Rating: 
Summary: Ron Howard's best and funniest
Review: "Parenthood" boasts of one of the best casts ever assembled. The writing is sharp and witty, the editing perfect, and the acting superb. My favorites are the always amazing Dianne Wiest, who's comedic timing is flawless, a young and lovable Keanu Reeves, and Helen Shaw, who plays "Grandma". This is a comedy that endures because it has a great big heart.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty funny dramedy
Review: Steve Martin, Rick Moranis, Mary Steenburgen, Diane Weist and many more star in this wonderul dramedy. Shows the true side of being a parent. I saw this movie when I was about nine and I didn't apreciate it at all. But then I saw it again when I was fourteen and I saw how hilarious it was and I could kind of relate to it, not saying that I'm a parent, I'm just saying I could relate to my parents. It's a very great movie. See it!
Rating:
Summary: Hey, did you know...?
Review: "Parenthood" was really good. The little kids were so cute, and the jokes were funny. But did you know Howie Dorough from the backstreet boys is in it (he's an extra)? During the classroom scene, he's the boy in the blue shirt sitting in the front row. Next time you see it, watch for him.
Rating:
Summary: Did you know?
Review: Okay here's the deal... Mr. Cool Dude Howie Dorough from the Backstreet Boys is in this movie. I bet you movie Buffs never knew that now did you? No I Didn't Think SO! Well...next time you see this movie watch for the kid making funny faces, when Rick Moranis is singing to his wife. Thank you for your precious internet time! ~BYE~
Rating:
Summary: Another Ron Howard masterpiece.
Review: Very rarely is there a realistic perspective about the family that comes to the big screen or even the little screen. In years past, TV and cinematic families didn't dare to approach subjects that are broached in "Parenthood," but Ron Howard shows no fear. Sexual maturity, masturbation, teenage pregnancy, alcoholism, gambling addiction, childhood depression, and divorce are only a few issues discussed in this film, and they are approached with a completely sensitive and realistic matter. The humor is never contrived and the realism is never overdramatic. An all-star cast that features Steve Martin, Mary Steenburgen, Jason Robards, Rick Moranis, Tom Hulce, Martha Plimpton, Keanu Reeves and Academy-Award winner Diane Wiest tackles the issues of the extended family with an empathy that exceeds remarkable. Each character is developed to the hilt from Steenburgen's harried housewife to Moranis' obsessive intellectual coddling to Reeves' vacant surfer dude to Robards' crusty, yet emotional, old-codger alcoholic and each character doesn't have to struggle to make themslves believable. You are carried into their lives and you are forced to sympathize with every action. You cheer at Gil's (Martin) son making the winning catch, cry at Helen's (Wiest) son's pain because of his absent father, and laugh at Karen's (Steenburgen) attempts to keep her children normal and sane. "Parenthood" is a powerful comedy-drama that doesn't need to attempt to pull at the heart strings - it just does, with no effort at all.
Rating:
Summary: Parenthood
Review: One of my all-time favorite movies. We loved it before we had a child, we loved it after we had a child, we've shared it with friends and relatives. Every time I see it I find something new to laugh about - both in the film and in my own life...
Rating:
Summary: Heartwarming Comedy.
Review: Few comedies can balance between humor and drama with much depth and still come out very well done. Ron Howard does an excellent job of taking care of this matter. The story is funny and heartwarming, the acting is great (in terms of a comedy), and the directing is excellent. Ron Howard really excels in this type of film. I can't think of any family oriented comedies that work as well as this one did. This is a must have for any Steve Martin fan and for any film collector.
Rating: 
Summary: Great movie/Lame DVD
Review: How good is the Movie? I liked it so much I bought the DVD. The characters and situations are realistic and you can really empathize with their shortcomings and problems. You'll fall over laughing at the "Electric Ear Cleaner" scene...Unfortunately Universal managed to ruin the DVD release of the movie. I've gotten so used to DVDs being letterboxed that I didn't even check only to find that the DVD has ONLY the pan and scan version. Any release of a movie that starts off by throwing away a third of the image is doomed in my opinion. So now I'm stuck with a great movie ruined by some thoughtless movie executive. If they ever bother to release a widescreen version I'd sell this defective pan and scan piece of trash and buy the GOOD version. If you like the pan and scan format then you can ignore me and enjoy the movie :)
Rating:
Summary: The ups and downs of family life!!
Review: Steve Martin is top billed in this film and he is excellent but the rest of the cast is just as good. This movie is actually divided into four separate parts-four different branch offs of the same family (the father, his kids and their families)-that allows this fine ensemble to portray all the ups and downs of family life. It is a film that teaches without without the valleys. And because of it every character comes to stark realizations about themselves and their relationships with other people. All the characters, that is, except the Tom Hulce character. But even that character is correctly written; it just simply isn't the time for him to realize.The interactions between the father (Jason Robards) and his two sons (Hulce and Martin) tell us much about all three characters' past, present and future. Unfortunately there isn't any interaction between the father and the two daughters (Martha Plimpton and Dianne Wiest) but with so many characters to deal with and so many ties to bind, there simply wasn't time. But the time the writers have is well spent indeed. Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel have written a script which takes a very basic idea and expands on it in a realistic and original way. It's no wonder that all the characters are tied together so perfectly in the end.Ron Howard has taken that script and directed these tremendous performers to superlative work. Very seldom have any of them been better. Steve Martin shines in his everyman portrayal of the father of three and the second oldest child of the four earlier mentioned. Not since ROXANNE had he given a performance of such range and depth. His work here ranks among his best ever! Dianne Wiest as his older sister won another Oscar nomination and is just as good as she was in HANNAH AND HER SISTERS. Martha Plimpton as the next oldest child is fine as a mother torn between her high-tech-education-supporter husband (Rick Moranis, his best work since LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS) and her young childhood deprived daughter. Hulce is the youngest of Robards four kids and has the toughest role to play. He wasn't given the one-liners the others have. His character isn't likeable. His father obviously favors him at first which is hard for the rest of the family as well as the audience to understand. But he portrays the character as it should be Robards portrayal of the father is one of his best and he should have received another Oscar nod. Through Robards' father character we see how his kids turned out the way they did. And we see him growing and learning as he finds you CAN teach an old dog new tricks. Joaquin Phoenix (River's kid brother, here billed as Leaf, as Wiest's youngest) and Helen Shaw as Grandma, the matriarch of the family are also excellent. Keanu Reeves (Wiest's son-in-law) and Mary Steenburgen (Martin's wife) round out the cast beautifully. Randy Newman's score is perfect and the Oscar nominated song "I Love to See You Smile" is very infectious.Pulling everything together for a production of this kind is not an easy task. When you couple that with the fact that in this movie, comedy and drama are blended together seamlessly, Howard and his cast and crew have created a true treasure. Being a perfect parent is not easy. Being a perfect person is impossible. If you are anything less, see this movie!
Rating:
Summary: Okay, but to . . . . . . . . sexual.
Review: I thought that this movie had a very good ending, but there were too many revealing scenes (like the son's movies, or when Steve Martin and his wife are in the car). It's sort of funny, and sweet, but to much sex.
|
