Parental Guidance
By Sandie Angulo Chen,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Predictable family comedy isn't deserving of its stars.
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Parental Guidance
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Based on 36 parent reviews
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Funny- GREAT MESSAGES—NO POLITICAL OR WOKE AGENDA
What's the Story?
Artie (Billy Crystal) and Diane (Bette Midler) Decker are slightly estranged from their only child, Alice (Marisa Tomei), who lives across the country with her family. But when Alice and her husband, Phil (Tom Everett Scott), need a babysitter in order to attend a business awards ceremony, they reluctantly turn to her parents. Desperate to see her grandchildren again, Diane convinces a melancholy Artie, who has just lost his job as a minor-league baseball announcer, to be the "A" grandparents for once. After they arrive, the Deckers quickly realize that middle-school music prodigy Harper (Bailee Madison), stuttering wallflower Turner (Joshua Rush), and rambunctious Barker (Kyle Harrison Breitkopf) could use a little of their grandparents' more laid-back approach to parenting.
Is It Any Good?
It's sad to report that the combination of brilliant comedian Crystal and the multi-talented Midler doesn't amount to much in this uninspired, "everything funny is in the trailer" family movie. All of the bats to the crotch and pee jokes only reinforce how lowbrow and predictable the humor is and how much PARENTAL GUIDANCE squanders its leads' stellar talent.
The interactions between Crystal's grumpy grandfather, Midler's overeager grandmother, and their three wacky grandkids are alternately coy and annoying. Even the one song-and-dance number Crystal and Midler break into ("The Book of Love") is too forced and unnecessary to be entertaining. There are a few Crystal-inspired laughs and gags -- one at the expense of skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, who cameos -- but there aren't enough to make you forget how disappointing it is to see such iconic actors in such a blah film.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how the movie portrays different parenting styles. Is it funny to see how the two generations differ? Is it just a generational "thing"? If not, what accounts for the differences? Is one style "right" and the other "wrong"?
Can you think of other movies that feature comical relationships between grandparents, adult children, and kids? How does this one compare to those?
Who do you think the movie is intended to appeal to most? Why? Does it succeed?
Movie Details
- In theaters: December 25, 2012
- On DVD or streaming: March 26, 2013
- Cast: Bette Midler , Billy Crystal , Marisa Tomei
- Director: Andy Fickman
- Inclusion Information: Female actors
- Studio: Twentieth Century Fox
- Genre: Comedy
- Topics: Brothers and Sisters
- Run time: 104 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG
- MPAA explanation: some rude humor
- Last updated: June 20, 2023
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