Python Hyena
Parental Guidance (2012): Dir: Andy Fickman / Cast: Billy Crystal, Bette Midler, Marisa Tomei, Tom Everett Scott, Bailee Madison: Family comedy about limits. In this case Billy Crystal and Bette Midler play grandparents who haven't seen their grandchildren in a while. When given the opportunity they are met with the reality of change. Crystal plays a passionate sports announcer who loses his job. Their daughter is played by Marisa Tomei whose husband is off on a business trip. She is suppose to accompany him but her fear of her parents unable to deal with the children hold her back. The plot is simple and the structure is more or less just a series of screw ups with regards to cultural differences in raising children. The ending is no surprise but director Andy Fickman does his best with a theme he employed in The Game Plan and You Again. This is not much of an improvement but at least Crystal and Midler provide their share of amusing moments as they struggle to adapt to their daughter's methods of raising their children. Marisa Tomei is limited as their daughter, whose best scene has her being a good sport receiving a cake splat in the face. Tom Everett Scott as her husband is given even less to do other than video chat as a plot filler. Their children are cookie cutter at best. We have the violinist who pushes herself too hard. We have a kid with an overacting stutter. More embarrassing is the kid with an imaginary kangaroo. While the message of parenting and the cultural changes from generations is present the only guidance needed is for a better screenwriter. Score: 5 / 10
Jackson Booth-Millard
I knew this film was most likely going to be very average or possibly terrible, I think I was mainly attracted by the cast, so I watched it anyway, directed by Andy Fickman (She's the Man, The Game Plan, Race to Witch Mountain). Basically minor-league Fresno Grizzlies sports commentator Artie Decker (Billy Crystal) is fired due to his old style commentary and lack of social media. Artie is accustomed to calling the shots, but his wife Diane (Bette Midler), who is eager-to-please, gets a call from their daughter Alice Simmons (Marisa Tomei) and, despite his insistence, agrees to babysit their grandchildren, Harper (Don't Be Afraid of the Dark's Bailee Madison), Turner (Heroes' Joshua Rush) and Barker (Kyle Harrison Breitkopf) in Atlanta. Alice and her husband Phillip 'Phil' (Tom Everett Scott) are going away for an entrepreneur exhibition, but problems arise as Artie's and Diane's collide with the alternative "helicopter parenting" of Alice and Phil's. Alice is especially panicky leaving the children behind, but eventually leaves Artie and Diane to it, who learn of the children's various problems, including Harper's high achievement syndrome, Turner's stutter and Barker's imaginary friend, but they try to make the kids their new best friends. Alice is given the assignment to redesign the website for the X Games, so eventually returns home, Artie uses this to his advantage to arrange an interview for the role of sports commentator, but Barker is with him and almost gets hurt by a skateboard ridden by Tony Hawk. Tension rises when Alice clashes with Diane who wants to allow Harper to attend a party the night before a recital, and Barker's imaginary friend, a kangaroo named Carl, is killed, so arguments occur. Eventually Alice reconciles with Artie and Diane, and Harper is allowed to withdraw from the recital, Turner takes her place and resolves his stutter reciting the 1951 baseball Shot Heard 'Round the World commentary, following this in the end Artie and Diane become a major part of their grandchildren's lives, and Artie, along with Turner, takes up a new job as commentator for a little league baseball team. Also starring Mulan's Gedde Watanabe as Mr. Cheng, House M.D.'s Jennifer Crystal Foley as Cassandra, Road Trip's Rhoda Griffis as Dr. Schveer and Steve Levy. Crystal does his wisecracking character well, Midler is somewhere between annoying and amusing being kooky, and Tomei gets her moments being the concerned and worn out parent. It is a predictable story with a strained relationship between the grandparents and their adult daughter, and lack of connection with the kids, babysitting the kids becomes chaotic, most of the laughs come from the sarcasm and banter between the kids and the grownups, it did make me laugh in the right places, so overall it's an alright comedy. Okay!
jacob-mccandless
Something I don't like about movies with kids is when the child roles are unbelievable or near villainous.This film portrayed the children accurately and lovably. Billy Crystals humor was understandable to all ages. The fun kept me watching and -- was that Betty Middler?This movie is so up beat. I would recommend it to those who are having a hard time in their lives. As well as to families. I can see this movie being very influential on airplane flights to vacation spots. I really trust Billy Crystal in this regard. The world need more movies like these.I still shave my legs BTW.
edwagreen
Billy Crystal essentially is not allowed to show his comedic abilities here. Sometimes, I felt he was actually playing it totally straight here. Ditto for Bette Midler. She seems to have garnered a part that usually comes at the twilight of one's career. She is given little opportunity to show what she can normally do in pictures. The dialog really did her in this 2012 film. She is all too ready to constantly appease her grandchildren. She is just too sweet for Bette Midler.This film does properly show the generation gap when it comes to handling both children and grandchildren.Marisa Tomei co-stars as the daughter of Crystal and Midler. She has got a great husband and naturally 3 kids with each of their own hangups. We've seen this so many times in films-the stuttering child, a child with an imaginary friend and a daughter forced to attempt the life of a musician.Our grandparents just can't seem to hit it off with the children. Of course, when they finally do, the parents come back at an inopportune time and all appears to blow up. Naturally, the film resolves itself.
