House Arrest

The Beindorf family appears to have a perfect suburban life, but Ned and Janet are secretly unhappy and headed for separation. They tell Grover and Stacy that it is not a divorce, hoping to preserve appearances. The opening contrast sets up the central tension of the story.

Grover and Stacy attempt to recreate Ned and Janet's Hawaii honeymoon in the basement, hoping to spark happiness for the family. The plan shows their belief that a simple basement project can fix deep marital issues, revealing a clash between childish optimism and adult reality. The basement scheme exposes how out of touch the kids are with what the adults really need.

Grover and Stacy escalate the plan by going upstairs, closing the door, and nailing it shut to keep Ned and Janet from leaving. The move marks the moment the children assume control of the situation, even though their method is misguided. Ned and Janet become effectively trapped in their own home as tension thickens.

T.J. Krupp overhears the plan and enlists Matt Finley to inspect the basement setup. Matt is impressed by the scale of the trap and the effort the kids have put in. The plan to secure the confinement grows more serious as more people get involved.

T.J. installs a newer, more secure door to keep Ned and Janet trapped. He and Matt recruit their parents to join the confinement, bringing more families into the plan. The situation escalates from a private trap to a growing community problem.

Matt's father Vic and his wife Louise are portrayed in a fragile marriage that seems to stretch beyond the two year limit. Donald, T.J.'s father, treats his wife Gwenna poorly, adding a darker note to the parental problems. These subplots echo the Beindorfs' troubles and widen the film's exploration of family dynamics.

Matt brings his bulldog Cosmo and two younger brothers, Jimmy and Teddy, while T.J. brings his boa constrictor Spot. The makeshift camp around the basement grows, and Grover wonders what is happening. The escalating menagerie underscores how far the plan has spiraled.

T.J. boasts that their parents could be down there for months. The line reveals the kids fixated on a long term solution rather than a quick fix. The joke turns darker as the consequences of prolonged confinement become more real.

Ned and Janet almost talk Grover into letting them out, but Donald threatens legal action. The threat stalls any immediate escape and keeps the families locked in longer. The conflict deepens between the children who want to reveal the truth and the parents who want to stay protected by the trap.

Grover learns about Brooke Figler's parental issues when he notices her mother Cindy acting awkward. He invites Brooke to lock Cindy up with the rest, dragging her into the project. The involvement of Brooke adds a social dynamic to the confinement plan.

The children work with their parents to solve their problems and search for a way out of the basement, while also sorting out their own differences above ground. They also reconcile some of their own disagreements in the process. Chief Rocco and the police eventually intervene, freeing the families.

Ned and Janet reconcile and take a second Hawaii honeymoon. Vic and Louise endure beyond the two year mark and are expecting another child. Donald and Gwenna divorce, though she later goes back to law school and they start a law firm together. Cindy starts dating other guys, and Grover and Brooke become a couple, culminating with a public kiss. Grover concludes that if Ned and Janet ever try to divorce again, he might lock them in the attic.