Trivia / Bringing Down the House

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• Career Resurrection:
  • While already being famous, Steve Martin was primarily known for his well-regarded buddy comedies and memorable side roles, but his last major hit had been 1989's Parenthood and he had continued starring in lesser fare like Sgt Bilko and the like thorough the late 1990's (an exception could be made for Bowfinger, but that was a sleeper hit at best). This film brought him back in a big way, becoming a massive box office hit and paving the way for Cheaper by the Dozen (2003), released later the same year, to also clean up at the box office and put Martin on his hottest career streak since the mid-80's.
  • It also did the same for Queen Latifah, who had been relegated to middling side roles ever since her original rise to fame in the early 90's as a (rare for the time) female rapper and her role in Living Single. She arguably benefitted more than Martin did, as this film proved her to be a marketable box office draw and, in conjunction with her Academy Award nomination as Matron "Mama" Morton in Chicago, led to her breaking out of sidekick roles and into leading lady status.
• What Could Have Been:
  • The original script for this movie was entitled Jailbabe.com and was slightly more action-oriented. It was written with Angelina Jolie in mind, rather than Queen Latifah, but she turned it down.
  • Adam Sandler auditioned, and was considered, to play Peter rather than Steve Martin.

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