Directed By:Bob Balaban
Written By:Christopher Hawthorne
Parents
Metascore
Generally Favorable
66
User score
Generally Favorable
7.6
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
66
60% Positive
12 Reviews
12 Reviews
35% Mixed
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
5% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
100
PARENTS defies all categories but one - it is a virtuoso display of movie-making, a multi-textured and pyschologically intense work unimaginable in any medium except film, a tale fantastic in style yet deadly serious in its intent and absolutely horrifying in its implications. [27 Jan 1989]
80
Even with its collapse, Parents is remarkably accomplished for a first outing. It's good enough to make you wish desperately that it had hung together.
80
If the film finally fails to shock or surprise, it's nevertheless both imaginatively shot and wittily scripted, and strikes a nice balance between gentle parody and a queasy unease associated with bona fide genre suspense. Superior performances by Quaid, Hurt and Madorsky.
75
It's a wickedly inventive blend of revisionist history and childhood dread. [17 March 1989, p.45]
60
PARENTS concentrates heavily on Michael's Freudian pathology; however, in its emphasis on psychological themes, the film loses sight of its story and becomes a confused collection of isolated vignettes. In adopting the boy's single-minded perspective, it prevents its characters from developing, so that Quaid hovers and glowers, Hurt giggles and flirts, and Madorsky lurks in dark recesses without variation from beginning to end.
50
The satire of the 50's is more bland than biting, dependent on authentically garish costumes and sets. And when the horror-film scenes begin to intrude on normal life (what is hanging from the cellar ceiling, anyway?) Mr. Balaban can't make the dark elements seem comic enough to mesh with the rest of this nightmarish joke.
25
Aggressively inane. [14 Apr 1989]
User score
Generally Favorable
7.6
60% Positive
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
40% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
Dec 6, 2021
6
A dark comedy which is amusing and interesting to watch, due to a different approach from Bob Balaban, this is his debut directorial feature. The story involves around a introvert boy, slowly revealing what's happening to him. Dark humor, and some interesting scenes makes it not a really boring movie. But, after watching, it's not really worth remembering for a long time. The three lead characters; Randy Quaid, Mary Beth Hurt and Bryan Madorsky did a great job. Yet, this is the only film of Bryan I can find.
Production Company:
- Great American Films Limited Partnership
- Vestron Pictures
Release Date:Jan 27, 1989
Duration:1 h 21 m
Rating:R
Tagline:There's A New Name For Terror...
Awards
Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
Fantafestival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA
• 1 Nomination
