Parents (1989) User Reviews (115)

Cult Movies 46

[TYLERdurden74 · 6/10 · 15 November 1998]

46. PARENTS (comedy, 1988) Ever since their move to a new town 10-year old Michael has been feeling strange. Maybe its because his new house seems so big and spooky. Or maybe its because his parents have started serving him a new recipe they call "leftovers". Whatever the case he has grown very suspicions of anything and everyone. His growing anxieties instill in him a wicked outlook towards life that gets him in trouble at school. Things turn for the worst when they investigate Michael's private home life.

Critique: Strange little film is the blackest of comedies. The story is told from Michael's P.O.V so everything looks abstract and weird. Attention to detail of setting (50s Americana), production design and costumes is very rewarding. Bob Balaban's craftily directed 'Pax Americana' scenes seem aesthetic and distant. The film has strong thematic qualities with David Lynch's own subversive 'Twin Peaks' society of evil lurking underneath a wholesome facade. Lynch's own regular composer, Angelo Bandalamenti, provides the music.

It also benefits from the stylistic brushes of cinematographer-turned-director Barry Sonenfeld. The use of sweeping, low-angle shots (illustrating this child's nightmare world) and use of hand-held are wonderful. The subversive overtones of the film make it not for all tastes.

QUOTE: Michael: "Well, what were they before they were leftovers?"

Dad: "Leftovers to be."

A horrifying but interesting movie

[jakubjarzyna · 6/10 · 19 January 2021]

This was a very creepy & uneasy to watch movie. The ending could've been better.

A Surreal Experience That's Not For Everyone

[illyriashade56 · 6/10 · 29 October 2021]

I had never heard of this movie before, and it looked like it had the same sort of weird zany surrealism as Society, which I massively enjoyed. What I was not expecting was how much darker in tone this film was going to be, and how massively uncomfortable it can be at times with some of the thematic undertones.

It taps into the inherent surreal nature of 1950's idyllic suburbia and builds wonderfully off of that horror, as well as delving into the true horror of being stuck in the same house as people who might want to hurt you. While there was a lot that just didn't hit and some spots where I felt the movie lacked, overall I found the movie to be interesting and kind of fun.

This movie is definitely not for everyone and is bound to disappoint quite a few horror fans, but for those that like surrealism in the vein of Society, this is definitely worth the watch. It's a solid movie and even if it's not the best out there, it has some merit as a film and some solid thematic undertones.

Not for all taste, but I loved it.

[bigpappa1--2 · 14 August 2000]

Young Michael (Bryan Madorsky) notices his parents have a strange fondness for meat and wonders where all the meat they eat for dinner comes from. And what goes on after he goes to bed.

Exceptionally well acted and crafted horror-comedy that takes place in the 1950's. The sets, costumes, style, detail paid to flavor of the 50's, and the cars & houses will WOW you and give you a feeling of nostalgia. A nice change of pace for Randy Quaid and it is nice to see Sandy Dennis at work again.

Be forewarned though this is one of the most disturbing films I have ever seen in my entire life. There is absolutely no letup.

My rating: 9 out of 10.

Funny and Interesting.

[SameirAli · 6/10 · 7 December 2021]

A dark comedy which is amusing and interesting to watch, due to a different approach from Bob Balaban, this is his debut directorial feature. The story involves around a introvert boy, slowly revealing what's happening to him. Dark humor, and some interesting scenes makes it not a really boring movie. But, after watching, it's not really worth remembering for a long time. The three lead characters; Randy Quaid, Mary Beth Hurt and Bryan Madorsky did a great job. Yet, this is the only film of Bryan I can find.

Not completely satisfying.

[gridoon · 6/10 · 19 June 2000]

Interesting movie, but far from a total success. The director uses his camera cleverly and executes some fine visual tricks, but they don't lead anywhere, because the film has such an "one-joke" premise and a repetitive script. Great music score, astonishingly mature work by the boy who plays the central character, a few scares at the end, but the movie still rings hollow, and gets no more than a 6/10 from me.

