Parenthood

Rating:
Summary: Good Movie, But DVD Issue
Review: Although the theatrical aspect ratio of this movie was 1.85:1, while the DVD aspect ratio is 4:3, this is not a "Pan&Scan" DVD. In other words, almost none of the original theatrical image has been removed for exhibition on a 4:3 television screen. The film negative aspect ratio was 1.37:1 (almost 4:3), and for theatrical exhibition, the image was "matted" (partially covered from the top down and bottom up) to produce a 1.85:1 image. For exhibition on a 4:3 television screen, the "mattes" have simply been removed. So the DVD exhibition actually shows 25.9 percent more image than the theatrical exhibition. The movie was likely filmed this way so that the theatrical image wouldn't be butchered on television by the "Pan&Scan" process, and because the filmmakers didn't foresee the current state of the home video market, where consumers prefer movies presented in their theatrical aspect ratio, rather than in a ratio in which the image will fill up their 4:3 television screen (if there is a difference). This DVD presents the movie in the aspect ratio in which the filmmakers wanted people to see it on a 4:3 television, but it does not present the movie in the aspect ratio in which the filmmakers wanted people to see it in a movie theater (for that, the DVD would have to present the movie in a "matted widescreen" format). If you're okay with that, enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: Years later, "Parenthood" still speaks volumes
Review: I saw this movie on TV recently and then decided to watch the DVD again, uncut and without interruption. "Parenthood" (1989) is a wonderful movie dealing with LIFE in general. Messages that still speak volumes years later. Married life - showing the good and bad aspects - and then some. You'll laugh at loud at many scenes, and you may cry at others. Travel through the kids birthday parties (Steve Martin is at his best here as "Cowboy Dan"), the kids little league games, family and house management, car trouble, the pressures of work, etc. One family's day-to-day life captured beautifully by director Ron Howard. As much as this is a good movie, the cast is equally impressive. Steve Martin in probably his finest role of the 1980's, Dianne Wiest, Jason Robards, Rick Moranis, Tom Hulce, Mary Steenbergen, and youngsters yet to star in a major motion picture - Keanu Reeves and Joaquin Phoenix. Steve Martin has put some nice family oriented movies together on his resume ("Cheaper By The Dozen", "Father Of The Bride", and dare I say "Bringing Down The House"), but "Parenthood" is the best. DVD features: Not much - only some written production notes and actor bios. 124 minutes and full screen format only. Here's to hoping Universal Studios puts out a deluxe edition in wide screen with some worthy bonus features centered around the superb cast. Great film.

Rating:
Summary: Stands the test of time
Review: I just watched "Parenthood" again for the umpteenth time, and it still carries an emotional wallop.

The film revolves around several generations of the Buchman family, and though they might, in some other films be considered 'dysfunctional,' in this movie their pitfalls are simply offered as a slice of real life.

The family patriarch is Frank Buchman (Jason Robards). Among his four children are Gil (Steve Martin), a modestly-successful though rather tightly-wound businessman with three children of his own... one of whom is a fragile eight-year-old boy who frequently breaks into hysterics --whether because he dropped a fly-ball and lost a baseball game for the team, or was simply terrified when the house blew a fuse.

Buchman's other son is a complete loser and manipulator named Larry (Tom Hulce), who shows up for a family dinner after (we learn) an absence of some three-plus years. Larry carries some serious baggage, including, but not limited to a gang of mobsters who are quite interested in being paid back for a rather substantial gambling debt.

Buchman's two daughters include Helen (Diane Wiest), whose own daughter played by Martha Plimpton is a high-school girl dating a house painter-cum-drag racer (Keanu Reeves), and whose 12-year-old son Gary (Leaf -now, Joaquin- Phoenix) has withdrawn into himself and his padlocked room. Buchman's other daughter Susan is married to Nathan (Rick Moranis), a PhD of some sort who turns every waking moment and event into an educational opportunity for their four-year-old daughter --a girl who consequently has no capacity to relate to other four-year-olds, but who evidently has memorized the periodic table of elements, and understands words like "pragmatic."

One of the most priceless characters is "Grandma" (apparently, though never actually stated to be Jason Robards' mother). A sweet, and perceptive woman, nothing fazes her... including a scene where a hidden cache of porno flics is discovered. As she's led out of the room by her daughter, we hear her comment: "One of those young men reminded me of your grandfather!"

