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Parenthood (PG-13, 1989)

common sense media says

Poignant family dramedy with lots of adult themes.

parents & educators say
  • 67% say sexual content is an issue
  • 67% say language is an issue
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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this affecting dramedy treads lightly on racy subjects -- porn and teen sexuality, for instance -- and does so with great heart and humor. It's a fairly realistic -- pumped up a bit for comedy, of course -- look at parenthood, warts and all. It may be a little too frank for tweens and young teens, but older teens will find it instructive about what their moms and dads may be feeling and thinking (and vice versa). There's some swearing and social drinking, and straightforward discussions about the difficulties and joys of child-rearing.

Positive messages: Parenting can be messy, for both parents and children, and the rocky moments aren't glossed over here (though they're handled with loads of humor). No one makes the right decision all the time, but effort counts, as does, of course, love. Also, families come in all sorts of configurations, and it doesn't matter if they fit the traditional model. What matters is how they work together and support each other.
Positive role models: Nobody's perfect, but most everyone in the film is trying to make sense of their responsibilities to their children, to their partners, and to themselves. Married couples hit rough patches, but weather them with emotional generosity and honesty.
Violence: Couples fight loudly; a mom hits another character with a newspaper out of frustration. A man talks about loan sharks being on his case and threatening to kill him if he doesn't pay up. A teen vandalizes an office with a hammer.
Sex: More talk than action, though husbands, wives, boyfriends, and girlfriends are shown flirting and kissing and groping each other. There's no nudity, although some characters are shown in boxers, and a young couple talks about having taken nude pics of each other. Also, a character finds another person's vibrator, and a minor appears to have developed a penchant for self-stimulation and porn. A husband brandishes a wife's diaphragm.
Language: Runs the gamut, from "b-tch" to "s--t." Somewhat frequent usage, but not extreme.
Consumerism: Nothing hugely obvious, though logos for baseball teams and colleges (Brown, for instance) are displayed. A family seems bent on creating a child genius, and the parents use various educational products to this end.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Some drinking during get-togethers and times of stress.
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More on Parenthood

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
  • Families can talk about each parent portrayed in the film: How do they approach the whole enterprise and what do you think of it? What makes a good parent or a bad one? Does the film realistically depict the highs and lows of raising children?
  • What about the kids? Are they shaped by the way their parents are raising them? Is their metamorphosis -- if any -- in the movie believable? Do moms and dads and their kids eventually reach a place of understanding?

What's the story?

What's the story?
Three adult siblings -- Gil (Steve Martin), Helen (Dianne Wiest), and Susan (Harley Jane Kozak) -- discover there's more growing up to do as they take on the challenges of parenthood. Gil and his wife (Mary Steenburgen) have their hands full with three kids, one of whom's suffering from anxiety. Plus, Gil's job pressures weigh heavily on both their shoulders. Helen, a single mom, is battling a headstrong teenage daughter (Martha Plimpton) and a young son (Joaquin Phoenix) who'd rather lock himself in his room than spend any time with either of them. Susan's husband (Rick Moranis) thinks training their daughter for the rigors of academia starting at preschool is the way to go, but she's not certain. And with their youngest sibling (Tom Hulce) arriving out of the blue, Gil, Helen, and Susan, plus their cranky father (Jason Robards), find that life's about to get even messier.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

It's no mystery that parenthood is a minefield. But what makes director Ron Howard's film masterful is how it acknowledges this truism without relying on the usual tricks. Parents are allowed to be ambivalent; children, defiant. Fathers play favorites; mothers surrender the yoke of wisdom. In short, they're allowed to be human, and not have all the answers. And here, they're funny -- very funny, thanks to a fairly airtight screenplay and a superb cast.