Almost a Good Film... But There Was Something Missing

[gavin6942 · 6/10 · 6 October 2012]

Michael Laemle (Brian Madorsky) is a young boy living in a typical 1950s suburbanite home... except for his bizarre and horrific nightmares, and continued unease around his parents.

This film is well made, well acted and is a fun (yet creepy) idea. The only problem is that the game is given away from the very beginning. The "secret" of Michael's parents is known before the film even starts if you read the summary on Netflix. And then, where do you go with it?

Clearly, the writer did not know where to take it, because it never really goes anywhere. There are an endless series of strange scenes, but no real plot or story arc. I like watching Randy Quaid be weird for 90 minutes, but I also like knowing there is going to be a beginning and an end... here, we never really know where it is going and that just makes it hard to watch.

We're bound together for life.....

[FlashCallahan · 3/10 · 8 December 2013]

Michael is a young boy living in a typical 1950's suburbanite home, except for his bizarre and horrific nightmares, and continued unease around his parents.

But especially his father, Nick.

Michael begins to suspect his parents are cooking more than just hamburgers on the grill outside, but has trouble explaining his fears to his friend Sheila, or the school's social worker....

Sometimes the blackest of black comedies are truly wonderful, and stay in the mind for days. Films like American Psycho, Sightseers, and Vampires Kiss.

This however, doesn't stimulate the senses, and its nothing other than a little boy interfering with his parents, and them telling him off, several times. And its boring.

Oh yes, some will say that its a satirical look on the wholesome nuclear family of yesteryear, but it's not clever, never funny, and sometimes it grates so much, I was near to turning it off.

Quaid is okay, the only good thing about the film, but it's really saying very little positive.

If they made it a little more edgier, sadistic even, it could have stood out.

But like the titular relatives, it will get on your nerves after ten minutes, and repeat itself several times...

A truly astounding, horrifying movie

[Mosswood · 9/10 · 30 November 1998]

If asked which movie has been the most uncomfortable watch for me, it has to be this one. Bob Balaban has put together a film that encompasses all those dark feelings about our parents. With a beautiful performance from Randy Quaid as the strangest father in the world, it is from the dark place where all great black comedies come from. His dizzying combination of gruesome and mundane is incredibly well crafted, not falling into either one but dancing back and forth between them. I HIGHLY recommend this movie. Strange it comes from the man who played the chummy cartographer in Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

A vegetarian kid goes to bed, hungry.

[triggerhappyguy · 6/10 · 3 March 2015]

I liked this film, but I'm honestly torn between the aspects I liked and the obvious flaws. This film couldn't decide what it wanted to be. A dark comedy, a satire, a surrealist film, a thriller? In some ways, the film is a blend of all of these genres, but it sparsely executes any aspects of those genres effectively.

There's not enough laughs for it to be a dark comedy. There's a scene in particular where a character is getting stabbed, whilst a '50s pop song plays. The delivery of the scene is like a thriller, yet the use of the song makes it feel like a comedy. I feel like an opportunity for some great dark comedy was missed (think Shaun of the Dead, with the use of the Queen song). The nods to '50s pop culture are cute at best. There's some suspense near the end, but we already know from the start that the parents are cannibals - so why was there a "big reveal" scene? The dream sequences are fun, but never really amount to much. It seems like the dreams were only added to make the audience think the lead character had a wild imagination, so that the "big reveal" scene would be even more shocking. Again, it's not really a secret that the parents are cannibals... the poster gives it away! The directing by Bob Balaban was quite good. Some fun takes, and great set up shots. Going back to the flaws though, it really feels like the director had a plethora of creative ideas, and wanted to fit them all in to one film. There's a a recurring theme of the colour red throughout... but then there's also a theme of the colour green... then both seem abandoned when the nearing the finale. It's like the director wanted to throw in some symbolism, or deep meaning, but then forgot about it due to focusing on another idea. It's sad, because I think Balaban is a creative director, and he went on to director a legit underrated cult classic - "My Boyfriend's Back". This film was more like a "my first cult film" than a true classic.

