Mom and Dad

"I mean, I used to be Brent... and you used to be Kendall... and now we're just... Mom and Dad."

I'm sure some parents will experience it in their life. The moment you get a bit tired of your offspring. That you would love to put them on a rocket and shoot them to the moon, so that you get a little bit of time and space. Even though your love for your children is unconditional and sincere. This moment will only last a few seconds with normal parents before they look back at their kids lovingly and realize they can't live without them. Not here in "Mom and Dad". Here you'll see parents in a small American town, who suddenly turn into murderous psychopaths with only one goal. And that's killing their lovely children.

The cause of this parental hysteria is not entirely clear. Is it, like in "Cell", an electronic pulse that triggers their behavior? Or is it a mutated virus? Don't expect an explanation. In any case, it causes mothers to leave a little baby in the car which is parked on a railroad crossing. Or a big fat family man swinging around with a bloody baseball bat. And a bunch of fleeing students who are being tackled en masse by crazy parents. The movie isn't exactly horrifying or scary. Only the scene with the newborn baby gave me an uncomfortable feeling.

It feels like a typical zombie movie with parents walking around with a glassy look. The only difference is that they only have an eye for their own children and don't have the urge to chase every panicking teenager. "Mom and dad" is complete madness and highly entertaining. Nicolas Cage shines as the father who thinks he's a complete failure. His dreams didn't come true and his career isn't that what he had imagined. The same applies to his wife played by Selma Blair. A bitter-toned, exhausted mother who can't accept that her daughter doesn't show any affection anymore for her. She has been exchanged for weed smoking girlfriends and the omnipresent social media. Their frustrations become obvious during the pool table scene, where they pour their guts out.

It's been a long time ago since I've enjoyed total craziness which Cage can play as one of the best. In "Arsenal" he showed a crazy "Tony Clifton" type whose tirades were brilliantly played ans at the same time felt exaggerated. However, the disturbing hysteria and raging frenzy he shows here, exceeds this effortlessly. In a convincing way he shows that frightening look and pure anger. It's as if complete madness has taken over. I admit, It's also overly exaggerated. But that makes it humorous sometimes. The grandparents' moment was an ingenious idea and caused the story to take a different direction. Do you like a horror comedy with a slightly macabre atmosphere? Well, that means this movie is right up your alley.

I guess it's okay to label this as a black comedy, but there are very few laugh out loud comedy moments, the comedy comes more through the premise of the film. It also feels as if this movie is a major venting of frustration for modern parents who are stuck with the spoilt brats they gave birth to. Selma Blair gives a solid performance as a gorgeous mother who is starting to pass her prime and worried that her best days are behind her, she is not shallow enough to stoop to sleeping with the yoga teacher to make herself feel better about it. Nicolas Cage plays the aging father who tried his best for a while but has basically given up and withdrawn, looking for simple ways to reclaim some of his youth such as building a perfect snooker table. As something causes parents to lose their inhibitions and become like many wild animals who will occasionally kill their offspring, things get crazy in the schoolyard, the streets and in homes. The kids of our two leads do their best to survive the ordeal and this battle is the climax of the film. It's definitely a new and interesting idea, and while it doesn't fully tap Nic Cage's potential it definitely allows him a few great moments to go full 'Nic Cage'. Avoid it if you have a real problem with over the top violence against children, but if you have no issue with that then watch it on a day when your kids are being particularly bratty haha.

This movie was strangely therapeutic for someone. If you hate your kids or don't understand your parents this movie is for you.

Nicolas Cage is at his best here as a dad going through a mid-life crisis just when some strange outbreak of savagery has every parent trying to kill there offspring like hamsters eating their young.

Selma Blair gives an equally excellent performance as a Mom trying to bond with a daughter she use to be close to before she became a teenager.

And Last but not least is Lance Henriksen as grandpa Vietnam vet, the cherry on top of this crazy sundae.

It's a bizarre horror-styled film that just keeps getting more berserk as the film goes on. The filmmakers must all have children, as it captures perfectly the frustration that comes with giving up your life for someone else and not fully realizing it until there is nothing to do to change it.

Love the style of the movie too. The music composed for the film is really excellent. Not to mention I love the way the camera moves around the actors.

Also loved how natural Mom and Dad made the killing of your spawns. Overall, this movie does it for me and I highly recommend.

When I first watched the trailer, I thought this would be a pretty brainless movie. Given the premise, I thought I'd enjoy a couple of violent shenanigans and feel content with simply that. Unfortunately, Mom and Dad fail to deliver any ending, which leaves even the most uncomplicated movie a confusing mess.

The strong start really leaves you excited for the rest of the movie, showcasing this strange parent uprising pretty damn well for the first few minutes of the movie. This ultimately falls short when the scope of this apocalypse is condensed into one single family.

Admittedly, that would have been a fine idea - but at the end of the movie, I felt like I wanted more. With such an original concept, you'd imagine that they'd have more scenes that portrayed this apocalypse outside the breadth of the single family. Unfortunately, they failed to deliver anything substantial.

Even when the setting was shifted to the one family, I felt more engaged pointing out the plot holes than I did actually enjoying the film. Even though this movie is supposed to be nothing more than a murderous blur, I didn't really feel invested with the movie as it went along.

In other words, it became predictable as it went along.

The only thing that gave me hope was the ending. I was really excited to see how they would wrap this one up. They even hinted at things throughout the plot, like the television static and the unusual ringing. But this was to no avail.

At the end of the movie, I felt disappointed. I came in wanting some mindless, original savagery. What I got was a somewhat intriguing killing spree affixed to an incredibly underwhelming plot, which left much more to be desired.

Nicolas Cage, the legend that he is, smashes a pool table (that he just built) with a sledgehammer whilst excitedly singing the "Hokey Pokey", before shouting how his life has been a total ruin since he had kids. Just let that wondrous imagery sink into your mind for a little bit. Initially I thought this would be horrendously bad. Surprisingly, I rather enjoyed this...possibly too much. Mass hysteria arises within a suburban community, forcing parents to murder their own children. If you find it distasteful, don't watch it. Nobody is forcing you. It's a satirical horror comedy that is not to be taken seriously. For those of you that actually have a sense of humour, may I present to you one of the best modern horror comedies I've seen in quite some time. Parenting is a challenge, and I'm sure occasionally it builds up some anger through all the frustrations of adult life. This film illustrates the unleashing of that inner aggression, with an adequate balance of tension and humour. The final line of dialogue surmises the premise perfectly. "Kids, we love you...but sometimes we just want to...!". Smartly written and intelligently executed, with enough energy that it's as if it consumed a litre of isotonic fluid. Cage was absolutely perfect for this role. Guys, this could be the comeback we've been waiting for! Why was he so good? Initiate "Cage Rage". He. Went. Bonkers. Suggestively licking a can of drink. "Sawzall saws...all!". Eloquently discussing about anal beads and dildos. And even falling asleep whilst watching porn. Father of the year, indefinitely. Cage produces the humour, Blair provides the menace. Excellent combination! The editing is where it unfortunately takes a turn for the worse. Haphazard, disjointed and quite frankly all over the place. Several scenes of frantic action had too many quick cuts which made the experience slightly headache inducing. Also the abrupt ending may leave some underwhelmed (including myself), although the lack of explanation is much appreciated. Still, an incredibly entertaining flick.