The Day My Parents Ran Away (1993) (TV)

Director:

Martin Nicholson

Writer (WGA):

Handel Glassberg (teleplay)

Release Date:

13 December 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

A Comedy Where Parental Guidance Is Not Required.

Plot:

An irresponsible teen examines his life after his fed-up parents leave him to fend for himself.

Cast

Matt Frewer	...	Bob Miller
Robert Jayne	...	Matt Miller (as Bobby Jacoby)
Brigid Brannagh	...	Melanie Hope (as Brigid Conley Walsh)
Seth Green	...	Leo
Chance Quinn	...	Val
Kevin Meaney	...	Sam Scott
Ben Stein	...	Dr. Lillianfarb (as Benjamin J. Stein)
Peter Michael Goetz	...	Waldo
Elena Wohl	...	Andrea
Martin Mull	...	Norman Roberts
Blair Brown	...	Mrs. Judy Miller
Nick Toth	...	Arthur Hope
Charlotte Booker	...	Mrs. Dawn Hope
Jane Alden	...	Millicent
Eric Poppick	...	Roy Yantek

Also Known As:

Missing Parents (Australia) (USA) (alternative title)

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Chanticleer Films

Soundtrack:

STRENGTH

Condescending comedy about parent-child relations. (spoilers)

I can't figure out whether this film is an attempt to somehow draw a truce between parents and their teen children (a rocky relationship as a result of some sort of lack of communication or misunderstanding). Assuming that this was the ultimate point to the tale, it hardly comes off as insightful, but rather, condescending to both sides.

Bobby Jayne plays Matt Miller, a high school teen who seems to have his parents under his thumb, much to the chagrin of his father (played by Matt Frewer), who finally snaps forcing him (I suppose) to abandon his son who just doesn't seem to get it. At first, the absence of parental supervision, and the temporary grant of a credit card and the house, leaves open many opportunities and of course, all-night house parties. Matt thinks he's at the head of some kind of teen revolution and is the new spokesman for the teenager's complaints. To put them into some sort of perspective. But of course things go slowly wrong as the adults make all the wrong assumptions and worse, he starts to miss his parents. But not all wrong, of course, as he also figures out that maybe being an adult, or at least acting like one (to a certain degree) won't be so bad. It might actually be easy...

We're supposed to be, in addition to being entertained, trying to understand the perils and misunderstandings of each age group. But, the teenagers in particular are presented in such a condescending manner (the language hardly relates). Matt Miller especially does a lot of whining and really comes off as quite obnoxious throughout the whole movie, even what may appear to be the more sentimental moments. The parents, too, look like dolts (although the filmmakers do a good job of leading you to believe that this story isn't going to end on a happy note because of the father's reluctance to leave the new life).

The story itself wasn't so bad. Granted, it seems to go a little overboard, but the extremity of the circumstances are permissible in this case--they were after all, trying to make a point. But I think that, had the filmmakers actually put more thought into their characters, it would have been a much funnier, much more memorable film.