The acting was great by all involved, especially Randy Quaid. The soundtrack was generally good, with the use of some '50s songs. The placement of the score was hit or miss though.

Despite the flaws, there's something charming about the film. Maybe it's the '50s setting, or the surreal aspects, interesting direction, or even a surprisingly good performance from Randy Quaid. Whatever it is, this film has all the makings of a cult film... however, this is more like a cult not-so-classic.

Cannibalism n imagination can never get anything boring than this.

[Fella_shibby · 3/10 · 21 April 2021]

I saw this for the first time recently.

Generous with a 3 only for its cinematography.

The sets, costumes, cars, verandas, lawns, flowers, greenery & those beautiful houses are amazing to look at.

I didn't like this as it is neither scary nor comical.

A Day in the Life of Little Davey Lynch

[WriterDave · 8/10 · 1 November 2003]

Although directed by Bob Balaban of all people (most will know him as one of Christopher Guest's regulars in his series of comic pseudo-documentaries like "Best in Show"), "Parents" is clearly heavily influenced by David Lynch (Lynch's regular composer Angelo Badalementi is put to good use here by Mr. Balaban). One wonders if this is what life was like for David Lynch growing up as an Eagle Scout in the picture perfect 1950's. This is one of the most disturbing darkly comic horror movies I have ever seen. My jaw hung open for the film's entire length, my heart was racing at the climax in the cellar, and by the time the "sitcom-style" end credits rolled I was laughing out loud.

The film is told from the point of view of a 10 year old boy growing up in a cold, sanitized, and Uncanny 1950's suburbia with his parents who are so perfect they are down-right creepy (played wonderfully by Randy Quaid and Mary Beth Hurt). The kid knows something must be up, and the film eerily displays the dark fantasies that can develop in a child's mind when he isn't quite sure why the world is the way it is and that everything seems slightly off-kilter. We've all had these feelings when lonely and isolated and it is especially apparent in those odd pre-teen years when we are old enough to know the difference between fantasy and reality yet not mature enough to handle just what that reality now is. What essentially happens in this film is the young boy walks in on his parents having sex one night after waking up from a nightmare and then develops a bizarre fantasy where they have become cannibals. Freud would have a field day with this film. Balaban puts the psycho back in psychosexual with the kind of wanton abandon only Hitchcock, Kubrick, and Lynch have previously dared. The latter half of the film follows the conventions of your standard horror flick and does it so beautifully you will be left shivering. Sublime, satirical, uncanny, and as near perfect a cult film as you could ask for.

Also recommended: "Psycho," "The Shining," "Blue Velvet," "Twin Peaks," "Frailty," and "Donnie Darko."

A Weird, Dark and Bizarre Tale

[claudio_carvalho · 6/10 · 8 August 2004]

In the 50's, the Lamele forms a typical medium-class American family, and they have just moved to a house in the suburbs. Dad Nick Lamele (Randy Quaid) has a new job in the city, Mon Lily Lamele (Mary Beth Hurt) is a lovely housewife and Michael Lamele (Bryan Madorsky) is the lonely and weird son, who believes that Mon and Dad are cannibals. Their parents become very happy while preparing lots of meat everyday, what is not common in USA, and the boy is intrigued about the provenience of the meat. He become friend of Sheila Zellner (Jun Mills Cockell), a strange girl and daughter of her father's boss. In the school, the social assistant notices that the boy has some kind of psychological problem and tries to help him. This movie is a weird, dark and bizarre tale, with great interpretation of the cast, but something is missing to make it an excellent film. The problem is that the director did not define well what genre he wanted to present to the audience. Therefore, the plot is too much dark for a black-humor comedy, and too much funny for a horror movie. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): `O Que Há Para Jantar?' (`What Do We Have For Dinner?')

A 'cult' film with precisely no audience......

