This summer has been an interesting one for Susan and me regarding movies. We like to go to movies and go often. For us, it is a pleasant escape from the hectic pace of daily life. It is also an opportunity to spend some time together and go out for a bite to eat either before or after the movie.
A few days ago on CBS' "This Morning," Kathleen Sullivan was interviewing Ron Howard, producer/director of the recently released movie "Parenthood." At the end of the interview she congratulated Ron on a "simply delightful film."Being knee-deep in parenthood, Susan and I decided we would go see the movie. We had seen the advertisements on television when Steve Martin's daughter throws up on him, a scene with which contemporary parents can identify. We thought the movie would continue on the same humorous theme as depicted in the television advertisements. How wrong we were.
Many of the funny parts of the movie were shown in the ads. There were others of note in the movie where Martin portrays a cowboy at his son's birthday party and a few other laughable scenes.
But aside from the few humorous scenes, we found the movie to be very depressing. You see not only Martin's family but that of his two sisters and a brother and some insights into his own relationship with his father, played by Jason Robards. While few moviegoers expect to see "Leave It to Beaver" type families popular on television during the 1950s and into the early '60s, "Parenthood" goes too far in depicting some disturbing parent-child relationships.
The excessive profanity and vulgarity were also personally offensive to me for a supposedly family-oriented film. And I now understand why the movie is rated PG-13. For a movie that is supposed to be about parents and children, there is a series of questionable sexual scenes. I know I am getting old, am somewhat of a prude and voted Republican (are the three interrelated?), but the producers and writers seemed to go to the extreme to get their point across. To show that marriage and family are not all sugar-coated fun and games, they portrayed a series of unhealthy parent-child relationships.
If there are any redeeming aspects of "Parenthood" they only become apparent (no pun intended) the last few minutes of the film.
Steve Martin finally comes to the conclusion that being a parent, and life in general, are messy. And the goal of contemporary parenthood is to contain the mess as much as possible. The grandmother suggests that life can either be a roller-coaster ride or a turn on the merry-go-round. The latter is more serene with fewer challenges and trials. It is also bland. She believes marriage and family life ought to be the roller-coaster ride with its excess of ups and down. And the last few minutes bring the whole cast together in a rather touching scene with the birth of a baby.
As we drove home to our children, we discussed parenthood - the movie and our own experiences at it. Other than the film's last few minutes and the few humorous scenes mentioned, we found "Parenthood" to be a major disappointment.
marriage and family life ought to be the roller-coaster ride with its excess of ups and down. And the last few minutes bring the whole cast together in a rather touching scene with the birth of a baby.
As we drove home to our children, we discussed parenthood--the movie and our own experiences at it. Other than the film's last few minutes and the few humorous scenes mentioned, we found "Parenthood" to be a major disappointment.
Susan and I know that contemporary parenthood is not always "simply delightful," And in our opinion neither is the movie.
If you saw the movie "Parenthood" and have comments, I would like to hear from you. Write to 1230 SFLC, BYU, Provo, UT 84602.