Parental Guidance (2012) User Reviews

Bad source material but decent acting

[rolandddd · 5/10 · 3 April 2013]

Parental Guidance is a pretty decent family comedy about bridging the generation gap, and the process of re-building relationships that have been neglected for a very long time.

It is obvious to me that neither Billy Crystal or Bette Midler get too many good movie roles nowadays, and I think you can clearly see their joy at being back in the limelight in starring roles. They deliver strong performances and have great timing, and it is a pity that the source material is so weak to begin with. The basic plot is okay with me, but some of the comedy is far-fetched and grandchild Barker's bizarre behavior is used as an excuse for comedy too many times.

I liked a couple of scenes, which deal with the pressure of constantly keeping up with the technological advances of this day and age, with Artie losing his job because he doesn't tweet or know what an app is. This is a very relevant issue and unfortunately it is lightly dealt with.

All in all, the plot is thoroughly predictable and the points the movie wishes to make are obvious to all without any hint of subtlety, but the strong acting performances saves it from being a train wreck.

Good Family Movie

[avenger442 · 7/10 · 29 December 2012]

When I read the reviews by the "experts" online I didn't want to see this movie. However, my three granddaughters 16, 13 and 10 insisted they wanted to see it on the recommendation from some friends. I am happy they did. It was much better than the professional reviews led me to believe. I would recommend that any parent or grandparent, as in my case, take take their kids to see this movie.

I will say this about the expert reviews, they helped give us excellent seats. Sometimes I wonder if they have lost touch with what movie goers want to see. They have gotten to wrapped up in the technique of the art to be able to recognize a good movie. Maybe the courses on movie making should modify their guidelines to include what the general public considers a good movie.

Billy and Bette are lovely, but too many silly scenes

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 27 August 2013]

Alice Simmons (Marisa Tomei) is somewhat estranged from her parents (Billy Crystal, Bette Midler). When her husband Phil (Tom Everett Scott)'s work takes them away, she's forced to ask her parents to look after her kids (Bailee Madison, Joshua Rush, Kyle Harrison Breitkopf).

I like Billy Crystal and Bette Midler. I like their chemistry. I like their 'old fashion' ways. But some really stupid scenes destroy any chance this movie had. Grumpy Billy Crystal has some funny moments. Bette Midler is likable as the peacemaker. But by the middle of the movie, they just piled on one too many ridiculous premise to accept, and the movie falls apart.

A generic McFamily movie but grandpa Billy Crystal steals the show

[MosHr · 6/10 · 25 December 2012]

"Parental Guidance" is meant to be a comedy on the generational gap in parenting techniques but Billy Crystal completely steals the movie with his smooth and silky talking. Billy Crystal, acknowledging that he is the attraction of the senior crowd, embodies the fuddled grandpa trying to understand the softness of the suburban life but at the same time vying for his youth. As clichéd as "use your words" has become of modern parenting, Billy Crystal is the one who uses his words expertly and elevates the movie from being another generic family movie.

In regards to the modern methods of parenting techniques, there are two opposites of parenting presented: first, the red haired Russian shrieking "practice, practice, practice" method; and second, the soft version of baseball where no-one given out method intended so that there is no ugly competition and just good clean fun. The first type is deemed to produce uptight children and the second type deemed to produce stuttering, diffident children or children with imaginary friends. So, it is up to the grandparents to come in to the picture and sort this out. The solution of course, you might have guessed, fun in its various forms; feel good but not a real answer or revelation.

Without Billy Crystal, this movie would probably end up like every other movie in the same mold; the shrieking screaming kids running around in a McMansion with busy stressed out parents with one hand managing the kids and with the other hand managing their jobs; the parents desperately in need a change to solve their problems. Throughout the movie, Billy Crystal is relaxed and smooth talking and first provides the calmness to the dizzying hyperactivity of the family and then sparkle with his comedy to take us through the predictable second half.

Overall, it's a generic family movie but elevated by Billy Crystal. However, it's still a movie bogged down by its uninspired family dynamics.

