Parenthood | | Cast : | Steve Martin | | Director : | Ron Howard | | Studio : | Universal Studios | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned | | Released Date : | August 02, 1989 | | DVD Released Date : | March 31, 1998 | | Language : | Spanish (Subtitled), English (Dubbed), French (Dubbed), English (Original Language), French (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | August 02, 2005 | | Summary | Focus On the Family | Content
 | Hollywood has been such an easy target for cultural conservatives. The "family values" crowd knows how to appeal to their base, and pot shots at "limousine liberals" is one way to get that base suitably riled. So much Hollywood product is dismissed by these folks as being "anti-family" that one has to remind oneself that there have been any number of films in recent decades that grapple with the theme of contemporary family life: what it is, what it traditionally has been, and, yes, just where we, as a society, may have gone wrong.
Dyed-in-the-wool cultural conservatives may still not embrace a film like Ron Howard's PARENTHOOD. Heck, they may not embrace any film that doesn't end with a family joining together in prayer and thanksgiving. PARENTHOOD is a loving look at messed-up, stuggling, neurotic families, doing their level best to make sense of it all. And to juggle it all. It doesn't offer any easy answers, in fact it leaves most of the questions still pretty much open.
This is the kind of film director Ron Howard does well, with an ensemble cast and compelling, complementary storylines. Later on, he would show strain with more self-consciously arty films like A BEAUTIFUL MIND. It's tempting to view PARENTHOOD as something of an extension of Howard's childhood and adolescent television roles--warm loving looks at families, who were not stable if not totally conventional (Opie had no mom, after all), but always surrounded by endearingly eccentric friends and neighbors. (Opie had a slew, of course, from Barney and Floyd, to Otis--talk about an early education in human eccentricity. And Richie had, well, the Fonz). That same loving tolerance of human foibles is to be found in PARENTHOOD.
There is a key difference, however. In Mayberry, you could count on Otis to take the initiative to lock HIMSELF up when he went on a bender. Here--probably more accurately--the wayward, clearly troubled son (Tom Hulce)cannot manage to even help himself that much. His only recourse when the chips are down (as they nearly always are in his case) is to turn to his gruff, but ultimately indulgent dad (Jason Robards) for rescue.
So much has been said about Steve Martin's performance here. This is one of the roles that helped establish Martin as a good actor, and not just an off-the-wall comic. Like Bill Murray and Robin Williams, he has displayed considerable range in more "grown up" roles. In PARENTHOOD, he gets to goof a bit, but it's IN CHARACTER. As a devoted dad, he attempts to save his son's birthday party by subbing for a no-show hired cowboy. And he pulls it off--not as Steve Martin wild and crazy guy, but as Gil Buckman becoming just wild and crazy enough to throroughly win over one of the toughest audiences imaginable--a bunch of ten year olds.
As mentioned, this is an ensemble piece, and there really isn't a bad performance in the lot. The old pros are as good as you would expect. (I know Jason Robards could do these lovable curmudgeon roles in his sleep, but he is genuinely touching in his scenes with sons Martin and Hulce). Mary Steenburgen is a warm and lovely here as in anything she has appeared in. And Dianne Wiest is always remarkable. The younger actors are all spot on (and, yes, that would include Keanu--as well as all the child actors, including a strikingly moody young Joaquin "Leaf" Phoenix).
One actor who does not tend to get cited in reviews is the gifted Harley Jane Kozak (here billed simply as "Harley Kozak"). I couldn't help notice that one reviewer below repeatedly confused her with Martha Plimpton, the young actress who played Dianne Wiest's troubled daughter. Well, they are both wonderful, but the error (in an otherwise excellent review, by the way) should be cleared up. Martha has, of course, carved out a name for herself as a pastmaster of quirky roles. It would be nice to see more recognition for the equally wonderful Kozak too. (And yes, I am as guilty as anyone else...when she first appeared here, I said, "Oh, it's Karen Allen.")
PARENTHOOD is a family film for a new era. There are hugs, but they're a little tentative. There are moments when walls start to break down, only to be quickly built back up. But these are little personal victories, hard won after all. For the most part, PARENTHOOD rings true. And that makes its particular "focus on the family" a pretty honest one. It's tender, sure, but tentative.
