Parental Guidance

Well I've read the reviews posted by the studio lackeys, well done. Now an honest one . This movie sucked. how Billy Crystal (and to a lesser extent Bette Midler) would agree to this "movie" I don't know why. there was barely one laugh in 90 minutes of tedium. I would have thought Billy Crystal would have added some of his own humour into the script but it seems not. He seemed to go through the paces. The 'story line' simply laboured on with no direction. The movie tried for warmth but failed miserably. The girl who played Bailee did very well but the kid with the awful attempt at stuttering, well he must have been thankful he was able to finish the movie without having to resort to the stutter and just be able to act.

From what I have witnessed, this movie is delightful. I haven't watch a film such as this in a very long while. The story itself puts so much family fun and creativity into it that it made me smile and laugh joyously from start to finish (not many movies can give me such a reaction). It was good-hearted and simple, and sometimes simplicity is the best way to go. The soundtrack itself was unique for this current generation of filmmaking. I felt like I was in a movie made ten years ago (that of which I really enjoyed); it felt nostalgic yet modern. Again, it isn't the type of movie to get all "thrilled" about. It honestly is a nice feature to sit down and relax with the whole family, and to be completely reassuring, I honestly would watch it again in the future.

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.

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 a pretty decent family comedy about bridging the generation gap, and the process of re-building relationships that have been neglected for a very long time.

It is obvious to me that neither Billy Crystal or Bette Midler get too many good movie roles nowadays, and I think you can clearly see their joy at being back in the limelight in starring roles. They deliver strong performances and have great timing, and it is a pity that the source material is so weak to begin with. The basic plot is okay with me, but some of the comedy is far-fetched and grandchild Barker's bizarre behavior is used as an excuse for comedy too many times.

I liked a couple of scenes, which deal with the pressure of constantly keeping up with the technological advances of this day and age, with Artie losing his job because he doesn't tweet or know what an app is. This is a very relevant issue and unfortunately it is lightly dealt with.

All in all, the plot is thoroughly predictable and the points the movie wishes to make are obvious to all without any hint of subtlety, but the strong acting performances saves it from being a train wreck.