Le Choc des générations

This was an excellent family movie, had plenty of laughs and some really heartwarming moments. Billy Crystal and Bette Midler made a great pairing, I don't know why it hadn't been done before. Crystal brings his great acerbic wit combined with Midler's warm demeanor and the great comedic timing of both makes for gold medal hilarity. Marisa Tomei is great as a new-age parent with high anxiety when it comes to allowing her parents into her automated life. Bailee Madison is a little fireball, and she is one to keep an eye on. With her innate acting ability she will have you on the edge of tears one moment and laughing till you pee the next. Madison is an absolute joy to watch and it was great to see her paired up with classic comedic talent like Crystal and Midler. The writing is fair, but luckily with such a well-placed cast you hardly notice those short-comings. This is definitely one I would take the whole family to, it's got enough for all to enjoy. I highly recommend it for the holiday season, it will have you walking out with a smile.

Very cute movie, worth to watch. Billy was very funny

I was at an advance screening of this movie. I didn't keep any hopes as I thought it would be another heavily clichéd unfunny movie. I'm glad that I was proved wrong. The movie is really funny and light-hearted. What I liked is that this film did not have any poorly written lines or jokes.

Everyone played their part well. Especially the kids (although their movie names could have been better) So, Artie (Billy Crystal) is a baseball commentator who's the father of Alice (Marisa Tomei). Artie and his wife Diane (Bette Middler) are unwillingly invited to watch over their grand-kids for a week. Based on previous experience, Alice is concerned over how they would handle her kids (who are overly disciplined) What follows is a week long fun ride with unexpected situations arising due to Artie who is put at blame. The youngest is especially a challenge. There are no plot twists here so as expected everything turns out well in the end.

Don't expect stellar performances, but I'm sure you'll love the kids! I don't think this would garner any Oscars but it's sometimes these feel-good movies (genuinely funny) that make your day. Definitely a must-watch for the holidays with all your family members!

"Parental Guidance" is meant to be a comedy on the generational gap in parenting techniques but Billy Crystal completely steals the movie with his smooth and silky talking. Billy Crystal, acknowledging that he is the attraction of the senior crowd, embodies the fuddled grandpa trying to understand the softness of the suburban life but at the same time vying for his youth. As clichéd as "use your words" has become of modern parenting, Billy Crystal is the one who uses his words expertly and elevates the movie from being another generic family movie.

In regards to the modern methods of parenting techniques, there are two opposites of parenting presented: first, the red haired Russian shrieking "practice, practice, practice" method; and second, the soft version of baseball where no-one given out method intended so that there is no ugly competition and just good clean fun. The first type is deemed to produce uptight children and the second type deemed to produce stuttering, diffident children or children with imaginary friends. So, it is up to the grandparents to come in to the picture and sort this out. The solution of course, you might have guessed, fun in its various forms; feel good but not a real answer or revelation.

Without Billy Crystal, this movie would probably end up like every other movie in the same mold; the shrieking screaming kids running around in a McMansion with busy stressed out parents with one hand managing the kids and with the other hand managing their jobs; the parents desperately in need a change to solve their problems. Throughout the movie, Billy Crystal is relaxed and smooth talking and first provides the calmness to the dizzying hyperactivity of the family and then sparkle with his comedy to take us through the predictable second half.

Overall, it's a generic family movie but elevated by Billy Crystal. However, it's still a movie bogged down by its uninspired family dynamics.

Alice Simmons (Marisa Tomei) is somewhat estranged from her parents (Billy Crystal, Bette Midler). When her husband Phil (Tom Everett Scott)'s work takes them away, she's forced to ask her parents to look after her kids (Bailee Madison, Joshua Rush, Kyle Harrison Breitkopf).

I like Billy Crystal and Bette Midler. I like their chemistry. I like their 'old fashion' ways. But some really stupid scenes destroy any chance this movie had. Grumpy Billy Crystal has some funny moments. Bette Midler is likable as the peacemaker. But by the middle of the movie, they just piled on one too many ridiculous premise to accept, and the movie falls apart.