[sarcasm_for_free · 3/10 · 25 February 2020]

The problem with Parents is it reveals its 'secret' far too early. At the start, despite acting like a perfect 50's family, we can already see Randy Quaid and his wife Mary Beth Hurt are a pair of weirdoes who talk funny, act far too nice and eat virtually nothing but disgusting, bloody meat. Then, a few scenes later, we find out from their son they slaughter household pets to maintain their feeding frenzy, not to mention Quaid's trip to a mortuary to stock up on fresh supplies...

So, seeing as it's made very clear from the beginning this psychotic couple are a pair of cannibals, where else is the movie left to go? Could it on focusing the juxtaposition of their 'nice' behaviour to their morally bankrupt actions? Yes, very funny, ha ha... that joke gets old after five minutes tops. Perhaps we could see more of their unlucky son's budding relationship with an older girl in his class who isn't mentally deranged? Nice try, but she's only in it for a little while before being written out... then it's back to weak social satire and close-ups of gory body parts being cooked. Hurray!

Wouldn't it be so much more fun if Quaid and Beth Hurt went around the neighbourhood themselves, killing people to make their Sunday barbecue? At least then, we'd get a bit of excitement instead of the indescribably dull talkfest we have instead. One predictable moment follows another, until we get to the ending... which is also very easily foretold. Snore.

Someone more capable please remake this film, and hire a better writer too. We have the germ of a good idea here. Now all we need is some adults to take the tools and produce something halfway decent. Not too difficult, surely? 3/10

A fantastic cannibal-suburbia-50s Americana-horror-comedy

[pooch-8 · 4 January 1999]

Years go by and I still adore Parents and make sure to watch it every so often. Impeccable casting, including a never-better Randy Quaid, Mary Beth Hurt, and Sandy Dennis, truly energizes the film. Preteen lead Bryan Madorsky has become a personal hero of mine, perfectly capturing the essence of fear and revilement that ten-year-olds can develop for their seemingly monstrous parents. Unfortunately for Madorsky's character Michael, his parents truly are monsters. I love the burgeoning friendship/romance between the two young kids, particularly in the telling sequences where they get drunk and end up in the freezer and where they speculate on the secret lives of their parents. And any movie that uses Perez Prado's "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White" over the opening credits is peachy in my book.

This is not a comedy, I think that's part of the problem

[fopfopfop · 7/10 · 1 November 2021]

This movie has mixed reviews. I think some people think it wants to be satire or comedy, because of the very very 50s look, and this is where the bad reviews come in. This is a disturbing tale that is a slow but relatively short burn at an hour and 20 minutes. If you are in the dark about the grizzly truth behind this family I won't spoil it but as the film progresses we get an increasingly unsettling feeling that comes to a final crescendo. Ithink if it is viewed through the lens of a horror flick and nothing else it is very dark, satisfying, and highly unique and original.

Parents (1989)

[fntstcplnt · 6/10 · 14 September 2019]

Directed by Bob Balaban. Starring Randy Quaid, Mary Beth Hurt, Bryan Madorsky, Sandy Dennis, Juno Mills-Cockell, Kathryn Grody, Deborah Rush, Graham Jarvis. (R)

Young Madorsky ought to be living the mundane-but-idyllic life in 1950s suburbia, but something is definitely off about his folks (Quaid, Hurt), and where does all that leftover meat they serve up every day come from? Bizarro black comedy/horror pic isn't especially funny or scary, but does manage to weave a discomforting spell from start to finish. Quaid and Hurt bring the right askew notes of alienation and predatory abuse to their square-shaped personas, but Madorsky's quiet, wide-eyed anxiety doesn't make him a particularly engaging protagonist--he never does much of anything, even when things start escalating outrageously in the final act. Individual creepy, unsettling moments stand out, but its aggregate effect is awfully mild considering the offbeat and grotesque subject matter. Feature directing debut for actor Balaban.

56/100

Lacking something. A story perhaps.

