Parenthood

"It could happen to you."

1989 2h 4m EN

👍

6.7

SOLID

🔥

92%

CERTIFIED FRESH

💯

METACRITIC

⭐

7.1

IMDB

★6.7TMDB · 753🍅92%Rotten Tomatoes●82Metacritic★7.1IMDB · 57,291

ComedyDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“It could happen to you.”

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Cast

Steve Martin
Gil Buckman
Mary Steenburgen
Karen Buckman
Dianne Wiest
Helen Buckman Lampkin Bowman
Jason Robards
Frank Buckman
Rick Moranis
Nathan Huffner
Tom Hulce
Larry Buckman
Martha Plimpton
Julie Buckman-Lampkin Higgins
Keanu Reeves
Tod Higgins

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ron Howard
Writers: Babaloo Mandel, Lowell Ganz, Lowell Ganz
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 6.3× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

37 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Ron Howard, shot by Donald McAlpine. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Randy Newman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Daniel P. Hanley shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Steve Martin and Mary Steenburgen and Dianne Wiest carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "It could happen to you.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0098067 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ron Howard directs. Donald McAlpine behind the camera. Randy Newman scores. Daniel P. Hanley cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 6.3× over at the box office.
237 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Ron Howard, shot by Donald McAlpine. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Randy Newman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Daniel P. Hanley shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Steve Martin and Mary Steenburgen and Dianne Wiest carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "It could happen to you.".
8IMDB entry: tt0098067 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Donald McAlpine
Original score: Randy Newman
Editing: Daniel P. Hanley
Production design: Todd Hallowell
Costume design: Ruth Morley
Makeup / hair: Fern Buchner
Sound: Rick Dior
Stunt coordinator: Artie Malesci
Runtime: 124 min · 2h 4m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $20,000,000
Box office: $126,297,830
Return: 631% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Parenthood (1989)
Rotten Tomatoes: 92% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 82/100
IMDB rating: 7.1/10 · 57,291 votes
MPAA: PG-13

Awards

Nominated for 2 Oscars. 4 wins & 14 nominations total

Also by

Ron Howard

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Peter McGinn2020-08-24
★ 9/10
Parenthood is a great movie, and has aged well after 30 years have passed. The writing team included the writers who also gave us two other movies I like: City Slickers and Fever Pitch. Parenthood accomplishes in general what the movie Rain Man did for my wife and me. It reminded us of our autistic daughter And made us laugh at stuff that frustrated us in “real life.“ Similarly Parenthood touches upon a lot of hotspots in the parenting experience and helps us laugh at them. Their is a fine Ensemble cast. I particularly like KianU Reeves as Tod, who seems like an inappropriate boyfriend for the daughter but who proves to be valuable in mentoring their disaffected son. There are many memorable situations but one line my wife and I often quote even after all these years occurs when the other son Larry is pushed out of a still moving vehicle by people he owes money to. His father, played straight by Jason Robards, asked who they were. Tod replies that they were just some friends. The memorable line by Robards’ character is, “Friends. Friends slow down; they even stop.” The movie is full of good one-liners, as well as more in-depth sources of humor. You must give it a try if you haven’t seen it and you need a feel good movie. I suspect we will watch it again soon, as we have it on DVD And it has been a while Since we have watched it.
kevin20192024-12-20
★ 8/10
"Parenthood" effortlessly covers all the trials and tribulations, the successes and the failures, the hopes and the disasters of being a parent in the modern age while also managing to underscore some of the truths about the hardships of being both a child and an adult at the same time. According to this film a man's life is all about having to do things while a woman's life is all about responsibility. Life isn't all swings and roundabouts, it is all roller coasters and roundabouts. The highs and the lows. The good and the bad. The rough and the smooth. A fistful of cliches? It doesn't matter because this film cheerfully wheels them out one by one and dusts them off and successfully manages to refresh them in a very entertaining manner.