There have been many movies made that have focused on families in some way. Several of them haven’t been that realistic. The 1989 movie Parenthood seemed to be a somewhat more realistic look at one family.

Gil Buckman was struggling to juggle his career and family. He needed to put in more hours at work to be more successful, but he wasn't doing that because he wanted to be active in the lives of his children, something his father Frank hadn't done. Gil’s wife Karen had stopped working when their children were born. Their oldest, Kevin, had emotional issues and might need therapy and special classes. Their daughter kept kissing all the boys at school and their youngest, still a toddler, like to put things on his head. Gil was convinced that he had messed up his children, which only made his stress higher.

Gil’s two sisters had their own issues with family that they were dealing with. Helen was trying to raise Julie and Gary alone after her divorce. Her ex-husband didn’t want anything to do with the children, which was really causing trouble with Gary. Julie, who had scored 1300 on her SAT, was dating a loser named Tod who she ended up marrying. They were living with Helen and Tod being around did seem to help Gary. Susan was a teacher married to Nathan. They had one daughter, Patty, who Nathan was obsessively trying to turn into a genius. Patty had no friends and couldn’t relate to other children. The youngest Buckman, Larry was Frank’s favorite despite never amounting to anything and being a gambling addict.

Parenthood dealt with a family that had several different types of issues to deal with. I recently read that the movie was based on real experiences that Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Lowell Ganz, and Babaloo Mandel had with their own families. Ganz and Mandel wrote the screenplay. Gil and his siblings had a lot of things to deal with, some of which were a bit extreme, but they did seem more realistic than things that have happened in other movies. I’m thinking that is because the movie was based on some real events.

Parenthood dealt with some very real, serious subjects. Gil had problems with work and his children. Gil was very upset about the issues that Kevin had and he was worried that his two younger children were messed up. Gil wasn’t sure how to deal with his children not being what he considered normal. Helen had her hands full with Julie and Gary. Julie was an intelligent girl who seemed to be going a bit wild, especially in her relationship with Tod. Gary had problems because his father wasn’t around anymore. That part was dealt with more seriously than some of the other things brought up. The movie did help to show that all families had problems.

Humor was also used throughout Parenthood. The movie was able to mix comedy and drama in a way that worked well with everything that was going on. Even some of the serious subjects, like Helen discovering that Julie and Tod were sexually active, were handled with some humor. Several things, like how Gil dressed up as a cowboy for Kevin’s birthday party, were very funny and entertaining. There was some gross humor, including a song the kids like to sing. Another scene had something really gross happen, though I don’t think it was supposed to be funny. There were also a few things done for humor, like when Gil found Helen’s vibrator when looking for a flashlight, that were more adult in nature. Even though the movie dealt with families with children, the movie really isn’t for children.

Parenthood jumped around between the different Buckman siblings. It did seem like more time was given to Gil. He was obsessively trying to be different from his own father who he felt hadn’t been around enough. He didn’t really like his job that much and hated certain aspects of it, but was trying to get a promotion anyway. Gil was very stressed most of the time because of his job and concerns over his children. I thought Steve Martin did a really good job with the part. Gil’s wife Karen was around in several scenes. She was staying home to take care of the children. Mary Steenburgen was fine in the part. She and Martin made a believable married couple. Their oldest son Kevin was the only one of their kids that was explored much. He was sensitive to certain things and had trouble in school.

Helen was on her own with raising her children after her divorce since her ex-husband didn’t want anything to do with Julie and Gary anymore. Helen had to deal with a lot of things, like finding out Julie was sexually active. Diane Wiest was really good in the part. Gary was acting out a bit since the divorce, though he did seem to bond with Tod, who helped him figure a few things out. Joaquin Phoenix, credited as Leaf at this point in his career, was good in the part. Julie was going a bit wild and ended up married to Tod, a boy who didn’t seem that bright. Tod did have a few insightful thoughts at times. Martha Plimpton and Keanu Reeves were good in the parts.

Susan loved Nathan, but she didn’t like how he was handling Patty. He was always teaching her and had every moment of her life mapped out to make her a genius. As a result, Patty was smart, but she had no friends and couldn’t relate to other children. Susan wasn’t able to share her feelings with Nathan, so she did little things, like sneak junk food or poke food in her diaphragm. Harley Kozak and Rick Moranis were fine in the parts. Frank Buckman turned up in a few scenes. He was still a bit distant from his children and still favored Larry. Jason Robards was good in the part. Larry was only around a few times, but it was clear he was still trying to make a quick buck and get his dad to bail him out. Tom Hulce was fine in the part. Grandma Buckman was a bit senile, but every so often she still had some wisdom to share with the younger members of the family.

Main Cast

Tom Hulce - Larry Buckman
Harley Kozak - Susan
Steve Martin - Gil Buckman
Rick Moranis - Nathan
Leaf Phoenix (Joaquin Phoenix) - Gary
Martha Plimpton - Julie
Keanu Reeves - Tod
Jason Robards - Frank Buckman
Helen Shaw - Grandam
Mary Steenburgen - Karen Buckman
Diane Wiest - Helen

Ron Howard - Director

I first saw Parenthood many years ago. Since then, I have seen the movie several more times. I recently watched it again on one of my HBO channels. I think the movie is available on DVD, but I could be wrong.

Parenthood is a very entertaining movie that was able to blend humor and drama. Fans of the cast, especially Steve Martin, may like it.

Steve Martin Movie Reviews
All of Me ~ Bringing Down the House ~ Bowfinger ~ Cheaper by the Dozen ~ Cheaper by the Dozen 2 ~ Dirty Rotten Scoundrels ~ Father of the Bride ~ Father of the Bride Part II ~ Housesitter ~ Looney Tunes: Back in Action ~ The Muppet Movie ~ Novocaine ~ The Pink Panther ~

Recommended: Yes