[g-hbe · 4/10 · 7 March 2020]

There's some beautiful set/art design in this film, it really does look a treat. Sadly that's all it had going for it IMO. The first hour of the film gets us almost nowhere, and matters are made worse by the boy's terrible diction - he mumbles and slurs his way through his dialogue and I honestly couldn't tell what he was saying 90% of the time. Most of this hour is made up of the kid going to bed and having dreams or wandering about the house. Yes these are necessary, but we got it in the first 20 minutes, no need to keep repeating it. The last 40 minutes gets to the meat of the story, but it is entirely expected as it has been telegraphed almost since the film started. Sorry, I was expecting something much better.

Beautiful in its Completely Demented Nature

[lecter-9 · 10/10 · 27 March 1999]

As I watched this film, I thought, if I was a kid around Michael's age watching this film, it would give me nightmares for years. Some good-natured books stir up the imaginations of youngsters with the possibilities of what our parents really do when they're supposedly at work--this movie takes those possibilities to an incredibly dark level.

Even though I'm supposedly all grown up, I found this to be one of the most disturbing films I've ever seen. The film is incredibly stylish and expressionistic, surprisingly so. I personally think it would be hard finding compelling aesthetics in suburbia, but the director of this movie does it well.

There are some humorous moments (thanks for the tension release), but it is incredibly dark humor. I can't help but think the director might be a "graduate" of the "school" of David Lynch. Overall, an incredible, creepy movie that deserves to be seen at least once.

Playful satire on the facades put on my human monsters

[scarletheels · 6/10 · 7 March 2012]

Michael Laemle (Bryan Madorsky) and his parents (Randy Quaid and Mary Beth Hurt) move to Massachusetts where they quickly set up the perfect suburban life. His father, Nick, secures a well paying job at Toxico and his mother, Lily, is the consummate housewife who spends most of her time in the kitchen. From the outside, they're living the American dream but something sinister lurks behind their doors - Michael's parents.

He's befriended by Sheila, his father's boss's daughter. He confides in her about his strict father but can never find the right words to voice his other fear about the source of the meat he avoids at every meal. He's equally as hesitant to open up to the school counselor (Sandy Dennis), a free-spirited social worker who's honed in on his perceptive yet odd nature. The stronger his curiosity grows, the worse his nightmares become. Where exactly is the mystery meat coming from?

Although billed as a dark comedy, I failed to see any humor in the story. This is a bleak, deranged, horrific cannibalism tale but also a playful satire on the facades put on by human monsters, ones that could very well be tucking you in at night. Don't let the visual horror distract you from the underlying message of Parents.

Randy Quaid aces his character with such perfection, you'll squirm with uneasiness every time he has a confrontation with Michael. Mary Beth Hurt is the polar opposite as the sweet, doting mother and she too nails it. Bryan Madorsky's performance as the intuitive and very aware Michael is thankfully subtle, as it should be. The set designs, the clothing and hair styles, and golden oldies like "Chantilly Lace" and "Purple People Eater" will have you believing you're in the 1950s with the characters. You'll either love or hate Angelo Badalamenti's orchestral score, as he has a distinctive eerie sound to his compositions.

The gore and violence are minimal and the scares are more of the lingering kind, like the lump in your throat that gets bigger and bigger and when the time comes to scream, you can't. Every horror fan should see this. It bombed at the box office back in 1989 (budget of $3 million with a measly $870,532 in gross profits) but it's gained a cult following with many of its most recent reviewers rating Parents at the highest level. I wouldn't go so far as to say this is a masterpiece or brilliant horror but it's definitely one to watch.

Parents, do not ever, ever, ever let your child see this movie unless you want your little one scarred for life.