From a superficially-ditzy-but-surprisingly-wise Keanu Reeves (as Helen's daughter's boyfriend) to a painfully flawed Jason Robards, each actor turns in a fully realized performance. Martin anchors them all, with his agitated, kinetic humor that's grounded in real life, keeping the film entirely relatable despite some slightly over-the-top comic gyrations and a predictable ending. Howard steers the entire enterprise with compassion and humor; as with parenting, it's probably the best way to make a great movie.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: Universal Pictures
Director: Ron Howard
Cast: Dianne Wiest, Mary Steenburgen, Steve Martin
Genre: Comedy
Run time: 110 minutes
Theatrical release: August 2, 1989
DVD release: April 24, 2007
MPAA Rating: PG-13
This review was written by S. Jhoanna Robledo
 
 

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What parents & educators say

14
Based on 3 parent & educator reviews:
  • 67% say sexual content is an issue
  • 67% say language is an issue
  • 67% say there's too much drinking, drugs, or smoking
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Most useful reviews by all members

Evilgrasshopper
kid, 12 years old
14
 
not fore kids
To much sexual behavior i am not joking funny but still.
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kelly the ...
teen, 14 years old
 
parent hood the movie
i dont think this is okay to show anyone under the age of 10 it's inaproprate and it sets a bad example if you are showing your kid this movie tell them before "Honey,this movie you are about to watch use your instinks and dont let this ever happen to you."
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amandaluvsyooh
teen, 15 years old
13
 
It's more for teens
This movie was alright, and not TOO inapropriate, but it still was. Anyone under 10 honestly should not see it. I say 12+, probably even 13+. I didn't really enjoy this movie, though.
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drummerchic312
adult
14
 
good for teens and adults
Some sexual suggestions, teenage drinking and smoking.
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ashlew963
parent of 3 year old
13
 
Didn't get past first 5 minutes...
I didn't get past the first 5 minutes because the usher says "GD" (taking God's name in vain)... Commonsensemedia.org mentions mild language but I disagree. Any movie that has that strong of a word shouldn't be described with "mild language".
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GranTorino23
kid, 12 years old
15
 
PARENTHOOD is really funny and my family loves the silly humour, but it also tackles some really adult themes that under 10s won't get or will ask about 4 years before they should.
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ParamoreFan09
teen, 15 years old
15
 
Fine for 14? Cutting it kinda close, don't you think?
I was going to watch this with my family because common sense recommended it to me! Within the first half hour, we saw a well... a vibrator and we saw a teenage girl hiding her boyfriend who was wearing underwear under her bed from her mom and then they go to get pictures of them having sex from a photo developing place but the girls mother picked them up instead of her own by accident and saw them! Then the girl accuses her of "having sex with a machine" when her mom confronts her and EW!!! We were eating dinner-- i so lost my appetite after watching the first half hour-- it went OFF. we watched Ghost Busters 2 instead. BAD RECOMMENDATION, common sense! My parents are really disappointed. It wasn't even funny! Just a drama type thing for ADULTS. Fine for age 14? I'll be 14 in 4 months. It most certainly was not "fine" for me. My parents cant believe this was recommended for my age.
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Ijustwasted2hours
teen, 13 years old
14
 
OK
It is silly, but the sensual content is an issue. My father was in this movie, but it has some issues that are not good for kids but teach parents that parenthood really isnt easy
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playbill313
teen, 13 years old
13
 
Good movie with many sexual references.
The language is average for a PG-13 film (s--t, bulls--t, and a couple more) and the kids are disrespectful but there are many sexual things. At one point a boy in only underwear pops out and many sexual phrases are spoken, referencing taking pictures, groaning, and more. A mom uses a vibrator and her son has a porn collection (shown for a moment). Usually this won't bother me (and it doesn't) but for any viewers who don't know what porn--for example--is may go and ask tehir parents what it is or look at it themselves. If you know what you're about to watch it's fine
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pamomof4
parent
 
Keep all kids toddlers through teens away from this one.
Ok. I have four kids ages 12, 9, 6, and 3. I consider myself a fairly liberal parent when it comes to some of the things my kids watch for movies. My older two are good at distinguishing fantasy from reality, but this movie would definitely seem to be depicting reality for preteen and cause some confusion for them. Apparently my memory was faulty in remembering that this movie was a kid movie. I should know that nothing about real parenthood is G-rated, so why should the movie be rated as such. This is DEFINITELY not for kids unless you plan on explaining why that thing on TV is not a cup but actually a diaphragm and then following up your twelve year old when he asks what that has to do with having babies. Whenever I thought one scene was probably the worst one and it would get better from there, it only went more downhill. I would say this should be rated R and only be for adults. It promotes really bad teen behavior including teen pregnancy, drinking, smoking, and pornography to name a few. It could have been done with the same humor minus the sex and disrespectful behavior towards parents. I definitely give this a thumbs down for kids but rate it as fairly funny for adults.
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