Orla Zuniga It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

Izzy Adkins The movie is surprisingly subdued in its pacing, its characterizations, and its go-for-broke sensibilities.

Cheryl A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

tdrish I'm taking another trip down memory lane, to review the 1989 movie Parents. I was only 14 when I watched this, and I will have no desire to see this again. Odd, but quite entertaining. What will you think of it? I will give you a few warnings, before I get to the review, so that you will be quite aware of what you are getting yourself into. This in mind, I wouldn't want you wasting your time with this, if its not what you are expecting. If you are expecting, for example, a gore-hound movie, with countless scenes of people gnawing away on other people like zombies, just because you found out this is a film about canabalism, let me save you some time: this is NOT that type of film. Although the violence can be strong from time to time, this film is actually quite tame, and the gore is done surprisingly tastefully. So the focus is not on the violence in Parents, am I clear? Where is the focus? Well, let's start by saying that this takes place in the 50's. A time of innocence. Who would suspect people eating people in the 1950's? This is what makes the film unique. The only person who suspects anything, is their own son, about eight years old. He is allowed to eat in the same room as his parents, however, he eats a separate table, and his food is prepped up differently. He befriends a little girl around his age, but he's afraid to say anything to her. Or anyone, for all that matter. He doesn't want to think of his parents as his arch enemies, but it's becoming clear to him that something is wrong. That being said, at the core of it all, this film possesses extreme emotional depth, almost even moving, because we begin to feel the fear that he's feeling. There's even a bizarre scene where he begins to fear food, and thinks he's being attacked by a string of sausage in the pantry, where he was trying to spy on his parents, figuring out what's going on with what they're cooking on the stove. The movie is a dark comedy, but it leans way much more on the serious side of dark comedy, rather then the slapstick or nonsense black comedy, making this a very respectable film. Director Bob Babalan seems to handle almost every scene with care, there is only one scene in the entire film that I had a problem with. The boy is looking up the tree at the little girl sitting on a branch, and we get almost a close up shot up the girls skirt, revealing her panties. Although this was done, I am sure, meant as a very innocent and harmless manner, I just couldn't understand how the movie would have been just fine, without this one scene. Sure, there's nothing sexual about it, but some viewers may, with pedophilia running rampant, and that's the part I cannot cope with...the thought that this was a child being exploited during the filming of all this. The only justification I have, is that the film does an excellent job of capturing the "through the eyes of a child" feeling. And never under estimate how disturbing this movie will be, right down to the shocking climax of it all. Altogether, I think Parents has problems, but just like life, all parents have problems. Let's just be glad that hopefully your parents don't have the same problems these folks do. 6 out of 10 stars!

beorhouse Ever wonder what the American Dream was really all about? You know, the Post-War Dream? I lived through it, and it wasn't all backyard barbecues and family vacations. This work of art stands as the perfect metaphor for those times which seem so long ago for many people alive today, but those of us 50 years or older know how things really were behind the smiles and friendly nods--not so peaceful, as the Beat, Civil Rights, and Hippie movements showed us. Movie about people eating other people? Sure, if you must. But what is actually on display is something far more sinister, and real. Life devoid of love and forgiveness does a real number on people. Now, all the theology set aside, if you love black humor, this is the film for you. Forget that stupid movie Pleasantville and dive right into this nasty little slice of Horror. You won't be sorry you did. I've seen it multiple times since its release in 1989, and I'm still watching it.

Predrag "Parents" is a movie about that feeling, about the conviction that after the kids are in bed and their lights are out, parents engage in weird rituals and unthinkable practices. What about those roars of laughter that come echoing down the hallway from the living room, for example: Are the grown-ups just having a good time, or are they holding their nightly planning session on how to play tricks on kids? "Parents" takes place in the 1950's, an ideal decade for this material, and stars Bryan Madorsky as Michael, a solemn, owl-faced little boy whose life centers on one question: What are the "leftovers" left over from? Night after night, his parents place steaming shanks of meat, juicy red slabs of prime roast, on his plate. Where do they come from? "Leftovers," his mom says. But then his mom and dad wink at each other over the table and share a secret laugh, and little Michael knows in his bones that there is something fundamentally wrong with the menu.The cinematography in this film works to the effect that the horror is conveyed in the most unlikeliest of places, on the contorted faces of the caregivers, (people this child should be able to trust), at the family dinner table, within the realms of the perfect family home. I loved the sets and the costuming, creating this soap commercial 50's world of perfectness, where horror can lurk behind every corner. There are plenty of shots of meat platters and mincing of meat, adding to the Grand Guignol of the whole affair. Knowing what could be on those plates is enough to churn even the strongest of stomachs as Michael observes his more than slightly sinister parents devouring each mouthful with revolting delight. Randy Quaid is superb in his portrayal of the father as he becomes more and more sinister in his son's observations, bullying and abusive. He is far from the perfect father image he wants the whole world to see. Mary Beth Hurt as mother Lily is the classic Stepford Wife who dotes on her family and worries over what creations to come up with for the families 'leftovers' as she so delicately names them ( the origin of which Michael is so desperate to know).Parents can be challenging to watch at times, given the subject matter, and obvious scenes in which psychological abuse occurs as the father tries to get a grip on the situation. It would seem that this is what bothered the critics of this movie the most, given that they saw it in poor taste. However challenging for me equals thought-provoking and I have to admit I really enjoy this type of film, yes it is distasteful, even more so as it is marketed as a horror/ comedy. On a comedy level there are no laugh out loud moments, as it is mainly sick and twisted, and on this point the film fails, but then it cannot be taken wholly seriously either, so it drifts in a netherworld of some sort of undefined sub genre of horror more like a bizarre sideshow spectacle with strong freakish overtones. Parents is certainly unique and unpredictable I will give it that though, and it keeps you guessing right up to the end.Overall rating: 7 out of 10.

TheBlueHairedLawyer Micheal and his parents have just moved into a new town in the 1950's. Micheal's mom is a typical ditz housewife, his dad a docile-looking but threatening nerd and employee of Toxico. Toxico is the town's main employer, a large chemical factory.One night Micheal sneaks downstairs and accidentally sees his parents in some kind of bizarre act of making love and eating chunks of meat. It haunts him for a while. At school he meets a little girl named Sheila and she says her parents are very weird too, in fact her dad is also a scientist at Toxico. However, she also says she came from outer space so Micheal assumes she's just fantasizing.One day Michael goes with his dad to Toxico and meets one of the employees within a dark and creepy lab office, who tells him that everything on earth is made up of chemicals.At this point the events going on seem in no way related, but one day Micheal sneaks into Toxico and finds his dad stealing body parts from a test cadaver in the lab. What he unravels is the secret his parents have been keeping from him - they're cannibals.Parents might be comedic at some parts, but it is also highly disturbing. The dreams Michael has and the Toxico chemical factory both have their eerie and scary moments. The soundtrack is very nostalgic and fits the movie, and like Eating Raoul, it is comedic to watch the family's attempt to hide their secret. Also the school psychologist, Millie Dew, her name sounds like mildew, I think it was intended. It's a great little movie with decent acting and a creepy atmosphere.