Parental Guidance (2012)

Artie and Diane agree to look after their three grandkids when their type-A helicopter parents need to leave town for work. Problems arise when the kids' 21st-century behavior collides with Artie and Diane's old-school methods.

Director:

Andy Fickman

Writers:

Lisa Addario, Joe Syracuse

Stars:

Billy Crystal, Bette Midler, Marisa Tomei

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Billy Crystal	...	Artie Decker
Bette Midler	...	Diane Decker
Marisa Tomei	...	Alice Simmons
Tom Everett Scott	...	Phil Simmons
Bailee Madison	...	Harper Simmons
Joshua Rush	...	Turner Simmons
Kyle Harrison Breitkopf	...	Barker Simmons
Jennifer Crystal Foley	...	Cassandra
Rhoda Griffis	...	Dr. Schveer
Gedde Watanabe	...	Mr. Cheng
Tony Hawk	...	Himself
Steve Levy	...	Himself
Cade Jones	...	Ivan Halloran
Mavrick Moreno	...	Cody
Madison Lintz	...	Ashley

Storyline

Old school grandfather Artie (Billy Crystal), who is accustomed to calling the shots, meets his match when he and his eager-to-please wife Diane (Bette Midler) agree to babysit their three grandkids when their type-A helicopter parents (Marisa Tomei, Tom Everett Scott) go away for work. But when 21st century problems collide with Artie and Diane's old school methods of tough rules, lots of love and old-fashioned games, it's learning to bend - and not holding your ground - that binds a family together.

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Plot Keywords:

helicopter parents | corporal punishment | parental discipline | fired from the job | new technology | 

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Taglines:

This Christmas it's a battle for the ages

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Genres:

Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some rude humor

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 December 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

Us & Them

Filming Locations:

Fresno, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$14,554,053 (USA) (28 December 2012)

Gross:

$77,264,926 (USA) (17 May 2013)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Walden Media, Chernin Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Datasat Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Billy Crystal's first lead role since Analyze That.

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Goofs

Artie gets fired at the end of the baseball season (fall). Then he goes and sees his grandson's little league game (early summer). Then he goes and auditions at the X-Games as an announcer (late summer). All in the span of a week.

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Quotes

[from trailer]
Harper Decker Simmons: [with a mouthful of cake] Yogurt not like ice cream! You lied!

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Crazy Credits

There is one final scene, after the end of the credits.

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Connections

Featured in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #21.48 (2012)

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Soundtracks

"Home"
Written by Drew Pearson and Greg Holden
Performed by Phillip Phillips

User Reviews

Yawn

My expectations weren't that high and Parental Guidance failed to meet them.

Bette Midler got the very few good lines, but other than that I was in turns bored or irritated. Bored because Billy Crystal never shuts up when he's on-screen. Irritated because I fail to see how bratty kids are funny. It's just an old, tired cliché from every sitcom from the last forty years.

Especially annoying was Marisa Tomei's helicopter-mother character. It was a cartoon character with no redeeming qualities.

I found myself wishing I sneak into whatever was playing next door.