Parentes Perfeitos

Here's the thing... you know where this movie is going to go. All the plot points are pretty obvious; it's never going to get ahead of you, even when the "twists" start in the back half.

But it's pretty fun to watch. DeVito and Bates are completely cartoonish and over-the-top -- and that's what makes them great together. Edward Hermann and Christine Baranski are perfectly cast, though I wish we'd seen more of them. Everybody else is fine (Bob Odenkirk is a bit wasted -- given that "anger management" is a major theme of the movie, casting a man known for his comedic anger in a role where he doesn't get angry is strange), except for Livingston.

Ron Livingston is the center of the movie, and there's a problem. He commits to playing the role a certain way, and you don't understand why, and you don't really like him. More than an hour into the movie, they reveal why he is acting the way he did, and it kind of makes sense, but he's already lost your sympathy by that point.

But if Devito and Bates as total white trash screaming at each other, lines like "If brains was chocolate, you wouldn't even have a M&M" is something you want to see in a comedy, then you should see this movie, because there will probably never be another movie where that happens. If you go with them, they keep the movie entertaining.

Stick around for the end credits, their duet is almost certainly the highlight of the film. It's in the film, but most of the lyrics are obscured by the dialogue; the song plays in all of its glory over the end credits.

Ron Livingston who was wonderful in "Office Space", once again hits a home run with "Relative Strangers". What is essentially a one joke movie, comes across extremely well. Perfect casting, starting with Danny DeVito and a truly funny script. There is also a fine message that you should not be disappointed if people do not live up to your expectations. Kathy Bates and Danny DeVito as the "trailer trash" parents are so great, and Christine Baranski is the perfect foil for Beverly DeAngelo and her sequin dresses. Off the wall hilarious situations abound, and there are even some very sweet moments. Highly recommended. - MERK

This was by no means a great movie, but it was enjoyable.

The production values were low and the performances at times suffered from overacting -- especially by Danny DeVito. But, the film had a little bit of heart, and I couldn't help but smile at times.

Neve Campbell is so beautiful here; I can't understand why she's not more famous. She just radiates and lights up the screen every time she is on here.

Kathy Bates was great, as always, but I found Ron Livingston's performance to be a little stale.

If you're looking for a lighthearted movie to help you waste away a Sunday afternoon, this is it. Just don't expect too much and you won't be that disappointed.

Maybe it's somehow unfair that this movie was not distributed in the US (yet?). I have seen much worse movies and comedies that had less fun in them well distributed and promoted. However, I can understand the hesitations of the distributors. 'Relative Strangers' plays in a genre that has already squeezed all the juice, and makes no attempt to be something different.

Yet, the premises are good. What if you are a successful writer of self-control books and you found two weeks before your marriage with gorgeous Neve Campbell that your true parents are not the high-class couple that raised you but Danny DeVitto and Kathy Bates, a popular circus pair of failed clowns, throwing bad jokes and inheriting you nothing but a bunch of hereditary diseases?

Unfortunately, this is more or less where the fun of the movie stops. The rest is so predictable that you could have written the script yourself. Ron Linvingston is as funny as a evening news broadcaster, DeVitto and Campbell do their expected game, and only Kathy Bates is funny and looks comfortable and gorgeous (yes!) in her role, but this is not enough. Casting the stars is not enough for good comedy, you need something more in ideas and craziness which is definitely missing here.

I had the pleasure of seeing this film at a sneak preview in Los Angeles earlier this year and have been waiting to see it's release here in the US. Apparently, it's being released overseas which is a shame as it would seem to go over better in America being so..American. This film was just a lot of fun. Danny DeVito and Kathy Bates play the white-trash birth parents of Ron Livingston, an uptight self help author. His fiancée is played by the incredibly sexy Neve Campbell who I could watch in anything. DeVito and Bates characters are very broad, almost cartoons but by the end of the film you really feel they are real people and the film packs an emotional punch that was really unexpected. Along the way are some hilarious scenes..Bates and DeVito are a great team! I loved the talk show appearance where his parents unexpectedly (of course) show up and he loses it. It seems like so many films have to be about something deep and have a cynical edge nowadays but this film was just fun to watch and left me smiling at the end. The audience I saw it with exploded with laughs frequently through out. I can imagine this film is not for every taste but if you can relax and just enjoy a feel good, fun comedy, I recommend this film highly