A View at the Movies: Man of the House

I saw Man of the House over the weekend. Yeah, I'm a little behind on the movies. I've been sick, gimme a break (geez, I'm defensive). The premise is basically that five University of Texas cheerleaders witness a murder and, in stereotypical cheerleader fashion, they fuss and bicker about the appearance of the killer. So, Tommy Lee Jones' Texas Ranger character has to live with them and guard them at all times. To accomplish this, he goes undercover as their strength and conditioning coach. There are cute, funny hijinks. There are also funny subplots involving Tommy Lee Jones and his estranged daughter and the cheerleaders helping Jones' character woo a college professor. Cedric the Entertainer is also funny as an ex-con turned preacher that Jones repeatedly hassles for information. I was almost sold...until the climax. The cheerleaders help Jones foil a kidnapping plot related to the murder they witnessed, and it was so unbelievable. It even involved them using their cheerleading skills. It just was not believable at all to me. Also, Christina Milian's character seems a little wooden as the cheerleading captain. Only near the end does Milian's character loosen up. Also, most of the girls are basic characters: The dumb blonde who's smart if she applies herself, the smart blonde who worries too much, the lustful Latina girl, and other broad generalizations. The girls' characters really don't evolve. Maybe I'm asking for too much from a comedy, but it's just not believable. So, Man of the House receives 2.5 pom poms from me. Two are for Tommy Lee Jones, the half is for Cedric the Entertainer; he rarely disappoints me in his movies. No comment on his short-lived TV show. Be easy.