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Although directed by Bob Balaban of all people (most will know him as one of Christopher Guest's regulars in his series of comic pseudo-documentaries like "Best in Show"), "Parents" is clearly heavily influenced by David Lynch (Lynch's regular composer Angelo Badalementi is put to good use here by Mr. Balaban). One wonders if this is what life was like for David Lynch growing up as an Eagle Scout in the picture perfect 1950's. This is one of the most disturbing darkly comic horror movies I have ever seen. My jaw hung open for the film's entire length, my heart was racing at the climax in the cellar, and by the time the "sitcom-style" end credits rolled I was laughing out loud.

The film is told from the point of view of a 10 year old boy growing up in a cold, sanitized, and Uncanny 1950's suburbia with his parents who are so perfect they are down-right creepy (played wonderfully by Randy Quaid and Mary Beth Hurt). The kid knows something must be up, and the film eerily displays the dark fantasies that can develop in a child's mind when he isn't quite sure why the world is the way it is and that everything seems slightly off-kilter. We've all had these feelings when lonely and isolated and it is especially apparent in those odd pre-teen years when we are old enough to know the difference between fantasy and reality yet not mature enough to handle just what that reality now is. What essentially happens in this film is the young boy walks in on his parents having sex one night after waking up from a nightmare and then develops a bizarre fantasy where they have become cannibals. Freud would have a field day with this film. Balaban puts the psycho back in psychosexual with the kind of wanton abandon only Hitchcock, Kubrick, and Lynch have previously dared. The latter half of the film follows the conventions of your standard horror flick and does it so beautifully you will be left shivering. Sublime, satirical, uncanny, and as near perfect a cult film as you could ask for.

Also recommended: "Psycho," "The Shining," "Blue Velvet," "Twin Peaks," "Frailty," and "Donnie Darko."

If asked which movie has been the most uncomfortable watch for me, it has to be this one. Bob Balaban has put together a film that encompasses all those dark feelings about our parents. With a beautiful performance from Randy Quaid as the strangest father in the world, it is from the dark place where all great black comedies come from. His dizzying combination of gruesome and mundane is incredibly well crafted, not falling into either one but dancing back and forth between them. I HIGHLY recommend this movie. Strange it comes from the man who played the chummy cartographer in Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

46. PARENTS (comedy, 1988) Ever since their move to a new town 10-year old Michael has been feeling strange. Maybe its because his new house seems so big and spooky. Or maybe its because his parents have started serving him a new recipe they call "leftovers". Whatever the case he has grown very suspicions of anything and everyone. His growing anxieties instill in him a wicked outlook towards life that gets him in trouble at school. Things turn for the worst when they investigate Michael's private home life.

Critique: Strange little film is the blackest of comedies. The story is told from Michael's P.O.V so everything looks abstract and weird. Attention to detail of setting (50s Americana), production design and costumes is very rewarding. Bob Balaban's craftily directed 'Pax Americana' scenes seem aesthetic and distant. The film has strong thematic qualities with David Lynch's own subversive 'Twin Peaks' society of evil lurking underneath a wholesome facade. Lynch's own regular composer, Angelo Bandalamenti, provides the music.

It also benefits from the stylistic brushes of cinematographer-turned-director Barry Sonenfeld. The use of sweeping, low-angle shots (illustrating this child's nightmare world) and use of hand-held are wonderful. The subversive overtones of the film make it not for all tastes.

QUOTE: Michael: "Well, what were they before they were leftovers?"

Dad: "Leftovers to be."

This was a very creepy & uneasy to watch movie. The ending could've been better.

Years go by and I still adore Parents and make sure to watch it every so often. Impeccable casting, including a never-better Randy Quaid, Mary Beth Hurt, and Sandy Dennis, truly energizes the film. Preteen lead Bryan Madorsky has become a personal hero of mine, perfectly capturing the essence of fear and revilement that ten-year-olds can develop for their seemingly monstrous parents. Unfortunately for Madorsky's character Michael, his parents truly are monsters. I love the burgeoning friendship/romance between the two young kids, particularly in the telling sequences where they get drunk and end up in the freezer and where they speculate on the secret lives of their parents. And any movie that uses Perez Prado's "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White" over the opening credits is peachy in my book.