Good family movie

[teresachrist-47-698964 · 7/10 · 22 December 2012]

I thought the movie was a commentary on the present child-rearing methods that is so common today-- push your kids to excel-- feed them only fruits and vegetables-- let them express themselves, etc. It also seemed like it was about the changes of life we all will face in the future-- retirement, and finding a new purpose in our life; but it was a little more than that. Even though the basic storyline seemed a little formulaic, I thought it had a good message-- relax, don't take life so seriously, and have fun. There was good chemistry between Billy Crystal and Bette Midler. Billy Crystal is still very funny. It was comical to see the reactions of his character, Artie, as he encounters the grandson's speech therapist, and the baseball game where his grandson pitches ("there are no 'outs'"... "every game is a tie"). Billy Crystal made the movie more entertaining-- I wish they would have shown him more.

Fun

[djfrost-46786 · 6/10 · 12 April 2018]

Very cute movie, worth to watch. Billy was very funny

Yawn

[jelly336 · 3/10 · 29 December 2012]

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.

Not every movie needs to be an epic

[marykshaw-20799 · 8/10 · 16 May 2018]

This movie is very sweet and cute. There are parts that are a little ridiculous, but then, so is life. I'm a movie buff from film noir to recent masterpieces, but sometimes you just need to watch something light and wholesome and you've found it here. It's a funny comment on new parenting styles and how grandparents struggle to cope and assimilate. Overall just a delightful way to spend a few hours. And as usual Midler and Tomei perfect!

decent family film for harried parents and their sugar-filled...darlings

[dmanyc · 6/10 · 23 March 2013]

Artie and Diane Decker are old-school grandparents who rarely get to see their grandkids until their daughter Alice, desperate for a babysitter so she can attend an award function with husband Phil, call them to help out. Perfect timing. Artie was just let go from his dream job of announcing minor league baseball for not being up with the times, like what's his favorite angry bird, and just wants to get another announcing job to feel useful again. These kids need a lot more than babysitting. Harper is a tween/mini-adult over-practicing her violin and harboring a crush on a boy. Turner has stuttering and bullying issues but goes to a speech class that seems to teach you not to speak but to be Marcel Marceau (I'm sure having a last name as a first name, like the other kids, doesn't help, either). And Barker, the ginger terror of the three, calls Artie "Artie Fartie" and lets his imaginary friend, an invisible kangaroo named Carl, boss him around, like peeing anywhere except in a toilet (how this kid doesn't get punished more often is beyond me). Alice and Phil came from the school of time outs, letting them eat any breakfast or dinner they want as long as there's no sweets involved, and no kid loses at sports. Artie and Diane try to follow through these new-fangled rules of discipline, despite Alice being a helicopter parent over her parents and kids, but eventually the grandparents show Phil. and especially Alice that: 1) kids need to be kids but, 2) letting kids self-express their obnoxious behavior is not acceptable in public EVER, 3) all a stuttering kid really needs is a dose of self-esteem (and to imitate sports announcers), 4) that ice cream IN MODERATION will not kill kids, 5) that it's okay for kids to have a social life beyond practicing musical instruments, 6) that imaginary friends are highly overrated (sorry, but I was sooo thrilled that Carl was "killed"), and 7) "using your words" is just plain bullcrap.

Billy Crystal and Bette Midler work great together as Artie and Diane. They're the real draw of this film. You really emphasize with their situation. Makes you wonder how Alice got so uptight in the first place. My roommate and I went to a sneak peek of PARENTAL GUIDANCE back in December. This film is not one of those Oscar-worthy films that gets shoved into theaters at the end of the year, but if your looking for a family film to watch with the kids, this might be what you looking for.

A real stinker

[CabbageCustard · 4/10 · 23 July 2020]

This movie would be bad enough if it starred a bunch of nonentities in the main roles. The fact that it stars and wastes the talents of two comedy powerhouses in Billy Crystal and Bette Midler makes it an absolute tragedy. Cliched, very unfunny and full of heavy-handed attempts to evoke emotion this must truly be the nadir of Midler and Crystal's careers. Hopefully they were well paid. Marisa Tomei also appears and is similarly wasted.

Pitiful.

