We could all use a little extra money from time to time. Hey, these shoes ain’t cheap. In “The House,” the phrase “Mommy needs a new pair of shoes” is very accurate. Deco’s chief odds maker Chris Van Vliet is here with the story.
“The House” poses the question, “Is it really so bad to do something illegal if you’re doing it with good intentions?” And, “Is your child’s education any less valuable if you paid for it by breaking federal laws?” I flew to L.A. to find out from Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler.
In “The House,” Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler are parents who don’t have the money to send their daughter to college. So they do what any good parents would — they open an illegal casino in their neighbor’s house.
Jason Mantzoukas (as Frank): “I have a way for you guys to make four years tuition in one month — underground casino.”
Chris Van Vliet: “What would be the probability of actually being able to pull this off if we’re talking numbers?”
Will Ferrell: “Running an illegal casino in a neighborhood, trying to raise $500,000 without being caught.”
Amy Poehler: “I’m going to say…”
Will Ferrell: “Less than one percent.”
Chris Van Vliet: “Oh, so pretty good.”
Amy Poehler: “Pretty good.” (laughs)
In the movie, their underground casino is actually pretty successful, but they need to make sure their daughter doesn’t find out about it.
Amy Poehler (as Kate Johansen): “Alex thinks we can afford tuition, and we can’t.”
Will Ferrell (as Scott Johansen): “We gotta lie, that’s what parents do.”
Chris Van Vliet: “You say in the film that parents lie. What is the biggest lie that parents tell kids?”
Will Ferrell: “The one main lie with my kids though is that I played in the NBA for six years.”
Chris Van Vliet: “You didn’t?”
Will Ferrell: “I doctored video tapes. I’ve really gone to a crazy extent, and they still to this day, now they’re telling their friends, and their friends are saying, ‘Your dad never played,’ and I’m like, ‘You’re friends are liars, stop hanging out with them.’ So I’m getting in trouble for that lie.”
Will Ferrell (as Scott Johansen): “Your mother and I will be working late every night.”
Ryan Simpkins (as Alex Johansen): “I just can’t help but feel like you’re lying.”
Will Ferrell (as Scott Johansen): “We love you very much, we’re very proud of you, but you need to shut up.”
Will and Amy’s characters set a goal to make $500,000 in a month — $250 for them and $250 for their neighbor whose house they’re using.
Chris Van Vliet: “If I had to raise $500,000 in a month, legal or otherwise, what would you say is the best way to do it?”
Amy Poehler: “I feel like drugs. Selling drugs.”
Will Ferrell: “Or some sort of fake charity thing on Instagram. The Ice Bucket Challenge type of thing.”
Chris Van Vliet: “But instead of dumping ice on your head, dumping drugs so we combine both ideas?”
Will Ferrell: “The cocaine bucket challenge.”
You may have heard that Mariah Carey filmed some scenes for the movie — but, you won’t actually see those scenes in the movie. Word is they were so bad and she was so much of a diva that the scenes were completely unusable.
“The House” is in theaters Thursday.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.