Parenthood
— The film that taught us that every family is dysfunctional in some way!”
- Director: Ron Howard
- United States, 1989
My brother will probably back me up on this: Parenthood was one of the first VHS movies we ever saw as kids. Which probably explains why it surprises me fifteen or so years later as an adult: Father Of The Bride this ain’t. Instead, it’s a well written, well acted ensemble piece for everyone who’s ever got married, had kids or simply grown up.
And what an ensemble: a veritable family photo, if you will. Steve Martin and Rick Moranis do good straight turns. My heroine Mary Steenburgen, and Dianne Wiest holding it together. Jason Robards, the eternal Cheyenne, grumbling away.
And look at that layer of young stars there, in the next row: Keanu Reeves still stuck in the second gear of Bill and Ted, cranky Martha Plimpton, Joaquin (Leaf) Phoenix as a messed up kid who has definitely never heard of Johnny Cash.
See also:
Crash
This ensemble drama about racial prejudice just manages to avoid the risk of oversimplification.
- Originally published: 27 Feb 2007 in Film
Groundhog Day
Only Bill Murray could make misery, misanthropy and rejection this funny.
- Originally published: 25 Mar 2007 in Film
The Queen
Comes highly recommended to even the hardest republicans.
- Originally published: 27 Feb 2007 in Film
Blame it on the Bellboy
If there’s any proper comedy in this film, I must be Venetian blind.
- Originally published: 19 Apr 2007 in Film
Who you gonna call?
Hello you, I'm Mike Padgett. I'm not a Princeton curator, Knoxville mayoral candidate, Kentuckian pastor or Arizona journalist, I just share the same name. In fact, I am a consultant working in user experience and information design.
I also enjoy travel, concerts, films and walking.
I'm originally from Yorkshire, England but nowadays I live in Belgium. My current favourite Belgian beer is Black Albert.
Shameless self-promotion
Over a year in the making, Dopeology.org is my latest personal project: a topology of doping in thirty years of European pro road cycling.
I collected information from thousands of sources, then I modelled and published it via a lightweight user interface.
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