The House is pretty bad

Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler star as a married couple in this movie who don’t have the money to send their daughter to college. They were counting on her getting a scholarship from the town, so they need to find a way to pay when that scholarship vanishes. With the help of a friend they open an illegal casino in their home.

This is bad. The idea seems like it could be funny but I didn’t laugh. Ferrell’s character cannot do math, that is a running joke that doesn’t work. (I think that came up three or four times.) Okay, I guess it is nice that Poehler isn’t a nag and is a partner in the zaniness.

I am not sure the problem is. Did the movie jump too fast into outrageousness? Would a slower build to outrageousness be funnier? Maybe.

Is there a term for a running joke that doesn’t work?

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