SummaryGil Martin is a funny and loving husband who's also tries too hard to be the "perfect" parent to his uniquely different kids. (Universal Studios)
Directed By:Ron Howard
Written By:Lowell Ganz, Babaloo Mandel, Ron Howard
Parenthood
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
82
User score
Generally Favorable
7.6
My Score
Drag or tap to give a rating
Hover and click to give a rating
Not available in your country?
ExpressVPN
Get 3 Extra months free
$6.67/mth
Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
94% Positive
16 Reviews
16 Reviews
6% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
100
Ron Howard's Parenthood is a delicate balancing act between comedy and truth, a movie that contains a lot of laughter and yet is more concerned with character than punch lines.
88
Ron Howard's first-rate dramatic comedy Parenthood, with Steve Martin headlining a first-rate cast in a most clever script about the joy and pain of being both a parent and a child. [4 Aug 1989, p.A]
User score
Generally Favorable
77% Positive
37 Ratings
37 Ratings
21% Mixed
10 Ratings
10 Ratings
2% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
Jul 30, 2011
10
Ron Howard has a way of churning out films and becoming some sort of wallflower. In this film, Howard stands tall for one reason - you know he is a parent and he wants to tell a story about parenting. The characters in this film are so real, touched with a sprinkle of far-fetchedness for comedy's sake - but you realize that this stretch is cleverly planted to drive a message home. That message? Parenting is not always easy. Life is not always easy. But, the ride is what builds character, understanding, and, ultimately the ability to love unconditionally. Steve Martin blends comedy and straight-laced acting perfectly. Dianne Weist is fantastic, as usual. I left the theater feeling good about, not parenting, but, instead, daily interaction with life's bumps and bruises.
Sep 18, 2014
9
Ron Howard's Parenthood is well made Comedy-Drama, Steven Martin stars in one of his best and mature roles, Dianne West is very good as a mono parental woman. Many great performances and a great screenplay
88
Parenthood, heartfelt and howlingly comic, also comes spiced with risk and mischief. Just when you fear the movie might be swept away on a tidal wave of wholesomeness, a line, a scene or a performance poke through to restore messy, perverse reality.
80
This movie has its share of laughs, but it's also Ron Howard's most personal film, and clearly his most ambitious--a multifaceted essay in fictional form about the diverse snares of child rearing.
80
The picture sets up high expectations for itself with its wonderful casting, and the actors don't disappoint. [1 Aug 1989, p.1]
80
Ron Howard's bittersweet adult comedy, Parenthood, lays out an entire catalogue of psychological stresses afflicting family life in white middle-class America, then asks if the rewards of being a parent are worth all the agony.
50
The borderline Parenthood is either an iffy comedy with lots of compensations, or a good comedy with more irritating flaws than most movies manage to survive. Whichever, the "feel good'' infantry of summer-film escapists will probably love it. [2 Aug 1989, p.5D]
Jan 24, 2021
8
One of the best comedies of 1989.
This clever, multi-layered film's greatest strength is taking the often mundane and turning them into hilarious moments.
Feb 29, 2020
8
You won't have to look far into the deepest recesses of the cineaste crowd to found someone with a "hot take" on Ron Howard. Many find his films plain, lacking in thematic depth and sometimes just downright inferior in quality. With a movie like "Parenthood," however, you're reminded of just how many good ones there really were for the filmmaker, especially in the late eighties and early-to-mid nineties. This is an -- at times -- masterful exercise in ensemble storytelling, all built around a kernel of thematic content that's so endearing and relatable, it's hard not to get caught up in the up's and down's of these (fictional) characters' very hectic lives. Featuring a veritable who's who of talent all throughout, you're given well acted yarns involving love, life, child-rearing and worthwhile commentary on the numerous relationships that can occur within one big family. Toss in some occasional directorial flourishes from Ron Howard and you end up with a thoroughly entertaining, stunningly contemporary look into the complexities that can occur within an American family.
Jul 27, 2019
8
You couldn't have a more simple setting, but the movie is laden with characters that don't bore. "Life is messy", but this movie guides the rollercoaster that it is along the tracks very nicely. Martin is a bit too out there in some scenes for me, but the whole cast ties it together perfectly for me.
Mar 17, 2026
7
A nice slice of life story for adults. Credit to Steve Martin for being THE movie dad.
Jun 7, 2014
4
What leads me to watch this film is Dianne Wiest’s singular Oscar-nomination, how rare a mainstream comedy stars Steve Martin could generate an Oscar-caliber performance? Is it as eccentrically diverting as Marisa Tomei in MY COUSIN VINNY (1992, 7/10) or a rowdy and raunchy scene-stealer as Melissa McCarthy in BRIDESMAIDS (2011, 7/10)? Neither is the case here, thus the answer could only be that it is Academy’s honeymoon period with Wiest, who has just won an Oscar 3 years earlier for Woody Allen’s HANNAH AND HER SISTERS (1986, 8/10) and would harvest her second trophy pretty soon in another Allen’s satire BULLETS OVER BROADWAY (1994, 8/10). continue to read my review on my blog, google cinema omnivore.
