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A warm, sprawling family ensemble that balances slapstick, sentiment, and genuine observation about parenthood, marriage, and generational messiness. It’s especially rewarding if you like big-cast comedies that still care about emotional truth beneath the chaos.
Where to watch: Buy
Mon · 2h 4m
Director: Ron Howard
Starring: Steve Martin, Mary Steenburgen, Dianne Wiest
The story of the Buckman family and friends, attempting to bring up their children. They suffer/enjoy all the events that occur: estranged relatives, the 'black sheep' of the family, the eccentrics, the skeletons in the closet, and the rebellious teenagers.
Ron Howard
Steve Martin, Mary Steenburgen, Dianne Wiest
A warm, sprawling family ensemble that balances slapstick, sentiment, and genuine observation about parenthood, marriage, and generational messiness. It’s especially rewarding if you like big-cast comedies that still care about emotional truth beneath the chaos.
Parenthood is one of those big, bustling studio comedies that feels more alive than polished. It keeps moving between siblings, spouses, kids, and grandparents, finding humor in the way families repeat the same mistakes while insisting they’re all doing their best. The movie’s charm comes from how specific its messiness feels, even when it’s playing broad.
What makes it endure is the balance: jokes land, but so do the small emotional reversals and the recognition that raising kids is equal parts comedy, panic, and grief. The cast gives it a lived-in warmth, and the film is generous enough to let almost every character have a moment of embarrassment, tenderness, or revelation.
It can be a little overstuffed, and some of the comedy is very much of its era, but that’s also part of the appeal. If you like family movies that are affectionate without being airbrushed, this is an easy recommendation.
#1 gizmo fan (4★) · 1275 likes
there is a scene in this movie where keanu reeves describes joaquin phoenix masturbating as "slapping the salami" to dianne weist
Patrick Willems (3★) · 671 likes
Not enough time is spent discussing the fact that Tom Hulce named his son Cool
Tess (3★) · 609 likes
YOU get a baby! and YOU get a baby! and YOU get a baby! and....
Matt Singer (3.5★) · 449 likes
Steve Martin’s character announces in the first scene that he’s 35 years old — almost five years younger than I am now — and when he said that my soul completely left my body. It turns out Martin was more like 45 when this movie was made, so I feel a little better. But it’s still touch and go, to be honest.
katie🦇 (5★) · 414 likes
five stars for late 80s Keanu Reeves
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parenthood, family dynamics, marriage, intergenerational conflict, coming of age, domestic chaos, emotional vulnerability, responsibility
ensemble comedy, family drama, bittersweet, 1980s, domestic life, generational conflict, sentimental, chaotic, coming-of-age, studio comedy