Parents' Guide to

The Penthouse

By Brian Costello, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Some violence, language, drinking in clunky thriller.

Movie R 2021 88 minutes
The Penthouse Poster Image

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What's the Story?

In THE PENTHOUSE, Peter (David Schifter) is a successful marina owner, married to Amanda (Vanessa Ore), a successful surf shop owner. Together, they decide to purchase the luxury top-floor penthouse that overlooks the island on which they live. As they settle into their new home, they begin to notice a couple who live on a houseboat in the waters below, and how they always seem to be arguing. Peter grows increasingly fascinated by them, and even buys a telescope to get a better view. One day, the woman on the boat, Tess, browses Amanda's surf shop, and Amanda tries to befriend her, but Tess seems shy and scared. The man they've been spying on, Charles (Michael Pare), is a "storm chasing" con artist, a "general contractor" who goes up and down the East Coast and offers to repair storm-damaged homes but doesn't do the work once he gets the money. Soon, Peter and Amanda notice that Tess is no longer on the boat. One evening while out on the town, Peter and Amanda see Charles at the bar. Peter tries to introduce himself to Charles, and tells him how they can see him on his boat from their penthouse. Charles, drunk and surly, finds this to be creepy and intrusive, and asks Peter to leave. But the next day, Charles shows up outside of Peter's building and apologizes, inviting him to stop by the houseboat for a beer. Peter takes him up on the offer, thus setting a series of events in motion that put Peter's livelihood in jeopardy, as well as their lives and home. As Peter begins to learn the extent of Charles' horrible actions, he must find a way to stop Charles once and for all.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

This is a thriller marred by clunky direction and storytelling. The Penthouse is a movie about a guy who spies on a man and woman in a houseboat from the patio of his top-floor luxury living space, and gets a lot more than he ever bargained for. While Michael Pare does bring an element of creepy nastiness to his character, with a hint of violence always on the verge of exploding, the rest of the acting is amateur hour at best. In terms of the story, if you happen to step away for two minutes and worry that you might have missed something, don't worry, because the lead characters make a point to explain what they just experienced to either each other or their friends, often over wine. The premise is stretched to the point of absurdity, and the overreliance on drone camera shots of the North Carolina island where this movie is set starts to seem like they take up at least a third of the movie.

Rear Window, it's not. Despite Pare's character being a total jerk, he can't be blamed for believing that Peter's spying is more than a little intrusive and creepy. And when Peter tells Charles that he's been observing him from his penthouse patio as if it's something interesting and maybe a little quirky, it really makes no sense. Peter's spying doesn't really make any sense. He doesn't seem that bored. He's not confined to a wheelchair with a broken leg. It's all part of the clunkiness, an attempt at a slow build-up of tension that doesn't really build up, unless one is interested in seeing a surf shop opening up for business on a random weekday morning, or what the paperwork is like if you own a marina.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about thriller movies like The Penthouse. How does this compare to other thrillers you've seen? What is the appeal of thrillers?

  • How did the movie try to ratchet up the tension and suspense? Did it work? Why or why not?

  • What were some of the ways in which the movie showed that the villain was a bad person? What are some other examples of ways in which characters are revealed to be good or bad early in the movie?

Movie Details

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