ridiculous rating

Lack of good storyline.

disgusting, overrated, pointless

There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

If you've got kids, you'll see so much here that rings true. It's the kind of movie they don't make anymore, "real" situations, not high-concept, ensemble casts that have actual characters to work with, and an attempt at showing life instead of fantasy. Some of this doesn't hold up almost 30 years later since the whole thing is devoid of anyone who isn't white and middle class (saving the boy Cool) and it reeks of Reagan era propaganda encouraging the making of more babies, but you can overlook that because the moments themselves are real. Saw this as a kid and had that diarrhea song stuck in my head for days... it all came back!

I thought that this movie was amazing all around. Not only is acting great but the film is funny and creative. The plot is unpredictable and exciting. I don't have children, but I can see how having them makes your life like a roller-coaster. People who did not give the movie 10 stars are probably too uptight about something or the other that was not really important. Just sit back and enjoy the film. It touches you with a full range of emotions from happiness to sadness to anger. Great job!

Director Ron Howard nailed family dysfunction and the difficulties of parenting with a warm and entertaining 1989 comedy called Parenthood.This episodic comedy centers on the Buckman family, led by one Gil Buckman (Steve Martin) and his wife Karen (Mary Steenburgen), who serve as the centerpiece for a dysfunctional family that includes Gil's hard-drinking father (Jason Robards), who took Gil to baseball games as a child and used to leave him alone and pay ushers to watch him. Dianne Wiest plays Gil's divorced sister, Helen, who is the mother of two teenagers, one a horny high-schooler (Martha Plimpton) sleeping with her boyfriend (Keanu Reeves) and the other (Joaquin Phoenix) wants to live with his father.Tom Hulce plays the proverbial black sheep brother who has returned home with an illegitimate son and a get rich quick plan. Rick Moranis is effectively cast against type as a stuffed shirt married to Gil's other sister (Harley Kozack) who is raising his toddler like she's a sophomore in college.The screenplay by longtime Howard collaborators Lowell Ganz and Babloo Mandel might play like an extended sitcom, but it is a very entertaining one, that provides consistent laughs without sacrificing realism or realistic situations. The screenplay is insightful and clever and well-served by Howard's hand-picked cast, who give uniformly fine performances down the line, with a standout performance from Wiest that earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.Thanks to a smart screenplay, sensitive direction, some offbeat casting, and some fun performances, this is a very special comedy that got by a lot of people but is worth checking out. Later turned into a television series.

I usually never give a rating as I believe that is very futile, but after reading the review left on the first page, where some one calls the IMDb low rating "Criminal" I thought I do my bit to redress the balance a little. I truly believe this movie is so great anyway but I could not say I idolised everything in it. I can take Steve Martin only for so much as he can be so extreme in his range of emotions that it really gets on my nerve a little. But here I had to make allowance and he really turns an astonishing performance. The whole thing feels so close to home it's hard not to be involved. I have watched this movie many times over the years, and every time I too ride its roller coaster as it goes, almost as if I had not seen it before. As for each leading characters aren't they superb and each with their particular particularity! From the grand father to the youngest son. Each family fights its own battle and mostly wins despite the odds. I have been a great fan of K Reeves but nothing prepared me to see him in this film role! Come on people, join the rating counter balance, this movie and its actors deserve it.