Legend Paul Anthony of Full Force; Tisha Campbell; AJ Johnson; Christopher “Play” Martin; Daryl “Chill” Mitchell; and Christopher “Kid” Reid
House Party (1983), the student short by Reginald Hudlin on which his feature is based
Trailer
English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
PLUS: An essay by author Michael Harriot

New cover by Gabe Tiberino

[Never Cursed]

What kind of cultural presence does this film have for our 80s/90s kids? As someone a bit younger than that, I had never heard of this movie/franchise outside of people guessing it for release, and have no familiarity with the principal musician-actors (though obviously several of the supporting players went on to greater fame in Do The Right Thing etc). I don't think anyone I follow on Letterboxd from here has seen this. Is this the hippity-hop's answer to The Girl Can't Help It?

[domino harvey]

I should mark it as seen, I saw it in bits and pieces on TV as a kid. I would say everyone in my age group would get a reference to Kid N Play and/or this movie, but I don’t know how many have actually seen the film. Haven’t seen the sequels or remake. Kid N Play were initially known more for their music and the kickstep (and the height of Kid’s hair), but as an acting duo as far as I know they kinda went nowhere when the high school movie they did after this bombed. They are part of the early 90s’ expanding mainstream comic prospects for black performers (and this film’s success led to stuff like Who’s the Man? getting greenlit). I will be picking this up and am extremely curious to hear the reunion panel!

[soundchaser]

It means nothing to me as an early 90s kid, although like DH, I’m sure I was in a room while it was on TV at some point - maybe at my grandmother’s house, where the thing was constantly running. I’d also never heard of it in a concrete way until very recently. But then hip hop was a late-ish discovery for me/my family, and our primary exposure for a while was The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

[knives]

I’m vaguely aware of it due to reruns and parody, but have no real familiarity.

[domino harvey]

Also, an educational rap they performed on the PBS show Square One gave me real and impactful math knowledge (fingertip to fingertip!) that I still use as an adult and 100% only remember because of their rap: Rule of Thumb (starts at 9:09 if it just plays the whole episode)

[Mr Sausage]

I was only 5 when the movie came out, but I recognize the title and that one guy's hair. Kid N Play doesn't register. Can't say if I saw scenes of this on tv, but it's possible.

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

Racquel Gates interviewing the director and producer is a very promising extra too. Yeah, this and New Kids On The Block are entwined in my mind as my first peek into contemporary pop culture when I was little. Other than those memories tho zero real exposure. So I'm very curious to see how this looks now! I'll definitely get a copy for interested family members too since like soundchaser Fresh Prince was my family's first exposure to hip-hop. Also, I'm just now learning that Peter Deming was the DP.

[mteller]

As an 80's kid, this movie was huge for me, and is still one of my favorites. My buddies and I would quote it constantly. Follow the drip, follow the drip!

The jail scene is lamentable, though.

[nowhereisaplace]

I loved this as a kid, but I do expect limited appeal from those outside of that immediate timeframe. I would love to wrong though and learn that Kid 'n Play are timeless.

[Matt]

It's interesting that this is coming out at the same time as the upgrade of The Breakfast Club. I'd say it has the same relevance and belovedness among hip-hop-affiliated Gen-Xers as that movie or Risky Business. Like, it's not a deep movie, but it's a good time. I remember Kid 'n' Play's album 2 Hype being huge in 1988-89 in that era of "happy rap" alongside DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, Heavy D, MC Hammer, Young M.C., Chubb Rock, et al. The radio- and kid-friendly alternative to L.A. gangsta rap and Public Enemy.

[nowhereisaplace]

Not to get off on a tangent, but I feel that particular era/genre holds up very well - especially when you consider how it would soon flourish into Pete Rock, Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Brand Nubian and the like in the years immediately following. I still love listening to all that.

[flyonthewall2983]

I loved this as a kid, but I do expect limited appeal from those outside of that immediate timeframe. I would love to wrong though and learn that Kid 'n Play are timeless.

Kid went on to be Bill Maher’s head writer.

[hearthesilence]

Not to get off on a tangent, but I feel that particular era/genre holds up very well - especially when you consider how it would soon flourish into Pete Rock, Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Brand Nubian and the like in the years immediately following. I still love listening to all that.

The Golden Age of Hip-Hop indeed. I have to agree with Chuck D, it's insane all the greats from this era aren't playing sold-out arenas in stark contrast to the legacy artists in rock. Jackson Browne can sell out a run of shows at the Beacon 50+ years after his debut at premium prices without much publicity, but a lot of genuinely popular hip-hop acts from the '80s and early '90s don't have the same pull - I typically see them for FREE and most of the time there's not much of a line.

Kid 'n Play weren't heavyweights, but they weren't bad - 2 Hype is probably worth revisiting.

[beamish14]

Not to get off on a tangent, but I feel that particular era/genre holds up very well - especially when you consider how it would soon flourish into Pete Rock, Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Brand Nubian and the like in the years immediately following. I still love listening to all that.

The Golden Age of Hip-Hop indeed. I have to agree with Chuck D, it's insane all the greats from this era aren't playing sold-out arenas in stark contrast to the legacy artists in rock. Jackson Browne can sell out a run of shows at the Beacon 50+ years after his debut at premium prices without much publicity, but a lot of genuinely popular hip-hop acts from the '80s and early '90s don't have the same pull - I typically see them for FREE and most of the time there's not much of a line.

Kid 'n Play weren't heavyweights, but they weren't bad - 2 Hype is probably worth revisiting.

