Critic's Grade: B+

Move over, Felix and Oscar; there's a new odd couple in town. In "Bringing Down the House," a truly solid cast works diligently to transform the mediocre into the magnificently funny, and their efforts pay off almost immediately and without end. Steve Martin is cast as Peter Sanderson, a wealthy tax attorney who's recently been chatting it up on Yahoo! with Lawyergirl, whose picture of a slim, business-like woman doesn't exactly fit the description of the real deal, Charlene, played by Queen Latifah. After being recently released from prison, she wants to clear her record of the crime she claims to have been framed for, and she's willing to go to any lengths to make Sanderson's life a living hell in order to get him to agree.

This much we already know from the previews; from there, it's pretty easy to put the pieces in place. Certain story elements like the doubt surrounding Charlene's true intentions (could she possibly be scamming Peter?), or the inclusion of Peter's ex-wife and two children, play like basic setups for the final outcome, and remain little more than baggage. But director Adam Shankman ("A Walk to Remember") and first-time writer Jason Filardi bend them to their advantage, using them as lead-ins to some very funny situations and moments of extremely gratifying humor. The entire time, I knew I was being manipulated, and in the end, after having such a hearty time, I didn't give a damn.

Of course, the film's success belongs to its cast. The pairing and clashing of the Martin's upper-class lawyer and Latifah's ghetto girl is all the better because these two actors have such a wonderful comedic rapport. They're given a lot to do here, be it Peter asking her to dress up as their African-American maid, or Charlene showing his ex-wife's sister what's what in a country club bathroom. Truth be told, Latifah eventually steals the show, her whipsmart slang and ultra-delicious body language reigning supreme. Even many of the supporting players have their moments, including Eugene Levy as Peter's co-worker who later becomes obsessed with his "cocoa goddess," and Joan Plowright as an uppity client who later gets down and dirty. They all come together to make us forget the contrivances and the predictability, and, simply put, they make "Bringing Down the House" a movie that does exactly what its title implies.

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