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THE REWATCHABLES · February 15, 2022

Parenthood

A 1989 comedy / drama directed by Ron Howard, covered in the complete Rewatchables archive.

ComedyDrama1980sDirected by Ron Howard
Overall episode#241Source sheet order
Movie year19891980s
Tomatometer92%Critics’ score
Metacritic82View score
Roger Ebert4/4Original star rating
DirectorRon HowardComedy / Drama

FROM THE CONVERSATION

What they said about the movie

The hosts praise Parenthood as a remarkably efficient, emotionally rich ensemble about a messy family trying to do right by their kids. They admire its blend of comedy and sadness, its packed cast, and Ron Howard’s steady direction, while noting a few dated or clunky elements.
Based only on this episode’s transcriptTimes approximateSpeakers were clearly identifiedExplore the connections

WHY IT WORKS

What made it rewatchable

  1. 01It juggles many characters and plotlines with unusual efficiency, giving each person an arc without feeling overstuffed. Opening minutes
  2. 02The film finds big emotional stakes in ordinary family moments and ends scenes with comic buttons that ease the drama. Opening minutes
  3. 03The cast is strong across the board, with memorable turns from Steve Martin, Diane Wiest, Jason Robards, and others. About 16 min
  4. 04Its scenes of parenting anxiety feel timeless and relatable, especially for viewers with children. About 8 min

WHAT DID NOT WORK

Their main criticisms

  1. moderateThe last stretch feels a little too rosy and neatly resolved. About 48 min
  2. minorThe baseball scenes are not convincing. About 48 min
  3. minorRick Moranis’s classroom singing sequence runs too long and is the weakest scene. About 48 min
  4. moderateSome 2022 viewers would find the school and family treatment of Kevin’s emotional issues dated or objectionable. About 40 min

SCENES THEY KEPT COMING BACK TO

Standout moments

Favorite

Opening family shuffle in the minivan

The whole overloaded morning routine establishes the chaos of parenting and a house full of kids.

Opening minutes
positive

Larry arrives and pitches hydroponics

A comic scene that shows Larry as a hustler trying to sell an odd business scheme to the family.

About 16 min
mixed

Principal and parents discuss Kevin’s school needs

A serious scene about Kevin’s emotional issues and the school deciding how to handle him.

About 8 min
Favorite

Birthday party / cowboy entertainer sequence

A major comic set piece that combines humiliation, chaos, and family embarrassment.

About 40 min
Favorite

Helen finds the nude photos

The discovery leads into one of the movie’s biggest sexual-comedy sequences.

About 48 min
Favorite

Jason Robards asks his son for advice

A tender father-son moment about fear, aging, and how family worries never really end.

About 40 min
Favorite

Little League game and Steve Martin’s celebration

The catch and sideline dance provide the movie’s signature release of tension.

About 40 min
positive

Grandma’s roller coaster monologue

A corny-sounding but effective speech that becomes the film’s life metaphor.

About 40 min
positive

Final hospital / baby montage

A sentimental ending beat where the family briefly reaches peace and understanding.

About 40 min

WHERE THEY DISAGREED

The biggest debates

They partly agreed About 24 min

Is Parenthood Ron Howard’s best movie?

Van Lathan

Yes, it is his best and most enduring film.

Bill Simmons

No, he prefers Apollo 13 and other Howard films.

Chris Ryan

No firm answer, but he strongly admires Howard’s consistency.

No final agreement About 24 min

Could the movie be made the same way today?

Van Lathan

No, Twitter and current sensitivities would change or punish many plot elements.

Bill Simmons

Some scenes might trigger backlash but the movie’s core could still work.

Chris Ryan

The tone and plot beats would be different, but the ensemble idea remains influential.

No final agreement About 40 min

What should the school have done with Kevin?

Bill Simmons

The school response feels dated and too harsh.

Van Lathan

The scene would cause a big modern online backlash.

Chris Ryan

The scene is a strong drama beat even if it would not play the same now.

They partly agreed About 56 min

Which parent-comedy or family movie should be the comparison point?

Bill Simmons

Parenthood sits in a rare category of sprawling family comedies.

Chris Ryan

Movies like it are uncommon now, though some later TV and film versions try.

