Review: Housefull 4

Release date: October 25, 2019
Running time: 145 minutes
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Bobby Deol 

Housefull 4 tells the story of a group of friends who are marrying three sisters.  However, one of the group discovers right before the wedding that in a past life, they were all friends and marrying the same group of sisters—but each was betrothed to a different member of the group.  That friend, Henry / Prince Bala (Kumar) must try to teach his friends about their past lives in order to make sure that they all end up with who they were destined to.  

After really loving Kumar in Mission Mangal, I was excited to see what he would bring to this comedy.  And although Kumar does an admirable job as Henry / Bala, his character is just not likable to me.  For the most part, the other men in the cast are funny and somewhat relatable, but they all are beholden to Henry / Bala, who has some weird quirks and less than progressive ideas.  And although the story has an interesting fate mechanic, I didn't love how the characters focused more on fate than on their present life.  This might have just been a cultural issue, i.e., I just didn't understand and have the same experiences growing up to focus more on past lives vs. present day.  But it felt odd that Henry was essentially trying to destroy his current life to fulfill his past life. 

Housefull 4 is a film full of contradictions.  It has some hilarious moments and some humor that just feels juvenile.  It has strong female characters that sometimes end up being pawns in the plan of the male friends.  And it focuses on keeping the past the same when the friends had already made new lives in the present.  It has some very amazing set pieces with some of the most vibrant and active dance sequences I have seen, with some very questionable CGI.  

Housefull 4 is a ridiculous comedy that has a lovable cast and hilarious moments that will keep you guessing what happens next!

Rent it