Parenthood (1989) — Howard's Feel-Good Dramedy Drags a Bit Too Long

 

☆☆☆☆

Parenthood, directed by Ron Howard, follows the ups and downs of the Buckman family and the inner lives of the four siblings, Gil (Steve Martin), Helen (Dianne Weist), Larry (Tom Hulce), and Susan (Harley Jane Kozak). While Gil struggles with juggling his career as a sales executive and family, finding out his son has emotional problems and that there's another baby on the way only worsens the situation and strains his marriage with his wife, Karen (Mary Steenburgen). Helen, a divorced mother of two, struggles against an angsty, disconnected son (Joaquin Phoenix) and a rebellious daughter (Martha Plimpton) and her boyfriend (Keanu Reeves). Larry, a gambler who coasts life with get-rich-quick schemes, is their father Frank's (Jason Robards) favourite and shows up one day with the product of an affair with a showgirl, a young biracial son named Cool. Helen, a teacher married to Nathan (Rick Moranis), struggles to cope with her husband's domineering attitude to their precocious daughter.

Spoilers ahead.

I like this movie, don't get me wrong. It's not bad, necessarily. Parenthood is an emotional, heartfelt movie with its ups and downs and a sweet ending. I just had one issue, and that's that it went on just too long.

One thing I love is how personal it feels. You do feel genuinely connected to these characters. Some of it is quite light-hearted and played for laughs, but this is intertwined with such brutal honesty about family and parenting, it's bittersweet at times. The cast is loaded and fantastic; Steve Martin, of course, along with Rick Moranis, Tom Hulce (those two are two of my favourite actors), young Keanu Reeves, very young Joaquin Phoenix (credited as Leaf Phoenix), and a whole bunch of others, like... holy shit, this movie is loaded. I was cheering for it, I was, and it does resonate nice and broadly for a lot of people. I do actually think this is the first Rick Moranis movie I've seen where he isn't a lovable dork and is actually pretty asshole-y. Well, serenading his wife in a classroom with their wedding song and having a happy ending is very lovable dork of him but you understand what I mean. And not to be horribly superficial, but ohhhh, Tom Hulce, save me, Tom Hulce... so fine in this, even if he's a neglectful gambling addict in this. And this is his second movie I've seen where he's called Larry. Fun. Also I so love the kid being called Cool. Another side note, I doubt that Gil imagining his son will be a school shooter in the future being played off for laughs would go so well these days.

I genuinely just have an issue with the time. Trust me, I love long movies. My top three are Inglourious Basterds (2009), Amadeus (1984), and Lawrence of Arabia (1962) (this is not ordered, they're fighting for spot number one LOL). Trust me, I love a long movie. But it didn't suit Parenthood kindly. A two hour runtime? Easy. But, God, I just couldn't focus. Maybe I'll give it a second go, maybe. I'll see if I like it then.

I should've written this review when I watched it (on New Years, right after I watched Woyzeck (1979). What a double feature) because I've forgotten everything I wanted to say, but this covers my main feelings. A feel-good movie, but I trudged through it a little.