Van Lathan

Soul Food is the closest Black-film comparison, though tonally different.

15 People discussedActors, directors, writers, and producers
very favorableRon HowardBill Simmons: Praised as a very safe, reliable, emotionally intelligent director and possibly at his best here. About 24 min very favorableSteve MartinVan Lathan: Valued for balancing comedy and pathos as Gil Buckman, including physical comedy in the Little League scene. About 8 min
very favorableDiane WiestVan Lathan: Described as in her bag, funny, heartbreaking, and one of the film’s best performers. About 48 min
very favorableJason RobardsBill Simmons: Praised for scenes that reveal the family’s core tensions and for his emotional authority. About 8 min favorableMary SteenburgenVan Lathan: Seen as the grounded partner who balances Gil and carries the movie’s emotional realism. About 56 min
mixedTom HulceBill Simmons: His Larry is memorable and wild, though the hosts joke about his over-the-top energy and awkward gambling arc. About 16 min
favorableKeanu ReevesChris Ryan: Liked as Todd, though the hosts note he feels like he is in a slightly different movie. About 40 min very favorableRiver PhoenixBill Simmons: Called an excellent young performer whose work aged especially well. About 40 min neutralJoaquin PhoenixMentioned only as River Phoenix’s later name change; no direct opinion on the actor beyond the performance connection. About 40 min favorableRandy NewmanBill Simmons: Discussed as the songwriter behind the film’s music and an Oscar-nominated contributor. About 56 min favorableLowell GanzChris Ryan: Credited, with Mandel, as one of the film’s excellent screenwriting duo. About 32 min
favorableBabaloo MandelVan Lathan: Praised for shaping the script’s structure and character work. About 24 min
neutralBrian GrazerVan Lathan: Mentioned in trivia about the nude photo subplot being based on his experience. About 1:04 mixedClint HowardBill Simmons: Used mostly for comic frustration as the overbearing opposing Little League coach. About 48 min criticalDennis DuganVan Lathan: Mocked as the boss who humiliates Gil and acts like a jerk. About 56 min
12 Conversation takesSpeakers shown only where the transcript identifies them
Chris RyanLoved it

Parenthood as an ensemble

Says the movie is efficient, dramatic, funny, and the perfect messed-up family movie.

Opening minutes
Van LathanLoved it

Parenthood as a family drama

Calls it a fantastic film that ages like fine wine and feels deeply personal.

Opening minutes
Bill SimmonsLoved it

The film’s emotional stakes

Argues that the movie turns small family moments into huge emotional events without losing realism.

About 8 min
Van LathanLoved it

Generational conflict in parenting

Frames the movie as a clash between old-school toughness and modern emotional parenting.

Opening minutes
Chris RyanLoved it

Ron Howard’s direction

Says Howard is one of the great safe-hands directors who reliably delivers well-drawn characters and tonal balance.

About 24 min
Van LathanLoved it

Ron Howard’s overall filmography

Argues this is Howard’s best movie and one of the most enduring in his career.

About 24 min
Bill SimmonsLoved it

Little League catch and dance

Says the goofy celebration after the fly ball is one of Steve Martin’s best moments.

About 40 min
Van LathanLoved it

Jason Robards father-son speech

Loves the scene because it explains why the son and father see each other so clearly.

About 40 min
Chris RyanLoved it

Screenwriting by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel

Credits the writers for nailing plot, character structure, and the film’s clean setup-payoff design.

About 32 min
Bill SimmonsLiked it

Grandma’s roller coaster speech

Likes the speech because the movie lets it play as awkward rather than obvious metaphor.

About 40 min
Van LathanLoved it

Diane Wiest

Says she is in her bag and delivers some of the film’s sharpest and funniest reactions.

About 48 min
Chris RyanLiked it

Keanu Reeves

Thinks Reeves works well as Todd and gives the character a distinct early-career charm.

About 40 min
4 ThemesThe larger ideas in the discussion

Parenting and generational difference

A central idea is fathers trying not to repeat their own dads’ failures, while newer parenting leans toward therapy and emotional awareness.

Opening minutes

Family as ongoing roller coaster

The movie treats family life as a cycle of highs and lows rather than a problem to solve once.

