Parenthood (1989)

Fresh and Exciting

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

I found the first scene to be quite interesting and original. We see an 8 year old kid at the baseball stadium being looked after by an usher while his dad's walked off to do some sort of business. The kid starts talking like a sophisticated adult and the usher says he's not talking like a kid. The kid reveals he's really 35 and that he's just reliving a point of his childhood at the ballparks when his dad took him there and left him with ushers while going off to conduct business. He tells the usher he's really an algarhythm, a combination of different ushers he knew as a kid melded together in his memory. We then cut to the present with Steve Martin at the ballpark with his family. The whole thing was a playing in Steve's mind and memories. The scene was kind of a cool mind trick for the audience. I liked that. Then on the way home from the park with Steve, his wife Mary Steenburg, and his kids, one of the kids sings "if you're sliding into first and you feel something burst..." me and my school buddies all thought it was hilarious when I saw it the first time as a kid, even though he skipped the second base verse. And the kid said he learned it at camp, which I remember from being a kid was always the typical place for kids to learn things like that. The movie isn't just about Steve's immediate family. It's about the extended family and 4 sets of parents. Well one is just the mother, Diane Wiest due to the dad abandoned them. Diane's 14 year old son (Joaquin Phoenix) and 17 year old daughter Martha Plimpton both have pretty serious problems. Joaquin is reclusive and antisocial, hides things (adult tapes) from his mom (she was worried because she thought it might be drugs) in a paper bag he keeps carrying around, and he has a lot of anger and hurt towards his dad for abandoning them. Martha is bratty, always has her boyfriend (Keanu Reeves) sneaking into her room, she runs away at one point, and eventually ends up pregnant. Rick Moranis and his fiancée Harley Kozak have a gifted two year old girl who is constantly having her dad teaching her words through advanced flash cards. Rick and Harley have trust issues in their relationship. Steve's dad Jason Robards and Steve's brother Larry live together with Larry getting tied up in shady money making schemes to where he not only gets into serious debt, but has gangsters after him due to him owing them 5 figures. Larry attempts but is caught trying to steal his dad's antique car so he can pay them back. Larry has a son named Cool. Cool. (lol)Steve's dad and he have had abandonment issues also and don't see eye to eye. There were heavy drama scenes in this film such as dealing with the pregnancy and dealing with abandonment, and Joaquin smashes up his walked out dad's dentist office. Steve has issues with his son having a learning disability, and behavior issues such as when he loses his retainer at a restaurant. There were funny scenes such as Steve and Mary's reason for their fender bender, and Diane's reaction to receiving the "wrong" photos of Martha and Keanu. And there were heartwarming scenes such as Steve posing as a cowboy for his son's birthday party (due to a funny mix up where the company accidentally sends a stripper to the kid's party and the cowboy to the adult bachelor party), and Rick singing "Close to you" to Harley in front of her classroom. And I liked grandma and her roller-coaster story. And I wonder if Steve Martin and the film makers of this movie could see into the future. After learning Mary is pregnant again, Steve is upset because of how it'll mean more work than he can handle. He sarcastically says "why don't we then just have another kid, and then another! Why don't we go for a dozen kids and call them donuts!" That comment mirrors Steve's future 2003 movie "Cheaper by the dozen" when he really is the parent of a dozen kids.

Director Ron Howard nailed family dysfunction and the difficulties of parenting with a warm and entertaining 1989 comedy called Parenthood.This episodic comedy centers on the Buckman family, led by one Gil Buckman (Steve Martin) and his wife Karen (Mary Steenburgen), who serve as the centerpiece for a dysfunctional family that includes Gil's hard-drinking father (Jason Robards), who took Gil to baseball games as a child and used to leave him alone and pay ushers to watch him. Dianne Wiest plays Gil's divorced sister, Helen, who is the mother of two teenagers, one a horny high-schooler (Martha Plimpton) sleeping with her boyfriend (Keanu Reeves) and the other (Joaquin Phoenix) wants to live with his father.Tom Hulce plays the proverbial black sheep brother who has returned home with an illegitimate son and a get rich quick plan. Rick Moranis is effectively cast against type as a stuffed shirt married to Gil's other sister (Harley Kozack) who is raising his toddler like she's a sophomore in college.The screenplay by longtime Howard collaborators Lowell Ganz and Babloo Mandel might play like an extended sitcom, but it is a very entertaining one, that provides consistent laughs without sacrificing realism or realistic situations. The screenplay is insightful and clever and well-served by Howard's hand-picked cast, who give uniformly fine performances down the line, with a standout performance from Wiest that earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.Thanks to a smart screenplay, sensitive direction, some offbeat casting, and some fun performances, this is a very special comedy that got by a lot of people but is worth checking out. Later turned into a television series.

This movie is fun and enjoyable for all age groups. The characters are well handled and the story is engaging. Despite what is says on the back of the DVD this story is not just about Steve Martin although he is the key protagonist in the movie.The best parts of the film are with the mother and her daughter and son scenes, The husband and wife scenes and the Old man and his troubled son. These worked well and I felt they were more reflective of the 20th century American Family.The movie is an easy watch. Rich Moranis and Keanu Reeves are prominent stars that do a good job in the film. They should be given a mention as they were arguable as important as Steve in the film.An enjoyable film worth the watch.

I didn't wanted to see this movie at first , because I expected lame and sappy family entertainment . I was wrong . This is good family entertainment . It deals with serious problems in mature way . Also it's funny and not afraid to put some adult jokes . Today it wouldn't be possible because of political correctness. All actors had done good job . In my opinion the best performance belongs to Dianne Wiest . She's the character you care the most for . She shows her vulnerable side , yet when the time comes she's determined , strong and smart. She's cute and strangely attractive in some way. A true mother. Steve Martin is Steve Martin. Keanu Reeves proves that he's good at playing not-to-bright teenagers . It was also good to see Rick Moranis ("Ghostbusters") as intellectual guy obsessed with raising a perfect child.There is a good twist near the end of the movie . I could live without last 2-3 minutes of sugar.It's a good movie. Watch it (especially if you're a parent) . You won't regret it. I give it 7/10.