Great Family Movie

[s-fleischman · 8/10 · 25 December 2012]

This was an excellent family movie, had plenty of laughs and some really heartwarming moments. Billy Crystal and Bette Midler made a great pairing, I don't know why it hadn't been done before. Crystal brings his great acerbic wit combined with Midler's warm demeanor and the great comedic timing of both makes for gold medal hilarity. Marisa Tomei is great as a new-age parent with high anxiety when it comes to allowing her parents into her automated life. Bailee Madison is a little fireball, and she is one to keep an eye on. With her innate acting ability she will have you on the edge of tears one moment and laughing till you pee the next. Madison is an absolute joy to watch and it was great to see her paired up with classic comedic talent like Crystal and Midler. The writing is fair, but luckily with such a well-placed cast you hardly notice those short-comings. This is definitely one I would take the whole family to, it's got enough for all to enjoy. I highly recommend it for the holiday season, it will have you walking out with a smile.

An honest review

[byroti · 31 December 2012]

Well I've read the reviews posted by the studio lackeys, well done. Now an honest one . This movie sucked. how Billy Crystal (and to a lesser extent Bette Midler) would agree to this "movie" I don't know why. there was barely one laugh in 90 minutes of tedium. I would have thought Billy Crystal would have added some of his own humour into the script but it seems not. He seemed to go through the paces. The 'story line' simply laboured on with no direction. The movie tried for warmth but failed miserably. The girl who played Bailee did very well but the kid with the awful attempt at stuttering, well he must have been thankful he was able to finish the movie without having to resort to the stutter and just be able to act.

Billy Crystal is brilliant!

[TPD59 · 7/10 · 25 December 2012]

I was very hesitant at first going by the trailers for this film, but my family wanted to see it for Christmas so I attended. I'm glad I did. I found myself thinking a lot throughout the film that it seemed familiar in what I see in my family.

Billy Crystal is hilarious as is Bette Midler! I haven't seen much of Tom Scott since Dead Man on Campus, but he plays his role really well. Marisa Tomei was great too but the hilarious acting of my personal favorite character, Gedde Watanabe, will have most in tears!

Overall, it's a great family feel good movie. The comedy is for the most part original, yet so simple for laughs. I'm not big on reviews, but I feel this movie really deserved one. It's just brilliantly written in every aspect!

Truly Awful

[IanFarquhar · 1/10 · 16 March 2013]

This is truly one of the most awful pieces of trash ever made.

How do I summarize this? I don't - it's awful.

The plot is utterly predictable, the acting awful, the (otherwise talented) cast horribly misused, and the whole exercise is pointless. On the upside... there simply is no upside. This movie has no redeeming features.

I endured this movie simply because I have never walked out on a movie ever. But it was an act of will power not to walk out on this rubbish.

How this utter bilge could score 5.8 out of 10 brings IMDb's rating system into utter disrepute.

Bette & Billy Still Got It In "Parental Guidance"

[BreakawayDaily · 7/10 · 21 March 2013]

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.

Cute, sometimes smart, sometimes gross family fun film. It started out a lot more intelligent at the beginning then turned into a more generic movie that you have seen a thousand times. I liked how they brought in the new technical world (smart house, email, twitter, facebook) and wish the filmmakers would have focused on that a bit more. It was so funny when Crystal's character doesn't know what his boss is referring to when he mentions "hash tagging" and "poking." The funniest parts were one of the kids wanting to watch the "Saw" films, the tofu and the almond milk!

7/10 (Good)

Breakaway Daily www.breakawaydaily.com

Unexpected cheer for the holidays!

[andynaik · 6/10 · 23 December 2012]

I was at an advance screening of this movie. I didn't keep any hopes as I thought it would be another heavily clichéd unfunny movie. I'm glad that I was proved wrong. The movie is really funny and light-hearted. What I liked is that this film did not have any poorly written lines or jokes.

Everyone played their part well. Especially the kids (although their movie names could have been better) So, Artie (Billy Crystal) is a baseball commentator who's the father of Alice (Marisa Tomei). Artie and his wife Diane (Bette Middler) are unwillingly invited to watch over their grand-kids for a week. Based on previous experience, Alice is concerned over how they would handle her kids (who are overly disciplined) What follows is a week long fun ride with unexpected situations arising due to Artie who is put at blame. The youngest is especially a challenge. There are no plot twists here so as expected everything turns out well in the end.

Don't expect stellar performances, but I'm sure you'll love the kids! I don't think this would garner any Oscars but it's sometimes these feel-good movies (genuinely funny) that make your day. Definitely a must-watch for the holidays with all your family members!

