Parenthood (1989)
As the title suggests, Parenthood isn’t a movie for anyone who hasn’t had his or her life ruined—I mean, blessed by children. If you’ve never been a parent, there’s just no way for you to fully appreciate this movie. Sure, you’ll laugh at Mary Steenburgen trying to spice up her marriage by giving her husband a treat while they’re driving, and you’ll identify with the family competition between Rick Moranis’s and Steve Martin’s marriages, but you won’t really get the sacrifice, disappointment, and endless attempts to improve someone’s life even when you know it’s futile. Those come with parenthood.
Parenthood is the only movie that not only do I not dislike Jason Robards in, but I freely bestow praise on his performance. He’s the patriarch of the family, with four struggling children and seven struggling grandchildren. Steve Martin and his wife Mary Steenburgen feel strapped and trapped with three kids, and Steve finds himself falling into the cliché of becoming the one person he resented growing up: his father. Dianne Wiest is divorced and can’t relate to her teenaged kids. Harley Kozak seems to have the perfect marriage with Rick Moranis, but they’re hiding their problems and taking their frustration out in different ways. Tom Hulce is Jason’s favorite, but he’s easily seen by the audience as a loser. Among all the children, Tom puts Jason through the most grief—isn’t that typical?
If you watch the preview, this Ron Howard flick is marketed as a comedy. It’s not a comedy! This is a serious family comedy rife with disappointments, frustrations, and the inability to communicate with people who are supposed to love you. This is pretty heavy, so depending on the relationship you have with your own parents or children, or where you are in the stage of your life, you might not even get through it.
More Steve Martin movies here!
Parenthood is the only movie that not only do I not dislike Jason Robards in, but I freely bestow praise on his performance. He’s the patriarch of the family, with four struggling children and seven struggling grandchildren. Steve Martin and his wife Mary Steenburgen feel strapped and trapped with three kids, and Steve finds himself falling into the cliché of becoming the one person he resented growing up: his father. Dianne Wiest is divorced and can’t relate to her teenaged kids. Harley Kozak seems to have the perfect marriage with Rick Moranis, but they’re hiding their problems and taking their frustration out in different ways. Tom Hulce is Jason’s favorite, but he’s easily seen by the audience as a loser. Among all the children, Tom puts Jason through the most grief—isn’t that typical?
If you watch the preview, this Ron Howard flick is marketed as a comedy. It’s not a comedy! This is a serious family comedy rife with disappointments, frustrations, and the inability to communicate with people who are supposed to love you. This is pretty heavy, so depending on the relationship you have with your own parents or children, or where you are in the stage of your life, you might not even get through it.
More Steve Martin movies here!