About 8 min

Ordinary life as drama

Small events like baseball games, birthday parties, school plays, and household embarrassments are framed as huge emotional events.

About 8 min

Ensemble structure

The film’s appeal comes from many interlocking family members, each with their own mini-story and comic or emotional payoff.

About 8 min
25 Facts and referencesProduction notes and other movies mentioned

Production note

Parenthood made about $120 million on a $20 million budget.

About 32 min

Production note

The film inspired a television series almost immediately after release, though the first version failed.

About 32 min

Production note

The TV version featured Leonardo DiCaprio as the troubled kid and David Arquette in another role.

About 32 min

Production note

Bill says the nude-photo subplot was based on producer Brian Grazer’s real experience.

About 1:04

Production note

The photo scene is identified as Blonde Goddess, not Wet, Wild and Ready.

About 1:04

Production note

Roger Ebert gave Parenthood four stars and praised its balance of comedy and truth.

About 40 min

Production note

The hosts say the film was re-released to help it cross the $100 million mark.

About 32 min

Production note

The film was written by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel.

About 32 min

Production note

Randy Newman and Diane Wiest were nominated for Oscars for the film.

About 32 min

Production note

The movie came from a pitch to make a story about lots of kids and parents, based on the adults’ own lives.

About 32 min

Apollo 13

Used in a Ron Howard ranking debate; Bill praises it, Van dislikes it.

About 24 min

A Beautiful Mind

Discussed as Howard’s Oscar-winning movie and Bill’s top Howard choice.

About 24 min

Night Shift

Cited in Ron Howard top-five discussions.

About 24 min

Rush

Bill includes it in a Howard Mount Rushmore and says he loved it.

About 24 min

The Paper

Mentioned as a strong but slightly disappointing Howard movie with great casting.

About 24 min

Splash

Included in Bill’s Howard top four.

About 24 min

Gung Ho

Bill brings it up as an honorable mention and wonders if it is now “cancelable.”

About 24 min

Happy Days

Used to explain how audiences knew Ron Howard before he became a director.

About 32 min

American Graffiti

Referenced as another early Howard acting credit.

About 32 min

Arrested Development

Cited as an example of Howard narrating a modern show after becoming a director.

About 32 min

The Wire

Bill uses it as an example of how hard it is to see an actor in another role after a defining performance.

About 32 min

The Sopranos

Referenced for the same point about actor identity and role association.

About 32 min

When Harry Met Sally

Used as a comparison for how 1989 films look and feel on camera.

About 48 min

Soul Food

Van names it as the closest Black-film analogue to Parenthood.

About 56 min

The World According to Garp

Referenced as a more extreme example of a car-accident blowjob scene.

About 56 min
10 Running jokes and short linesRecurring bits captured from the conversation

Fucked Up Family February

A recurring framing device for the episode’s family-disaster theme.

Opening minutes

Safe hands directors

A repeated joke/idea that Howard, Reiner, and similar filmmakers are dependable craftsmen who can always be trusted.

About 24 min

Tense face

A joke about the kid’s anxious expression becoming a reusable shorthand for panic.

About 48 min

Roadhead

They keep returning to the film’s blowjob/car-accident material as a comic category.

About 56 min

How parents raise kids by movie example

Van repeatedly jokes that Black parents use movies and TV scenes to discipline children.

About 48 min

Van Lathan

“It ages like fine wine.”
Opening minutes

Chris Ryan

“the fucked upness is the whole point”
Opening minutes

Bill Simmons

“There is no end zone.”
About 40 min

Van Lathan

“You can’t just tell him, hey, grow up.”
Opening minutes

Bill Simmons

“You know I love montages.”
About 40 min

MAKE IT A MOVIE NIGHT

Where to watch

UNITED STATES

Checking where Parenthood is available…

WHAT TO WATCH NEXT

Movies to watch before and after.

Three movies to watch before Parenthood, and three to watch next.

Finding six movies…Three to watch first and three to watch next.
Includes a Rewatchables episodePosters from TMDB.

ON THE MIC

3 voices on this episode

Bill Simmons headshotBill SimmonsThe Rewatchables
Chris Ryan headshotChris RyanThe Rewatchables
Van Lathan headshotVan LathanThe Rewatchables

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