Review of Parental Guidance (2012) by Spencer S — 17 Nov 2014

There's some to love, and a lot to dislike about this Billy Crystal-Bette Midler paired comedy. In the positive category we have our two leads, who are comedy legends and all around funny people. The characters deal with really intense problems that stem from a wide variety of issues, and not all of them have easy solutions.

That's not a regular staple of modern comedy films, which are happy to create a tidy ending for its schmucks. What many people take issue with is this unrealistic, privileged view of middle class Americans that paints children as spoiled misanthropes, and adults as their enablers.

Artie's voice doesn't seem like Crystal's, because everyone knows that the future means embracing technology, and all its benefits. In this reality older people know best and younger people don't know anything.

If its depiction of people wasn't so skewed, perhaps the few laughs it actually generated would be better appreciated.