Grandma's monologue on rollercoasters and merry-go-rounds (and how they are an analogue for life), is one of the best moments in film... not just in THIS film, but one of the best moments in film, period. I have seen the movie easily over a dozen times, and it still slays me every time she starts to speak.

Parenthood is not to be missed.

Rating:
Summary: Warm-Hearted Look at the Realities & Comedies of Family.
Review: Personal experience with the changes that children brought to their lives inspired director Ron Howard and writers Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Madel to write this comic take on the challenges of family. Steve Martin plays Gil Buckman, a good-humored husband and father whose dissatisfaction with his own childhood makes him try all the harder to ensure the happiness and success of his own children, as his extended family struggles with their own offspring. Gil, his sisters' families and the elder Buckman's, his parents, try to find the "right" thing to do for their children while dealing with the demands of spouses, life's ill-timed inconveniences, their own aspirations, and each other.

"Parenthood" is a laugh-out-loud look at the perils and rewards of family. Everyone will recognize someone they know in the imperfect children, crazy relatives, and inevitable dysfunctional family member. The film's charm is its familiarity. And it's nice to see characters that don't react to every disappointment by trying to control everyone involved. The cast is wonderful. Gil, the earnest, lovable, and slightly neurotic father, is the perfect role for Steve Martin. In notable supporting roles, Jason Robards is suitably cantankerous as the family patriarch, and Keanu Reeves is affable as a flakey boyfriend. "Parenthood" is funny, realistic, and a great stress-reliever for anyone who has had it up to the gills with family.

The DVD: Bonus features include "Production Notes", which is an essay about the inspiration and creation of the film, and "Cast and Filmmakers", which provides written bios of the director and principal cast. Subtitles are available in Spanish, captioning in English. And dubbing is available in French.

Rating:
Summary: A Brilliant Comedy on the Joys and Woes of Family Life
Review: This 1989 comedy directed by Ron Howard and written by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, is one of Steve Martin's crowning achievements. A very sensitive and well written comedy on the ups and downs of family life.

The film follows the lives of two married sisters and their families. Steve Martin and Rick Moranis play their husbands who each face a different crisis in their domestic affairs. Steve Martin is uptight about his childrens' failings and is worried about his ever-shrinking family budget. Rick Moranis plays an even more anal-rententive character who, despite his wife's pleas, doesn't want to have another child for fear that it will diminish his only daughter's phenomenal intellectual growth. Jason Robards plays the grandfather who has his own issues to resolve with his impulsive and reckless son (Tom Hulce: W.A. Mozart from 'Amadeus.')

Again, this is a very well done film which touches upon normally very dramatic or emotional subjects with clever and elegant humor. The film warms the heart and inspires the soul. A great movie to watch over and over again by the entire family.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best films on family
Review: It's rare to see a movie that has so much humor and so much heart, that balances comedy so well with drama and also gives us a cast of characters whom we truly care about, perhaps because their struggles are so like our own. The movie deals with parents trying to raise "normal" kids and discovering that oftentimes, the best thing to do is to let go.

Steve Martin especially shines as Gil Buckman, father of three who is trying to be the perfect family man and career man. He has a wry sense of humor but also worries constantly about his kids, especially his older son, who is overly sensitive and has self-esteem issues. Gil's two sisters, Helen and Susan, also have their share of difficulties. Helen's husband divorced her years ago, and she's now raising, on her own, a teenage daughter who is caught up in young love to a man with few future prospects and a teenage son who is troubled and withdrawn. Susan, on the other hand, seems happily married, though her husband's obsessive behavior is getting to her; they have one very young daughter, whom he is trying to turn into a genius by teaching her square roots and Eastern philosophy.

All of this the movie handles with poignancy and hilarity. Parenthood is truly a satisfying film from start to end.

Rating:
Summary: Overpriced, no-frills DVD of a wonderful movie
Review: This is a wonderful, heartwarming film that always manages to make me laugh AND cry....that's why I wanted to own a copy. Unfortunately, the DVD lacks any special features to enhance it (especially frustrating since it's a comparatively expensive one!). How tough would it have been for Ron Howard, Steve Martin or any of the supporting cast to offer a commentary track?

That's why I'd recommend it as a rental only. Dianne Wiest and Helen Shaw deliver exceptional performances...Steve Martin's at his most charming...the child actors are superior and it's one of Mary Steenburgen's best performances.