First off. The question I ask the studio executives in
Hollywood. This one’s for you. Why have
you never teamed Bette Midler and Billy Crystal together for a movie before? I’m
waiting……. Because you took all this time to team two of the cleverest comedic
timed individuals to get together for the hilarious movie Parental Guidance.
But I guess you learnt your lesson and its better late than never, because
these two have never been more on fire. Let me just say Billy you have made up
for that craptastic movie “The Tooth Fairy” I mean really what in the world was
that. And Bette it has been too long. Stop your nonsense and keep making
movies. Anyway, enough of me rambling on about what’s wrong with Hollywood, it’s
time to talk about the movie Parental Guidance. When I saw the preview for this
movie, I thought this is such a me movie. A bit of holiday fluff with actors
who I really enjoy on the big screen. It’s an easy tale, you can tell where the
plot is going in the preview and you know there is going to be some immature
laughs (which I am a sucker for) you know you are going to get exactly what you
see. But I came out of this movie, thinking, this is such a better film than I thought,
plus I think they have marketed it wrong and with the wrong target audience in
mind. Let me just say, the kids only laughed at the obvious humour, but it was
the quick quips that Bette and Billy deliver that make this a very enjoyable
adult story. Okay, too much too fast. Let’s get this review happening.
Artie (Billy Crystal) and Diane (Bette Midler) are a bit
eccentric as far as grandparents may go. Artie is a sports commentator while Diane
is now a retired weathergirl living their own lives. They hardly hear from
their daughter Alice (the always excellent Marisa Tomei). Alice is in need of a
babysitter for her three children, Harper,Turner and Barker when she is in need
of going away for the week with her husband for an award ceremony . After
trying all her options, Alice is forced to ask her parents who quickly say yes.
What comes next is where the hilarity comes into play. Alice has brought her
kids up in the noughties where don’t and no are no longer words in their vocabulary
for these parents. Instead we have things like when you have a put down, you
need to give three put ups to the person you have offended. Or when you are
going to do something bad, instead of no you say, what would the consequences
be for your actions. (When I heard this, all I could say was are you kidding me with this).This is the way
parents are now brining up their children. Arite and Diane are from the yester
year where their parental skills are very different. After facing reality and
with no other options, Alice agrees for them to babysit.
What comes next is where the comedic skills of these two
fantastic comedic delights come into play. Billy and Bette bounce off each
other extremely well, and let’s just say they really could be married in real life.
Being out of their element makes for some very funny scenes. As Billy says, “what’s
a poke? (e.g. Facebook) and why is someone trying to poke me?” This fish out of
water tale is very funny. But also, the way the movie contrasts today’s parental
skills with generations gone by is what makes this movie. Of course there are
the obvious jokes for the kids, except I did have a good laugh when the
youngest kid decided to rhyme Artie with farty, what can I say sometimes toilet
humour never gets old.
But something funny happened when I was watching this film.
Instead of it being extremely cliqued it actually became very heart warming and
a bit emotional. There are some scenes where the older actors really shine.
Marisa Tomei and Billy Crystal have many as well as Bette and Marisa and Bette
and Billy. These awesome actors inject something more into a pretty basic
premise. What can I say, I do love these actors. Maybe I’m a little bit biased,
but it just made the material probably look better than what was on paper. But it’s
not only the adult actors who make this enjoyable. The three kids are extremely
good in the roles. But the only thing that got to me (I have to have at least
one little problem) is that none of them look anything alike. The only one who
resembles maybe a family member is the young girl Harper (Bailee Madison) who
kinda looked like Marisa Tomei. I kept thinking all through the movie, where we
not told that the two other kids were adopted?
Look this movie isn’t going to win any awards. Nor is it
going to change the world of film making, but let me tell you I had fun seeing
this. I think I had more fun than most of the people in the session I saw. It
is very adult and although I am not a parent I do cringe at some of the things
that parents do when disciplining their child. I know half the parents are now
going “you don’t know until you have a kid,” well until I have the joy of
knowing I can judge if I please. Because this movie sure is giving all the
parents out there a little nudge going calm down, I think we are taking the way
kids are brought up a little too seriously. Maybe that’s why I liked this movie
so much. Plus one more praise for Bette
and Billy. What can I say, they are great. Go and enjoy it. 3.5/5
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