Billy Crystal and Bette Midler have never before been in a movie together. Can you believe it? Well now they are finally together in a film for all ages, Parental Guidance. Billy Crystal conceived the idea for the movie after spending some time with his own grandchildren. His daughter gave him a laundry list of rules about what they kids can eat, how to discipline them and special terminology to be used when speaking to them. This zaniness makes it into the film, along with many other “modern parenting” styles that so many of us are prone to when raising our children.
The hilarious film also features Marissa Tomei and Tom Everett Scott as the parents of three busy children. One day they realize that they have not had a vacation alone since their youngest was born five years ago. They decide to enlist Tomei’s parents, who live in another state, to fly in and watch the kids for a week, while the parents attend a business trip for Scott.
The chemistry between Midler and Crystal is remarkable and leaves everyone wondering why they haven’t made a film before. There is also a musical number, which surprisingly, Midler was initially against doing because she felt it did not fit the feel of the movie. During a recent interview my husband attended, she explained that only after Billy Crystal and the director convinced her of a place in the film where it did seem a natural fit, did she agree to do it. This required the creation of an impromptu musical studio being created onsite to the make the scene happen. It’s a show stopper!
A pivotal scene is when Billy Crystal’s character attends his grandson’s baseball game, only to learn that they do not keep score and every game ends in a tie. Anyone who’s had their child in at least T-ball understands this concept and that nowadays, this is standard. Much like in the movie, Crystal says that in real life, he does not feel this is fair. “Life is a competition,” he said and the children we are raising should be aware of this. This is one of the main things he wants parents to take from this film.
Parental Guidance is rated PG and opens Christmas Day.
