Wednesday, January 27, 2021

freakboy on film: PARENTS (The Home Sweet Home Blogathon Edition)

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A big thanks to Gil of Realweegiemidget Reviews and Rebecca of Taking Up Room for the opportunity to participate in The Home Sweet Home Blogathon



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                                             1989
written by Christopher Hawthorne / directed by Bob Balaban 



 Home can mean shelter.

Home can mean comfort.

Home can mean family.

It was a family duo affair when I first experienced one of the darkest of dark comedies. 

I was 16 and staying overnight at Sister 3 of 3's economy-sized apartment in Kearney, Nebraska.  We rented a couple of movies and only managed to stay up long enough to watch one.  The next morning, my sister and I sat down at the kitchen table for breakfast and the second movie.  While the videotape was slid into the VCR, scrambled eggs, hashbrowns and sausage patties were dished up.  "Play" was pushed on the remote and we began eating as PARENTS unfolded before our eyes. 



Michael is afraid.  What could a young boy be afraid of in 1950's suburbia?  He is living in a new town and in a nice, new home.  He is attending a new school filled with new faces.  Perhaps all the newness has enhanced Michael's fear of the one constant in his life.  His parents.



Nick and Lilly Laemle appear to be the perfect 1950's couple.  They find it important for their family to fit into their new life and they seem to have succeeded.  Nick holds a respectable position at TOXICO, the local chemical plant, where he brings home the bacon.  Lily keeps their new home neat and clean, where she prepares succulent meals of leftovers.



Michael hasn't been eating very well and this concerns his parents.  What also concerns them is the interference and intrusion of outsiders upon their home sweet home.  Sheila, a troubled, imaginative young girl from school, has given Michael a voice for his fears and given him the courage to seek answers.  Millie Dew, the eccentric school therapist, is asking Michael uneasy questions about his fears and is determined to find out what is going on in the young boy's world.  



While the outsiders chip away at the false image of a  perfect home, there is a power struggle happening within.  Nick wants his son to grow up to be a man just like him and eat the same things he eats.  Lily also wants this but love for Michael causes her to hesitate here and there.  Michael doesn't want to be like or eat like his parents, especially since the leftovers may have once been people.  Who will triumph in this finger-lickin' familia face-off?  My lips are sealed.  
 

Given its premise, PARENTS should be a schlocky horror flick.  The writing and acting elevates the idea of cannibalistic parents into a moody mixture of claustrophobic suspense and uncomfortable humor.  Randy Quaid gives the best performance of his career as the intense and quietly terrifying father.  Mary Beth Hurt is brilliant as a woman torn between being a supportive wife and a loving mother.  Bryan Madorsky is haunting as the son forced to deal with unspeakable notions.  Sandy Dennis as the therapist and Juno Mills-Cockell as Sheila expertly adds to the off-kilter world of PARENTS.



After the curtain call ending credits, I told Sister 3 of 3 that I couldn't finish my sausage patty.  The disturbing looking meat being cooked on screen eventually caused me to chew and chew and chew each bite of sausage in order to avoid swallowing it.  My sister didn't seem overly phased by what we had witnessed, but would later be disturbed when we were the only ones in a theater for DR. GIGGLES. That, however, is another post for another time. 



In conclusion, if you want to have an unsettling, but entertaining time with your family, curl up on the couch with no snacks and enjoy PARENTS.  Ok, fine.  If you need food, go for crunchy bite-size snacks.  (Insert finger food joke here) 

SIDE NOTE: As of this post, PARENTS is streaming on AMAZON PRIME (US). 

Freak Out, 
JLH

P.S.  A different post about why a mother should never give her son a killer doll...

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A rockin ' new Collective Eye interview is opening in February! 😎

Until then, take a peek at January's interview...
👁

26 comments:

  1. Excellent review. I haven't seen this one in years, but I do remember how good it was. Nice Work, John!!

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    1. Thank you, Ernie!
      I think it still holds up after all these years.

      Delete
  2. This does sound a bit grim but fum, but I did like your review on it.. I guess breakfast not the best time to watch it. Thanks for joining our blogathon!

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    1. You're welcome and thank you, Gil.

