Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, March 10, 1990                   TAG: 9003102409
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: E-8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: mike mayo
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

`HOUSE PARTY' IS MORE FUN THAN IT SHOULD BE

In a sense, it's a black version of "Porky's" but to leave it at that sells the movie short. Writer/director Reginald Hudlin has the same sharp intelligence and originality that mark Spike Lee's films.

The premise is an old comic stand-by. Play (Christopher Martin) is giving a party because his parents are going to be gone overnight. Kid (Christopher Reid), with his carefully tended "eraser-head" haircut, is desperate to go to the party, but he knows that his chances are slim because it's a school night and his dad (Robin Harris) will probably say no. When Kid gets in a fight with the muscle-bound school bully, Stab (Paul Anthony) and the principal sends a note home, Kid knows it's hopeless. The only thing for him to do is to wait for his father to fall asleep and then sneak out.

That's exactly what he does, setting in motion a night of misadventure and wonder. Most of the action concerns two flirty girls, Sidney (Tisha Campbell) and Sharane (A.J. Johnson), who have designs on Kid and Play. The thing is none of the four can decide who wants to pair off with whom.

While they're sorting that out, Stab and his pals Pee-Wee (Bowlegged Lou) and Zilla (B. Fine) have decided to crash the party. Pop is hunting for Kid, and two thick-headed white cops (Barry Diamond and Michael Pniewski) hassle every black person they encounter.

Two things raise "House Party" above the brainless level of most teen comedies. First, the main characters have real depth and believabilty. Second, Hudlin captures the telling details of contemporary black middle-class culture with an accuracy that's all but unknown in mainstream movies. (By the way, Hudlin and his brother, producer Warrington Hudlin, have cameos as two crooks.)

The quick pace and grainy color are perfect for this kind of comedy. White audiences may miss a few of the jokes, but 98 percent of the humor is universal. The film even has some timely messages about sex, alcohol, teen-agers and respect, but it is never preachy.

"House Party" is raucous and loud; the humor is about equal parts crude and sharp. In short, it's more fun than it has any right to be.

`House Party' A New Line Cinema release playing at the Valley View Mall 6 (362-8219) and the Towers Theater (345-5519). Rated R for extremely rough language and sexual humor. About 90 minutes long.