I was in college when this movie came out in 1995, and me and my friends all thought it was hilarious then. Now, at age 40, I still find a lot of it still funny. Sinbad was very funny, but from an older perspective, he's sometimes a little too hyper excited. But that aspect is still minimal, and it's mainly in the first parts of the movie before Sinbad teams up with Phil Hartman. We get a couple more of the comic book style gangsters that we've seen in so many other 90s movies (I.e. "Getting even with dad", " Cop and a half","Man of the house"). And (the late) Phil and his wife could be a little brighter for not being able to see Sinbad as an imposter. But I've always let that part slide cause the scenes with Sinbad, Phil and his family were the best parts of the movie. I still find the part with Sinbad at the school assembly very funny. Same with Sinbad at the party at the house. And Sinbad's reaction to Phil calling every activity they do "the thing". And I've always liked Sinbad and Phil's chemistry together here. Phil Hartman is one of a number of great comic actors from the 80s and 90s I really liked that are no longer with us, such as Chris Farely, River Phoenix, and Corey Haim. Jeffery Jones definitely had had his day, but in "Houseguest", his " Ferris Bueller" funniness is long gone. But there's still some funny zanyness. I always shared Sinbad's fondness for McDonalds back then, back in the days when McDonalds burgers still tasted good. That was before the quality of McDonalds, Burger King, and a number of other fast food places went downhill. I still laughed at this movie. Like I said, a lot of the movie's still funny. It's on my long list of favorites from the 80s and 90s, the age of my youth.

Kevin Franklin has a dream, but he's having trouble finding the fast lane to his first million. Borrowing from loan sharks to finance a new business, Kevin finds himself in debt to the Gasperini Brothers. Seizing an opportunity to escape, Kevin passes himself off as a prominent Baltimore dentist to an unsuspecting family, The Youngs, becoming their house-guest for a weekend.......Sinbad was never a big star here in the UK, the movie he will be remembered for here is Jingle All The Way, as the one who was annoying Schwarzenegger for the duration of the film.But as always in the US, the nineties always seemed to give popular TV stars a three picture deal, David Caruso was one, but he sank big time, despite some big films, and there was this guy, who was given some safer projects.And this is one of them, a film where the family are not getting along, a supposed family friend arrives,who is a little different from before, and before you can say 'it's a wonderful life' everyone loves each other, and the bad guys are given their just desserts.Sinbad is watchable, and the rest of the cast are stereotypical to this genre, but in the end, its harmless, slightly diverting stuff.And that would make a wonderful poster quote 'slightly diverting'Wonderfully endorsed by McDonalds....

Kevin Franklin (Sinbad) is a big man with big dreams but try telling that to his car that backfires so often that he probably doesn't go through the drive thru at McDonald's (his favorite place to eat). Growing up as an orphan money centric Kevin has tried to get it any way he can, by selling baseball cards, watching tapes on home based businesses and finally borrowing 5k from Happy, the local loan shark. When it comes time to collect none of these business opportunities have paid off in the least so he has two options. The two mobsters kill him or he can have another day of life and an opportunity to pay 50k he naturally takes the latter and decides to skip town which is when he runs into Gary Young (Phil Hartmann) who is looking for his uptight conservative Derek Bond (Ron Glass who's well known for his role in Barney Miller) and he pretends to be the real Derek Bond with hilarious results especially when trying to "remember" the childhood he had with Gary at Camp Maple Ridge and the lyrics to Goodnight Irene First: A presentation in which he BS's his way through with hilarity, trying to figure out the details of Derek Bond before a garden party that he livens up after a mishap with an ice cream machine and a wine tasting that would otherwise be uptight and conservative. As he bumbles through the time at the Youngs he realizes that their family though a shining example of the nuclear family with a successful Mom (owner of a yogurt franchise) and Dad (who works for a rival frozen desert company in town) but the kids are not exactly the Leave It To Beaver kids.The oldest girl has a thing for dead guys and depressing poetry wearing black all the time and has a boyfriend named Steve but he prefers ST3 he is simply the son of a Congressman who thinks he's a white boy who grew up in the hood around black people (those who have are often called white chocolate). The daughter is just--trying to find her voice as well but not in the best of ways, Kevin teaches her to embrace life and living things and to not let a guy like ST3 take advantage of her and Kevin teaches ST3 a lesson: Don't leave a chicken dinner for a chicken McNugget (this other girl he was with at a shop Kevin went to) by getting pretty creative. His Son Jason is obsessed with pleasing his dad who wants him to become an all star basketball player, Kevin teaches him confidence by teaming up with him to be victorious over a bunch of teenagers who hog the basketball court and wins their clothes. The youngest girl is ignored so he basically watches cartoons with her throughout his time at the Young Family Gary, the Father is pitted against his wife by being given a Beaver Meadows account that is going into a frozen yogurt business and he has a conflict of interest. When mentioning this to his boss, Mr Pike, Pike simply says that he knows that Gary is best for this eventually Kevin steps in saying that he needs to stand up to his boss and can it which he does, Gary then resolves to work as in home counsel for his wife.As all this is going on, the thugs are homing in on Kevin until their search leads them to the Young Residence with the real Derek Bond who then states that he is the real Derek Bond and that this man is an impostor. Then things make sense for Gary and the family after Kevin is taken away and the family then decides to go after him when the real Derek Bond berates Kevin as a two bit crook. Final chase happens between Kevin and the mobsters and they acquire a scratch off which can be worth a cool million, they then part ways with Kevin and let him go.One year later, Kevin is rich with that Porsche thanks to a Handbook for House-guests he published. Now that the Youngs know who he is and that he was being himself, they forge a continuing friendship with Kevin and his friend Larry, and the movie closes with food themed Christmas Classics showcasing the voice talents of Phil Hartmann and Sinbad This movie is wonderful for both their comic stylings. Phil Hartmann is a great reactor and his delivery is amazing. The garden party scene really does fit in with his style as well,it's a good movie that really makes him shine while also making his co stars shine too. It's more of a farce comedy that I give 6 out of 10 stars, a nice family comedy and all around fun. It has its shortcomings but I really don't see them when I look at its message, I'd say it's more like a tale of friendship and it's power to change people for the better.And that is my review

HOUSESITTER, in my opinion, is a good film that's very funny, albeit somewhat crude. It's a story about what can happen when you don't pay off your debts. If you ask me, the way that Kevin (Sinbad) talked his way into staying with the Youngs (Phil Hartman, Kim Griest, Chauncey Leopardi, Talia Seider, Kim Murphy) was pretty darn clever. However, when Kevin performed that oral surgery, I think I wanted to puke. This was because he wasn't a certified dentist. In conclusion, if you like Sinbad or Phil Hartman movies, this is definitely one to see. You will truly enjoy it, so go to the video store, rent it or buy it, kick back with a friend, and enjoy it.