|
| Rating | | | Date | July 03, 2005 | | Summary | He Likes to "butt" things with his head! "How proud you must be:" | Content
| Hehehehhehe ah yes parenthood. Can never forget this movie. I watched this one also when i was a kid, and what i love about this movie is it's a comedy but it also captures the drama and reality of life and family whether it be good or bad because no one is perfect. It doesn't mock the story's characters but rather makes them likeable and definately people you can relate to. It takes everyday life drama, and common problems such as "gambling" and blunt grandfathers, wild teenagers, the single mom and her adult toy hehe, and kids with emotional problems. It's also a kind of drama, mixed in with alot of laughs and steve martin is one of the reasons why this movie was so great. Alot of funny lines were said by him. like I WAS WAITING FOR HER HEAD TO SPIN AROUND. Or yes lets have a dozen kids and pretend they're donuts!! And young joaquin pheonix stars in this also, his name use to be LEAF but he changed it back to joaquin since then. And we all know keanu reeves, still kinda too BILL AND TED but he was still just a kid. So, great cast and great acting, great movie. It's warm and funny, and unforgettable. |
| Rating | | | Date | May 15, 2005 | | Summary | Family Portrait | Content
| Films that use a large ensemble cast to tell their story can be quite tricky. Not only does the casting have to be pitch perfect, a sure handed director has to make certain all of the characters serve the story and vice versa, without letting things getting too top heavy in the process. Fourtunately, 1989's Parenthood, has all of those things going for it, making for a solid film about family
Gil Buckman (Steve Martin) and his stay-at-home wife, Karen (Mary Steeenburgen), have just a few months to help their oldest son, Kevin (Jasen Fisher), overcome a few behaviorial issues, or he'll be placed into a special-education program. Gil's strained relationship with his own father, Frank (Jason Robards), has led him overcompensate and become a super-dad to his own three kids. Gil's sister, Helen (Dianne Wiest), is trying to raise a moody and introverted adolescent son Garry (Joaquin Phoenix) and an independent-minded daughter Julie (Martha Plimpton), whose boyfriend Tod (Keanu Reeves) has Helen worried. Getting no help from her well-off ex-husband, who's more interested in his new wife and family, she is forced to hope things will get better. Gil and Helen's sister, Susan (Harley Jane Kozak), meanwhile, must participate in the too-scripted Big Life Plans of her stuffed shirt husband, Nathan (Rick Moranis), whose overachiever zeal infects even their toddler daughter. When long-lost brother Larry (Tom Hulce) show up with yet another get-rich-quick scheme, he brings with him a surprise for the entire family.
Working once again with longtime pals Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel (all three go way back to Howard's tenure on Happy Days and the films Night Shift, Gung Ho, ED TV, Splash, and A League Of Their Own), director Ron Howard juggles the film's multiple storylines with ease. The "shorthand" of the three men responsible for this film is apparent. The cast does a good job at making things "real" in a movie sense and not parody. Martin got to perfect his neurotic Dad persona so well here, in fact, that he would do variations for the Father Of The Bride and Cheaper By The Dozen remakes. There's plenty of laughs and some light drama as well--that thankfully isn't as overly dramatic as it could have been.
The DVD is light on the bonus material. Static screen production notes, cast/filmmaker bios, and the theatrical trailer are all you get.
There's a saying that goes something like "You can choose your friends, you can choose your foes, but your family, that's in the stars". Parenthood does a good job at depicting that idiom. Recommended |
| Rating | | | Date | February 01, 2005 | | Summary | Good Movie, But DVD Issue | Content
| Although the theatrical aspect ratio of this movie was 1.85:1, while the DVD aspect ratio is 4:3, this is not a "Pan&Scan" DVD. In other words, almost none of the original theatrical image has been removed for exhibition on a 4:3 television screen. The film negative aspect ratio was 1.37:1 (almost 4:3), and for theatrical exhibition, the image was "matted" (partially covered from the top down and bottom up) to produce a 1.85:1 image. For exhibition on a 4:3 television screen, the "mattes" have simply been removed. So the DVD exhibition actually shows 25.9 percent more image than the theatrical exhibition. The movie was likely filmed this way so that the theatrical image wouldn't be butchered on television by the "Pan&Scan" process, and because the filmmakers didn't foresee the current state of the home video market, where consumers prefer movies presented in their theatrical aspect ratio, rather than in a ratio in which the image will fill up their 4:3 television screen (if there is a difference). This DVD presents the movie in the aspect ratio in which the filmmakers wanted people to see it on a 4:3 television, but it does not present the movie in the aspect ratio in which the filmmakers wanted people to see it in a movie theater (for that, the DVD would have to present the movie in a "matted widescreen" format). If you're okay with that, enjoy! |
| Rating | | | Date | January 27, 2005 | | Summary | Years later, "Parenthood" still speaks volumes | Content
| I saw this movie on TV recently and then decided to watch the DVD again, uncut and without interruption. "Parenthood" (1989) is a wonderful movie dealing with LIFE in general. Messages that still speak volumes years later. Married life - showing the good and bad aspects - and then some. You'll laugh at loud at many scenes, and you may cry at others. Travel through the kids birthday parties (Steve Martin is at his best here as "Cowboy Dan"), the kids little league games, family and house management, car trouble, the pressures of work, etc. One family's day-to-day life captured beautifully by director Ron Howard. As much as this is a good movie, the cast is equally impressive. Steve Martin in probably his finest role of the 1980's, Dianne Wiest, Jason Robards, Rick Moranis, Tom Hulce, Mary Steenbergen, and youngsters yet to star in a major motion picture - Keanu Reeves and Joaquin Phoenix. Steve Martin has put some nice family oriented movies together on his resume ("Cheaper By The Dozen", "Father Of The Bride", and dare I say "Bringing Down The House"), but "Parenthood" is the best. DVD features: Not much - only some written production notes and actor bios. 124 minutes and full screen format only. Here's to hoping Universal Studios puts out a deluxe edition in wide screen with some worthy bonus features centered around the superb cast. Great film. |
|
Picture 01 (20)
