Parenthood
If thereâs anything that one can give Ron Howard credit for, itâs his willingness to work in different genres without being pigeonholed in any one of them in particular, whether it be sci-fi (Cocoon), action (Backdraft), thriller (Ransom), or drama (Beautiful Mind). Here he takes on an ensemble comedy-drama about the lives of the Buckman family. The film starts off badly, with a sickeningly corny Randy Newman song on the opening credits followed by a VERY inappropriate full-frontal nude shot of a four year old boy (this is PG-13?). However, with the help of the fine screenplay by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, we get to know each segment of the family and come to care for them as well. Itâs ironic that Steve Martin is top-billed and featured on the posters and promotion for this film since, despite getting the most screen time, his segments are perhaps the least compelling of the film, as his big conflict basically consists of him dealing with a son who is (for lack of a better term) a whiny pussy. His decision to deal with the matter by basically coddling the kid constantly (at the expense of his career) may seem questionable for some viewers who might feel that the best thing for the kid is to give him a swift kick in the ass and tell him to stop whining and be a man. Regardless, the writing and acting are fine, with Martin dressing up as a cowboy at his kidâs birthday party his comedic high point, and he is ably supported by Mary Steenburgen (one of the more underrated beauties in screen history) as his wife and Dennis Dugan as his jovial boss (gotta love the way the guy spends a whole scene talking to Martin while running a treadmill and then sits down and lights up a cigarette). The real highlight of the movie is Dianne Wiestâs story arc, as the two-time Oscar winner (and nominee for this part) perfectly captures the nuances of her nebbishy single mother incredibly well, with one funny bit after another, even if Martha Plimpton is all wrong as her daughter, possessing neither the looks nor appeal in what is basically the filmâs ingĂ©nue part, but Keanu Reeves is quite good as her boyfriend (even if heâs still in Ted âTheodoreâ Logan mode here), and a young 12 year old Joaquim Phoenix makes a very strong impression as Wiestâs son, even going so far as to nail the emotional acting high point of the film when he makes a telephone call to his father. Then thereâs Harley Jane Kozak as the âhotâ daughter and her marriage to a smarmy egghead prick played by Rick Moranis: his âexperimentâ of indoctrinating their toddler daughter with all kinds of advanced knowledge in hopes of making her a genius, offers an early glimpse at the trend of homeschooling before it became hip, and the issues and moral dilemmas raised by the process come to the forefront as it leads to tension in their marriage. Finally there is the wayward âblack sheepâ son, played by Tom Hulce, fearful of being killed by the gamblers he owes money to as he mooches off the patriarch of the family played by Jason Robards. Robards was certainly an underrated giant of the acting game, and here playing a father who always hated the responsibility of having kids, yet being forced to come to a painful decision in order to help his youngest child, conveys the right amount of pain and sorrow when he realizes the best (and only) thing he can do is let his son go. Certainly this portion of the story was compelling enough to warrant more screen time, but Howard keeps the film moving at such a brisk pace that we really donât feel cheated. Howard nearly drops the ball towards the end by having the ancient great-grandma tell a story about a rollercoaster, and then hammering the metaphor home during the final set piece at a school play, but the script still manages to carry the day here, coming up at times with the funniest lines at the most random moments (âCâmon, letâs go watch the horse shit!â). In the end, an appealing, mostly inoffensive piece with some superb writing and actingâŠ
8/10