Housefull 5 Movie Review

Housefull 5 delivers its signature brand of madcap chaos, but this time the relentless, no-holds-barred humour works against the film’s own well-being. While it tries hard to entertain with over-the-top gags and outrageous setups, the lack of restraint and diminishing returns on the jokes leave the audience wanting more substance and less noise. True to its style, the film doesn't pull punches or respect boundaries — but in doing so, it risks alienating even its loyal fans.

"Housefull 5," the latest installment in the chaotic comedy franchise, sails straight into rough waters, never finding its way out. Co-written by producer Sajid Nadiadwala and co-scripted and directed by Tarun Mansukhani, the film attempts madcap humor but ultimately struggles to differentiate between genuine wit and sheer tomfoolery. Its relentless, no-holds-barred approach to comedy works severely against its own well-being.

Set on a luxury cruise ship celebrating a business tycoon's 100th birthday, the plot quickly devolves into a convoluted murder mystery. A masked killer stalks the decks as a pair of suspended British-Indian cops and a peculiar Indian Interpol chief arrive to investigate. The narrative quickly loses all semblance of logic, becoming a cacophony of characters and events. Adding to the chaos are three men, each claiming to be "Jolly," the rightful inheritor, accompanied by their "wives," further muddying the already murky waters of sanity.

The film's humor relies on gags that frequently overstay their welcome, oscillating between outright asininity and the excessively over-the-top. The female characters – Jacqueline Fernandez, Sonam Bajwa, Nargis Fakhri, Chitrangda Singh, and Soundarya Sharma – are regrettably relegated to mere props for dance numbers and utterly ineffectual attempts at humor.

The film also heavily leans on labored self-references to previous Housefull installments and other Hindi movie lore, including Akshay Kumar's recurring monkey encounters and Johny Lever stepping into the shoes of the absent Batuk Patel. Cameos from Sanjay Dutt and Jackie Shroff as "crazy cops," accompanied by a remix of "Nayak nahin khalnayak hoon main," further contribute to the relentless, often crude, comedic assault.

While the sheer baloney unfolding on screen might find a segment of its committed constituency, Housefull 5 is an unbridled celebration of the ludicrous. It's a defiantly flaky comedy, ultimately undermined by hopelessly flaccid plotting and a consistent inability to deliver genuine laughs, leaving audiences to question if they "signed up for this spectacle of inanity."