House Arrest

High schooler Grover Beindorf and his younger sister Stacy decide their parents Janet and Ned have lost touch with grown up life as their eighteen year marriage seems to be breaking apart. In a bold attempt to force a real conversation, the siblings lock the couple in the basement until they figure out what comes next. The stunt throws the house into chaos and sets off a chain of miscommunications, schemes, and unlikely alliances among friends, teachers, and neighbors. As the day unfolds, the generation gap becomes a comic battleground where rules are bent, boundaries tested, and loyalties strained. Through it all the film keeps a light touch while exploring family ties, responsibility, and forgiveness.

Released in 1996, House Arrest was directed by Harry Winer from an original screenplay by Michael Hitchcock. The ensemble features Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Pollak, and Jennifer Love Hewitt, anchored by a strong supporting cast that adds color and humor to the family centered premise.

House Arrest sits within the 1990s wave of teen driven family comedies that blend prankish schemes with real world issues. It did not leave a lasting imprint on pop culture or boast famous quotes, but it captures a moment when light satire met domestic dilemma in a kid friendly package. The premise mirrors a broader trend toward kid protagonists shaping family outcomes.

Critics were mixed about its warmth and humor. Some praised the brisk pacing and the performances by Curtis, Pollak, and Hewitt, while others felt the premise stretched thin. The film lingers on themes of control versus autonomy, reconciliation after conflict, and the sometimes awkward path toward responsible adulthood. It treats those moments with a light and forgiving tone.

Box office details are not widely reported; the film arrived in theaters in 1996 as a light family comedy and did not become a major blockbuster, though it found a modest audience in homes and on video.