"Parental Guidance" is an affair you won't remember. At times it is funny with Billy Crystal's non-stop banter but it doesn't remove the fact that this is as generic as it can get for a film. The entire experience just feels too common and too much of a "been there, done that" vibe that completely makes it predictable, feel mediocre and seem as old as its lead star Billy Crystal himself. Sadly, we just don't know how they could have fixed this or probably, the hard reality is, they shouldn't have made "Parental Guidance" at all.
When husband and wife Phil (Tom Everett Scott) and Alice (Marisa Tomei) need to leave town for work, they are forced to call on Alice's parents to help watch their three kids Harper (Bailee Madison), Turner (Joshua Rush) and Barker (Kyle Harrison Breitkopf). Unfortunately, the kids and Alice herself do not like their grandparents to begin with. Left with no choice, Artie (Billy Crystal) and Diane (Bette Midler) employ unexpected tactics which means using some old-school parenting style to help teach their 21st century grand kids how to act and behave like regular kids - something Phil and Alice are very strict on not encouraging.
While "Parental Guidance" may make you laugh and squirm countless times, we do feel that the laughter doesn't justify the end result. The magical thing about "Parental Guidance" is how it makes feel old, dated and worse, predictable. The major fault for it is its basic plot which seems like it's been used in the past. And worse, the film develops in bursts. It tends to forget important issues and conflicts by solving them with a simple chat or an insignificant scene. And don't get us started with the ending. Simply put, "Parental Guidance" will make the kids laugh and like it but the adults may find this as mild comfort and nothing else.
Rating: 2 and a half reels
Why you should watch it:
- funny at times but not enough to warrant its creation
Why you shouldn't watch it:
- the film feels generic, old and predictable
When husband and wife Phil (Tom Everett Scott) and Alice (Marisa Tomei) need to leave town for work, they are forced to call on Alice's parents to help watch their three kids Harper (Bailee Madison), Turner (Joshua Rush) and Barker (Kyle Harrison Breitkopf). Unfortunately, the kids and Alice herself do not like their grandparents to begin with. Left with no choice, Artie (Billy Crystal) and Diane (Bette Midler) employ unexpected tactics which means using some old-school parenting style to help teach their 21st century grand kids how to act and behave like regular kids - something Phil and Alice are very strict on not encouraging.
While "Parental Guidance" may make you laugh and squirm countless times, we do feel that the laughter doesn't justify the end result. The magical thing about "Parental Guidance" is how it makes feel old, dated and worse, predictable. The major fault for it is its basic plot which seems like it's been used in the past. And worse, the film develops in bursts. It tends to forget important issues and conflicts by solving them with a simple chat or an insignificant scene. And don't get us started with the ending. Simply put, "Parental Guidance" will make the kids laugh and like it but the adults may find this as mild comfort and nothing else.
Rating: 2 and a half reels
Why you should watch it:
- funny at times but not enough to warrant its creation
Why you shouldn't watch it:
- the film feels generic, old and predictable
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