Far better than average family comedy; Midler and Crystal shine

[vincentlynch-moonoi · 7/10 · 16 September 2013]

First, to Billy Crystal -- I really enjoy watching you in films. But man, you gotta get a toupee. Your forehead stands out like Mount Rushmore, and it makes your face look fat. It was distracting. Many great actors wore or wear toupees, please consider it.

Aside from that, I really enjoyed this film. No, it's not one of the great films of all time, but it's a very pleasant and very funny film. If you're thinking this sounds like something you'd see on the Hallmark Channel...no. It's more sophisticated that that; it's well written. It gets into to difference between parenting from one generation to the next, how families drift apart, and how they can come back together. It also is a commentary on our ever-increasing drift toward electronic living.

The performances here are really very good. Billy Crystal has always had a very pleasant screen persona, and he does here as the grandfather. He plays the role well...very believable. Same for Bette Midler. I'm not a fan of her singing (and she doesn't here), but as a performer and actress I always found her top notch, and she doesn't disappoint in this film. Marisa Tomei provides just the right touch here, as the mother. And in some ways, the film revolves around the issues she had with her parents, how they drifted away, and her conflicts with modern parenting. It's a good and believable performance. Tom Everett Scott, as the father, has the least interesting role here. He does what he needs to do, but doesn't have much of an opportunity to get very deeply into the role. Bailee Madison, as the oldest of the grandchildren is quite remarkable, and I suspect we'll continue to see her on television and the big screen as she matures. Joshua Rush, as the middle grandchild was very good and very believable as a stutterer. I was not impressed with Kyle Harrison Breitkopf as the youngest of the grandchildren. Perhaps it was his role that was annoying...or perhaps it was just his screen persona.

The film is a great advertisement for the city of Atlanta! What a beautiful city and metro area...at least as portrayed here.

So, if you like family films, this one is entertaining, and could appeal to both kids and adults. Recommended!

Totally bad from beginning to end

[rogerdob · 1/10 · 25 December 2012]

It is quite amazing that two great comedy talents like Billy Crystal and Bette Mitler would partake in this quite badly directed movie. Nothing felt real, logical, or authentic. All the comedy scenes were forced and quite unbelievable...people do not act that way or do things that way. The supporting players, especially Marisa Tomei, were annoying, All three kids were extremely bad actors. Tom Everett Sckott added nothing to the film.I laughed, and/or smiled only about three times during the entire movie. This is truly a situation where I would like to say "Shame on you, Billy Crystal and Bette Mitler, for doing this bomb!"

Completely Delightful - Great Insight into the Reality of Parenting!

[ArthurVanDam1 · 8/10 · 26 December 2012]

Parental Guidance is a completely delightful movie. Truth be told, I am a Big Marisa Tomei fan, but I don't believe that influenced my view of this very enjoyable movie.

That being said, Billy Crystal and Bette Midler rock too. There' a lot to this story, more than one might think. Alice Simmons (Marisa Tomei) and her hubby Phil (Tom Everett Scott) are ultra-Type A parents, who strive to raise their kids perfectly. They impart all sorts of touchy-feely, loving and encouraging words and phraseology on their 3 children. Who are adorable by the way.

Phil has to attend a company off-site in Hilton Head and wants Alice to join him. She says yes. In need of babysitters, they finally resort to Marisa's parents - Diane Decker (Bette Midler) and Artie Decker (Billy Crystal). As you might expect all is upside down from moment one. When they enter Simmons' house, the mantle is adorned with photos of Phil's parents with the grandchildren. This resonated with me big-time because my three children are much closer to my former in-laws than they are to my parents. Ah. . . such is life.

Simmons' eldest, teen Harper Madison (Bailee Madison - she also appeared in Just Go With It with Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler) is sweet! Turner Simmons (Joshua Rush) gives a sterling rendition of the "Shot Heard 'Round the World" (New York Giants vs. Brooklyn Dodgers - 1951 World Series) and younger brother Barker (Kyle Harrison Breitkopf) has an imaginary invisible Kangaroo friend Carl (ala Jimmy Stewart's Harvey)... What struck me about this movie is the reality of it. It's about the grades children give their parents and the mistakes parents think they made when raising their kids. Artie Decker sums it up nicely when he's speaking with Alice, "You didn't come with instructions." Ain't that the truth.