Different, but doesn't quite come together

[frankfob · 5/10 · 16 December 2002]

You have to give director Bob Balaban and the writers credit for coming up with a different take on satirizing the mindless conformity that was, for many people, the '50s. The film, while definitely not a children's movie, is told from a child's point of view. That's not an original technique (1953's "Invaders From Mars" also used that particular device, and, IMO, better), but it's an interesting one, and young actor Bryan Madorsky does an excellent job of conveying just how cold, confusing, perplexing and, ultimately, terrifying the adult world can be to a child. His world becomes even more terrifying when he begins to suspect that there's something seriously wrong with his parents, a suspicion that's confirmed when he discovers that they're cannibals. Balaban does a creditable job of evoking the soullessness of the '50s, and having Randy Quaid working for "Toxico," a chemical conglomerate, and trying to develop a chemical process for the military to defoliate jungles is a nice touch. However, even though Mary Beth Hurt, as young Bryan's mother--the evil side of June Cleaver--is almost letter-perfect, Quaid is miscast as the murderous, cannibalistic father masquerading as a typical '50s whitebread family man. Quaid is like Jim Belushi--he's just too amiable an actor to be convincing in a really dark role, and though he gives it a good shot, he's just not convincing as the murderous, malevolent cannibal his character is supposed to be, and the scenes where he tries to terrify his son into silence about his his and his wife's activities just don't ring true. Another problem is with the film's pacing. It's just way too slow. There are moments where this laid-back pacing works, but overall the film's slowness works against it, and you find yourself wishing for some kind of burst of action to speed things up. It actually starts to pretty much fall apart towards the end, and the ending itself is just too cliché to be believable. Overall, it's worth a look, but its snail's pace tends to be a real drawback, and the ending is a major disappointment.

the blackest of black comedies.

[Nightman85 · 10/10 · 25 February 2007]

Stunningly weird and truly clever horror-comedy is an unforgettable trip.

Young boy begins to suspect that his too-normal parents are up to something strange as they continue to push him to eat his meats at dinner.

A royally twisted satire on 50's Americana, Parents is a wildly warped cross between Blue Velvet (1986), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) and various sitcoms of the McCarthy era. The story is quite intriguing, disturbing, and down-right funny at times. The direction is sharply done creating lots of inventive cinematography and hauntingly eerie visuals (namely that shot where our young hero dives into his bed only to sink into an ocean of blood). A good music score by Angelo Badalamenti, nice sets, and an over-all atmosphere of dread and mystery also help to make this film memorable.

The cast is a true highlight as well. Randy Quaid is downright frightening as the stern father. Mary Beth Hurt is solid as the high-strung mother. Sandy Dennis is quite good as the school councilor. Brian Madorsky does perhaps the best performance, especially considering his young age, as the nervous and understandably scared kid.

Parents is a film that is almost beyond words for me. It's surely one of the most horrific black comedies ever and one that must be seen to be felt! A winner.

**** out of ****

Classical Randy Quaid!! Decent comedy/horror

[joiningjt · 7/10 · 12 August 2020]

It's funny how we think if its human meat then the scene is gross but its actually beef which is just cow flesh that Americans eat everyday but thinking its human grosses you out!! Personally cow and pig flesh gross.me out so the movie was a horror for me to watch!! Randy Quaid had a niche acting persona that is missed from id4 to vacation he knew dark vomedy!!! He needs a director who remembers that and gives him a couple of movies we need his humor right now!!! Oh this movie is awesome!!

Comedy Horror???

[baywoodarborist · 2/10 · 23 September 2019]

Please tell me what is funny about this movie. I watched almost all of it. Not at one time did I see any thing funny.. it's a disturbing film with zero redeeming storyline. Yes the acting was fine but it was a complete waste of time and talent. Yuck

A Movie That Will Stick With You

[Supurna · 11 November 2002]

It's been 13 years since I saw this movie, but it made such an impact on me that to this day I can close my eyes and visualize the characters, and feel the mood that make this film worth watching. Not too many movies scare me like this one did. It wasn't the use of vast quantities of blood, or the killings that scared me, as much as it was the Ward and June Cleaver-ness of the parents. What really did it for me was the mind twist the director built into this film, and the way it was pulled off by the actors. If you're squeamish then this probably isn't for you, but if you can watch a movie and appreciate it for the art it is, I recommend it.