Review of Parents (2007) by Michael C — 08 Jan 2012
A pretty schizophrenic film as it seems to bounce between the trappings of black comedy and the stylistics of 50's Americana, alternately deciding which to place a greater emphasis upon, but the overall effect is undeniably entertaining.
Randy Quaid and Mary Beth Hurt both give scenery-chewing performances as the parents and yes, their performances are gleefully over-the-top, kabuki performances. For a black comedy, its not uproariously funny, but its pretty amusing for the duration of its length, and dare I say the film never invokes a feeling of boredom.
The child actors are clearly not as polished in their roles as the two lead adults, but they do admirably considering their age. The drastic shift in tone that the film repeatedly has is a little jarring, and at times it feels this hurt the film somewhat.
Still, it feels like a fresh concept in the black comedy genre in many ways, and the bizarre commentary on child abuse and pre-adolescent sexuality has a little more depth than one would expect. Plus this is surprisingly well shot for this type of film.
This review of Parents (2007) was written by Michael C on 08 Jan 2012.
Parents has generally received positive reviews.
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