My parents tried hard I believe, but they left their marks in some ways. I try to be a good parent to my three children and no doubt have left my marks. But in the end and throughout, I LOVE my children and try to let them be who they are and encourage them to find themselves and their way. If nothing else, the point is we all try. Parents aren't as bad as their kids claim. Kids love their parents, despite their kicking and screaming. The generations old tug-of-war continues. And parenting is a combination of art and science. See this movie! While you're at it, keep your eye on Bailee Madison. And maybe Marisa Tomei too!

Arthur VanDam, film critic and author

More Movies Need to Be More Like This!

[nolanduncan · 7/10 · 24 July 2013]

From what I have witnessed, this movie is delightful. I haven't watch a film such as this in a very long while. The story itself puts so much family fun and creativity into it that it made me smile and laugh joyously from start to finish (not many movies can give me such a reaction). It was good-hearted and simple, and sometimes simplicity is the best way to go. The soundtrack itself was unique for this current generation of filmmaking. I felt like I was in a movie made ten years ago (that of which I really enjoyed); it felt nostalgic yet modern. Again, it isn't the type of movie to get all "thrilled" about. It honestly is a nice feature to sit down and relax with the whole family, and to be completely reassuring, I honestly would watch it again in the future.

Family running

[Prismark10 · 3/10 · 10 March 2014]

A smooth Bette Midler and a even more smoother Billy Crystal try to take your attention of their faces for a few moments in Parental Guidance. They play Grandparents who have to look after their grandchildren when the parents go off for a few days business holiday.

Crystal is a broadcaster who has been fired for being old hat and comes up with corny one liners.

Marisa Tomei is the helicopter mother who hovers over her kids almost to the point of suffocation and at turns spoiling them. She is rather apprehensive about leaving her children with her parents. For a lot of the film she refuses to join her husband who has gone on the trip before her.

The kids of varying ages are spoilt brats who simply have not had much fun in their lives and have issues. One having an imaginary kangaroo, other having communication issues with the daughter about to enter puberty and not enjoying her music with the constant practice and no social life.

However the film comes across as a sit com style clichéd family relationship film you have many times before.

The kids get hyper by eating sugary food, getting into scrapes much to the irritation of their parents.

You do actually wonder if Midler and Crystal are actually Tomei's parents as she is so uptight it seems someone else must have raised her. In that case why were they invited to look after her kids?

The film gives you a few brief laughs but mostly will leave you bored because of the familiarity of the story. Maybe the screenplay needed a face-lift more than its two stars.

Would have gotten 10 stars if only . . .

[GoUSN · 9/10 · 30 December 2012]

... the suits who fired Billy Crystal at the beginning would have tasted some bad karma at the end.

But everything in between was pitch-perfect - a tremendously accurate (if only slightly over-the-top) portrayal of multi-generational families, their dynamics, and the outcomes that can occur when folks empty their pockets of defense-mechanisms.

The plot is simple: grandparents Billy Crystal and Bette Midler (the "other" grandparents) babysit while their daughter and son-in-law go on a long-overdue mini-vacation, leaving their three intensely over-supervised children in the care of Bette and Billy, who don't much care for that type of hyper-parenting.

The delight of watching this movie is seeing how such a conventional plot will unfold with this superb cast. With humor consisting of both good writing and sight gags, with Bette and Billy and Marissa acting their hearts out, this is B-movie material brought to the top-tier in these very capable hands.

This is a wonderful confection of a movie. Go! And, for those of us from Northern California, it was great to see the San Francisco Giants play a fun supporting role. A pleasant surprise.

Parental Guidance (2012) **1/2

[JoeKarlosi · 6/10 · 4 January 2013]

Billy Crystal and Bette Midler make a compatible pair of grandparents who are so out of touch with today's kids and how they're raised that even their own daughter (Marisa Tomei) doesn't want them near her children. So it is with great trepidation that the paranoid mom allows her parents to mind the store and stay with the young ones while she and daddy go off on a long-deserved getaway. That in a nutshell is the idea behind PARENTAL GUIDANCE, and I was able to relate enough with the idea of how newer generations are missing out on what we had that I was willing to watch it. So Billy and Bette (are they not really old enough in appearance to be grandparents, or is it just that I'm not that far off from their age myself?) try to instill some of their older values and ways of life onto the kids, with occasionally funny results (the scene with Crystal and his grandson at the little league baseball game is a highlight). Nothing outstanding here, just a decent family picture that goes down pretty easy. I must be getting up there in age when I'm starting to think that Bette Midler has weathered the storm pretty well... **/12 out of ****

