Houseboat

UPC: 097360580648

Studio: Paramount

MPAA Rating: NR   Contains:[Suitable for Children]

Summary: Cary Grant scored still another box-office smash with his 1958 vehicle Houseboat. Grant plays a widowed father who packs himself and his spoiled kiddies off to a ramshackle houseboat. Enter Sophia Loren, who is attempting to break loose from her tyrannical father's (Eduardo Cianelli) iron grip. She hires on as Grant's housekeeper and his children's governess. Though Grant struggles valiantly to maintain a "hands off" policy, he and Loren are billing and cooing by fadeout time--but not before plenty of reversals, recriminations and sitcom-style mishaps. As a bonus, the kids end up behaving like little angels (not surprising, since Loren has threatened from time to time to turn them into genuine angels if they don't toe the line). According to most sources, the on-screen romance between Cary Grant and Sophia Loren in Houseboat spilled over into their private lives as well, though Sophia put an end to this dalliance when she married Italian movie mogul Carlo Ponti. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Category: Romance

Awards: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – null Best Original Screenplay – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Original Screenplay – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Song – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Song – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – Hollywood Foreign Press Association

Features: ccTheatrical trailer
Teaser trailer
Photo gallery

Houseboat

Format: DVD

Release Date: 11/05/2002

Audio: DD1 Dolby Digital Mono

Runtime: 109 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,French

Subtitles: English

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1 --
1. Taking the Children
2. Tour of Washington DC
3. Two Runaways
4. Robert Comes Back
5. Moving to the Country
6. New Home
7. Distant Family
8. Sharing the Chores
9. David Goes Overboard
10. Tom's Philosophy of Life
11. Learning English
12. A Date for Cinzia
13. Country Club Dance
14. Disappointment
15. Everything Goes

Craig Butler

Houseboat demonstrates exactly how important star power can be to some projects. Any number of actors could have made this frothy little romantic comedy, and the results would have been pleasant but instantly forgettable. Fortunately, Cary Grant and Sophia Loren were engaged for the parts, and so the otherwise mediocre Houseboat turns out to be a charming and engaging little piece of fluff. Forget the screenplay; its Oscar nomination notwithstanding, Houseboat's script is well structured and has some good dialogue, but is basically nothing more than standard sitcom fare. Likewise, Melville Shavelson's direction is neat and efficient, but uninspired. And while the kids in the cast -- especially Paul Peterson -- are good, they're not enough to make Houseboat stand out. Ah, but Grant and Loren, whether together or separate onscreen, provide some magic. The chemistry between the two is palpable and invaluable, but each is just as powerful even when the other is absent. Grant could walk through this kind of part with his eyes closed; that he puts so much into the part (yet still makes it looks so utterly effortless) is an example of why Grant was such an irreplaceable star. Loren, looking sensational, is a sensual tornado with a wonderful flair for light comedy. The difference in age between the two stars is a bit disconcerting, but there's nothing else to criticize about them. They make Houseboat worth watching -- and watching again. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Helen Brown  Actor 
Gilda Oliva  Actor 
Mary Forbes  Actor 
Marc Wilder  Actor 
Paul Peterson  Actor 
Kathleen Freeman  Actor 
Bill Hickman  Actor 
Pat Moran  Actor 
Julian Rivero  Actor 
Wally Walker  Actor 
Brooks Benedict  Actor 
Joe McTurk  Actor 
George Duning  Composer (Music Score) 
Ray Evans  Composer (Music Score) 
Melville Shavelson  Director 
Melville Shavelson  Screenwriter 
Jack Rose  Producer 
Jack Rose  Screenwriter 
Cary Grant  Actor 
Sophia Loren  Actor 
Martha Hyer  Actor 
Harry Guardino  Actor 
Eduardo Ciannelli  Actor 
Mimi Gibson  Actor 
Murray Hamilton  Actor 
Charles Herbert  Actor 
Madge Kennedy  Actor 
John Litel  Actor 
Werner Klemperer  Actor 

Country: USA