I truly can’t believe how little press Eric B & Rakim’s reunion tour got. It’s astounding that they got back together, and it barely made a blip. They released 4 virtually perfect albums

I just read Nate Patrin’s Bring That Beat Back, which deconstructs how sampling became an essential part of hip-hop’s DNA, and it inspired me to revisit or discover so much music from that era.

[hearthesilence]

Seeing and meeting these greats in small settings has been one of the great pleasures of living in NYC, especially over the last few years when everyone came out in full force to commemorate hip-hop's 50th birthday. The punk and post-punk era is already beginning to age out - I sorely regret missing so many great reunions during the '00s - but I've tried very hard not to repeat that with hip-hop.

[yoloswegmaster]

Interesting that they aren't adding the sequels as an extra like they did with the 'Shaft' release. If they are releasing films in a similar vein, then I would love to see 4K releases of 'Friday' and 'Fear of a Black Hat', which I don't think has a HD release.

[Buttery Jeb]

Interesting that they aren't adding the sequels as an extra like they did with the 'Shaft' release. If they are releasing films in a similar vein, then I would love to see 4K releases of 'Friday' and 'Fear of a Black Hat', which I don't think has a HD release.

I didn't expect any of the sequels to be packaged together, as Hudlin had nothing to do with them. Gordon Parks also directed Shaft's Big Score, which is why that film got included as an extra with Shaft.

If I had to select another hip hop film to get added to the Collection, Beat Street makes a lot of sense: a lot of rap pioneers were in that film, although originally it was promoted as much for the breakdancing featured in the film; and the soundtrack was hugely influential. I keep seeing news that Nas is working on adapting that film as a Broadway show; so maybe if that happens, the bump in publicity will help nudge a boutique label into picking it up.

[domino harvey]

I don’t know who has Fear of a Black Hat but I agree that it’s a no-brainer for Criterion if it’s available. While I think it would be funny in theory to release Friday, I don’t think there’s much chance of it— what is there to say about it that needs Criterion?

I doubt this release leads to more Hudlin from Criterion, but if they really wanna get wild, they could release one of the movies that got made on the strength of this film’s success, Bebe’s Kids (also unlikely and not a good movie, but certainly a fascinating cultural product of the era and you could make an argument for its inclusion on context alone)

[Buttery Jeb]

I don’t know who has Fear of a Black Hat but I agree that it’s a no-brainer for Criterion if it’s available.

Fear of a Black Hat was with Hen's Tooth Video, as they did the DVD release for the film. I think they're still around; although they haven't put anything out for years.

[Black Hat]

Not to get off on a tangent, but I feel that particular era/genre holds up very well - especially when you consider how it would soon flourish into Pete Rock, Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Brand Nubian and the like in the years immediately following. I still love listening to all that.

The Golden Age of Hip-Hop indeed. I have to agree with Chuck D, it's insane all the greats from this era aren't playing sold-out arenas in stark contrast to the legacy artists in rock. Jackson Browne can sell out a run of shows at the Beacon 50+ years after his debut at premium prices without much publicity, but a lot of genuinely popular hip-hop acts from the '80s and early '90s don't have the same pull - I typically see them for FREE and most of the time there's not much of a line.

Kid 'n Play weren't heavyweights, but they weren't bad - 2 Hype is probably worth revisiting.

You mean Chuck D the painter? PE always sucked. I'm not a classic rock cornball, but to be fair, a few reasons hip hop shows don't sell out is because they're not particularly great live acts, its reputation for violence also hurt it. Its culture was always about the club, parties (house or otherwise) and driving — old school is still going strong in all these areas. Walk into any hip restaurant in any major city, various fashion week parties or parties of any kind attended by "cool" people, and your DJ is dropping old school hip hop in their mix. Lastly, hip hop, unlike rock, still exists, so its past in terms of live shows is ephemeral where as the dorks or seniors obsessed with Jackson Brown or gasp, the corpses of Springsteen, Dylan and bands where half or more of their members have been dead for decades roll on because they have nowhere else to go, desperately trying to hold on to a genre that's been lapped mulitple times by other ones with it being clear once and for all it wasn't particularly good in the first place (ask any jazz musician about that). Metal legends Pantera have been touring nonstop, selling well, which, if you know anything about that band, is farcical. There was a clip of Vince Neil on stage going around recently that was a far cry from his days with Janine & Brandy, but alas, that's the human condition. Say what you want about punk, post-punk & no wave, but at least most of those bands had the dignity to keep doing drugs until they went insane or died. Hilariously, believe it or not, a band derivative of all that, Interpol, is a huge all over the globe as a legacy act, selling out stadiums. House Party is terrific and I believe the first VH1 Classic to enter the collection.

[yoloswegmaster]

I don’t know who has Fear of a Black Hat but I agree that it’s a no-brainer for Criterion if it’s available. While I think it would be funny in theory to release Friday, I don’t think there’s much chance of it— what is there to say about it that needs Criterion?

I never said it "needs" a Criterion release. I'm just saying that a 4K release would be appreciated since the previous blu releases doesn't look as good as it could, not to mention that it has a strong cultural relevance (arguably even moreso than the film for whose thread we are currently in).

[dwk]

LIke other stuff released by Hen's Tooth, Fear of a Black Hat is with Shout Factory.

[Zot!]

PE always sucked.

Shots fired! I'm going to sit this one out, but my limited interest in rap is pretty much relegated to the Bomb Squad and the stuff Dre did with NWA, and I assume I'm not exactly breaking new ground here among dilletantes.

[flyonthewall2983]

I doubt this release leads to more Hudlin from Criterion, but if they really wanna get wild, they could release one of the movies that got made on the strength of this film’s success, Bebe’s Kids (also unlikely and not a good movie, but certainly a fascinating cultural product of the era and you could make an argument for its inclusion on context alone)

It’s animation!