Avoid at all costs

[keithbiz · 1/10 · 1 January 2013]

Some reviewers have clicked the button to warn readers that their review may contain spoilers. How can you spoil this movie? The only thing that spoiled it for me was that the theater in which I viewed it had very loud sound so I was unable to get to sleep.

The premise of the movie, as is so often the case, is that love will conquer all. This is a love that is conjured at the flick of a phone call. Grandparents and grandkids hate each other (Guys, guys, I've a great idea... let's call the grandfather Arty so that the rascal kid can call him Farty, guffaw) but within instants of arrival the grandparents are hooked on their grandkids. And, of course, by the end, they have attained mystical healing powers so that, despite their total incompetence, the family is whole and wonderful by the time the credits roll.

It's not funny, it's not clever, it's not watchable. It is Farty.

A Nutshell Review: Parental Guidance

[DICK STEEL · 7/10 · 31 December 2012]

It's a Christmas movie, and what's a Christmas movie without the usual family comedy? This time it's three generations coming together, with the grandparents almost always undoing the upbringing principles that their children have instilled in their grandkids, making it a clash of values, and that all round fuzziness when issues get resolved amicably for that one good hurrah, with plenty of comedy along the way.

Billy Crystal last headlined a film in 2002 with Analyze That, and now a decade later this is a much anticipated comeback, with time added on his side to play a grandparent no less. His Artie Decker just got retrenched from his baseball announcer's job for being that dinosaur that he is, contrary to his club's forward looking ambition, and before the day got any worse, wife Diane (Bette Midler) decides to accept the reluctant invitation of their daughter Alice (Marisa Tomei) to babysit the children so that both she and husband Phil (Tom Everett Scott) can spend some time away.

That's basically the gist of the show and you'd come to expect plenty of the usual getting-to- know-yous, with Diane trying her best to make Artie and herself the best grandparents ever for Harper (Bailee Madison), Turner (Joshua Rush) and Barker (Kyle Harrison Breitkopf), discovering that the other set of grandparents had more mindshare given time spent with the kids, and have multitudes of photos on the mantle. So the objective is set, but connecting with kids, brought up in a very new-age manner, becomes a tall order for those with traditional, old-school methods. Making things a lot more challenging are the kids' respective issues - Harper being a high-strung, performance based violinist whose audition for an elite school is coming up, Turner stammers and is the school bullies' fodder, while Barker is that pesky little wildcard of a kid with an imaginary friend.

Given that it's something for the year end season and firmly with the intention of being family friendly, this is something which you would hark back to the good ol 80s and 90s comedies when making a comedy doesn't involve swearing, sex or gratuitous nudity. Although there is always room for a relatively mild poop joke or two. Most of it centered around the grandparents finding their way with the kids of today's generation, and trying very hard to bridge that gap, and of course well intention advice that you can bet will have a contrary effect.

But the story gets all heartwarming as you would expect it to, when its inherent message is about family and togetherness, with experience never a bad thing when therein lies knowledge in dealing with deficiencies and overcoming them. What's more, there seems to also be a message for parents to let their children be children, because after all, childhood only comes once, and the more "adult" stuff, can wait. I'm not sure if writers Lisa Addario or Joe Syracuse are baseball fans, but baseballs plays out very prominently in this film, both serving as elements in character backgrounds, and having a number of scenes set on a pitch.

Billy Crystal still shows that he has that comic timing in him, while Bette Midler just had to have a musical number put in somewhere in the film to exercise her vocal chords. There don't behave like the Fockers, but have their own charm as the grandparents. Marisa Tomei had a little extended screen time here being the mother who finds it difficult to let go, and also for the filmmakers to provide her a larger role than originally called for, to exercise that additional bigger name in the ensemble cast.

Parental Guidance played it safe, and kept itself in its namesake ratings territory, suitable for all ages and probably fun for entire families to watch it together, without any fun moment that will embarrass.