So what if we’ve all seen Tommy Lee Jones play this part a million times before? So what if he’s mired in a dumb, cookie-cutter script full of sexist stereotypes? This is one actor who has found his niche in Hollywood and plays it brilliantly every time, no matter how lofty or inane the rest of the project is. I would pay to see him read his grocery list on camera.

So it’s fortunate for Sony Pictures that Jones is the star of its latest comedy, “Man of the House,” because without him, this silly excuse for an entertaining movie would fall flatter than a drunken frat boy. (Several drunken frat boys helpfully appear in the film to drive home the analogy.)

The threadbare plot involves five University of Texas cheerleaders who accidentally witness a murder. The victim is an important witness in a case involving Jones, a veteran Texas Ranger – and his higher-ups fear the girls’ lives may be in danger if they identify the killer. They send Jones back to the girls’ on-campus house to stand guard indefinitely – or at least until the feds can convict the corrupt rich dude they believe is behind the whole mess.

Let the comic mayhem commence. The girls are the embodiment of every cheerleader stereotype known to man – shallow, self-absorbed, vacuous and nauseatingly perky. And gorgeous. They clash daily with the stoic and deadpan Jones over their personal freedom, their meals, even the amount of clothing they wear around the house. (Jones insists they cover up; they refuse until he installs a $7,000 air conditioning unit and locks the thermostat at 45 degrees.)

But all of a sudden, they’re his best friends when he reveals a couple of soft spots – namely, the 17-year-old daughter he rarely sees and his attraction to a winsome English professor (Anne Archer, playing exactly the same character as Sally Kellerman in 1986 did opposite Rodney Dangerfield in “Back to School”). Now they’re giving him makeovers and covert dating advice via his police-issue earpiece and security camera.

And oh yes, Cedric the Entertainer is also in the movie, but I really couldn’t figure out why. His only promising scene, a cheer/dance-off between the girls and himself, was weakly filmed and ended too soon.

Director Stephen Herek’s resume is an interesting one, listing among his credits such disparate titles as “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” “Mr. Holland’s Opus” and “Rock Star.” It’s almost tempting to pigeonhole “Man of the House” as a vanity project for Herek, a University of Texas alumnus himself. Combine that assumption with the fact that writers John J. McLaughlin and Scott Lobdell made their professional debut with this story, and you’ll probably join me in not holding my breath for this one when they announce next year’s Oscar nominations.

“Man of the House”

Rated PG-13 for violence, sexual content, crude humor and a drug reference

Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Anne Archer, Cedric the Entertainer, Kelli Garner

Directed by: Stephen Herek

Length: One hour 37 minutes

Now playing at: Astoria Gateway Cinemas, Cannes Cinema Center in Seaside

Short take: Tommy Lee Jones hits the mark again as his trademark gruff and wry lawman character, but this time he’s surrounded by ditzy cheerleaders in a feebly written “action comedy.”

Rating: Two stars (out of four)

Movie trivia: How many other movies have been allowed to feature the University of Texas’ logos, mascots, band and cheerleaders?

Answer: None. “Man of the House” is the first movie allowed to use the full and actual name of the University of Texas in Austin and to use well-known UT symbols.