      Honestly, when I watch it nowadays, I don't eat anything during it. LOL

      Delete
  3. This is a new one to me. Thanks for the personal and amusing introduction, and for the warning regarding snacks.

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    1. You're welcome and thank you for dropping by.

      Definitely snack at your own discretion. LOL

      Delete
  4. I think you've hit on a new rating scheme for horror films: on a scale of 1 to 5, how much did it ruin my appetite? :) Even after reading your review and looking it up on IMDb, I'm not 100% sure I've seen this one, as there are quite a few "kids spooked by parents, relatives and neighbors" horror movies, making it a sort of sub-genre. Interesting to note it was directed by Bob Balaban, who is also a character actor (probably best known for his role in several Seinfeld episodes as an NBC executive). A couple of years later he directed several episodes of Eerie, Indiana, also featuring a boy protagonist. Good stuff!

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    1. Thanks for dropping by, Brian!

      If you get the chance to watch parents, or watch it again, it's totally worth it!

      I am most familiar with Bob balaban from his appearances in Christopher guest films. I've only seen four or five episodes of Seinfeld.

      as for eerie Indiana, I actually blogged about that series in November of last year. It's a great show.

      Delete
  5. Have not thought of this quirky dark film in years—I saw it around the same time you did, a VHS tape from a mom and pop video store, and I loved its originality and mix of humor and schlock. Did not know till know that the talented Bob Balaban directed it. Great article, you have made me want to seek this one out again soon!
    - Chris

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    1. Thanks for dropping by and I'm glad I could inspire you to seek it out in the near future.

      It's nice to hear that you originally watched it on VHS as well! it was probably only in the last 10 or so years that I realized who the director was.

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  6. You had me at "Kearny, Nebraska." My oldest, dearest friend in the world lives there now. I've never been there, but I'm sure I will someday. Is there anything other to expect than "completely vanilla mid-western town?"

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    1. Well, that's cool that your best friend lives in Kearny Nebraska!

      I had some crazy times they're in my younger days, so I don't completely see it as vanilla, but I know what you mean.

      it is a university town, so that keeps things a bit interesting. However, the nearby town of Grand island probably has a bit more edge.

      Delete
  7. Nice review, as always, John! The last time I saw this film was when it was in the theater (for a limited release), so I'm LONG overdue for a re-watch. Your write-up reminded me what a fascinating movie this was.

    P.S., I can't wait to hear your Dr. Giggles story!

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    1. Thank you, Barry!
      Parents is totally worth watching again!
      As for Dr. Giggles, it will happen sooner or later. 🤪

      Delete
  8. Yeah, this is definitely not a movie to eat by, lol. It almost seems like Soylent Green before Soylent Green, only a bit less discreet. Thanks again for joining the blogathon, John--this was a great review! :-)

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    1. Thank you, Rebecca!
      Soylent Green in suburbia could have been the tagline. lol

      I'm happy to be participating in the home sweet home blogathon 😃

      Delete
  9. Great review of one of my favorite satires! It's deliciously irreverent, and darkly funny. Quaid and Mary Beth Hurt are superb!

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    1. Thank you!
      I 100% agree with everything you said. 👍

      Delete
  10. I’ve never see Parents oddly enough. Your review makes me hungry to rectify that. 😄 Thanks, John!

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    1. I'm actually a bit shocked that you have not seen parents, Michael.

      I hope you find and gorge yourself on this film! 🤪

      Delete
  11. I don't know how I missed this film before now, but it is definitely going into my Amazon Prime list of movies to watch. I adore Bob Balaban and this movie sounds delightfully weird. Thanks for sharing the review!

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    1. You're welcome and thank you for dropping by!
      Bob balaban definitely knows how to direct weird and quirky.
      I hope you enjoy parents!

      Delete
  12. Good review, John! I'm joining a blogathon where the theme is horror-comedy. I might check this movie out, as you make 'Parents' sound like a film that stands out from others.

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    1. Thank you, Sally!
      Parents would be right at home in a horror comedy blogathon !

      Delete
  13. Wow, this movie sounds intense! I don't know if I'd be able to handle it, but your review is great! I'm curious and have no inkling of how it could all end.

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    1. Thank you for dropping by.
      Parents is an intense film, especially emotionally.
      It ends with a twist or two.

      Delete