Parental Guidance(film)

Parental Guidance
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Andy Fickman
Written by	Lisa Addario Joe Syracuse
Produced by	Billy Crystal Peter Chernin Dylan Clark
Starring	Billy Crystal Bette Midler Marisa Tomei Tom Everett Scott Bailee Madison
Cinematography	Dean Semler
Edited by	Kent Beyda
Music by	Marc Shaiman
Production companies	Walden Media Chernin Entertainment Face Productions Dune Entertainment
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date	December 25, 2012(2012-12-25)
Running time	105 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$25 million
Box office	$119.8 million

Parental Guidanceis a 2012 Americanfamilycomedyfilm directed byAndy Fickman,from a screenplay written by Lisa Addario, and Joe Syracuse. It starsBilly Crystal,Bette Midler,Marisa Tomei,andTom Everett Scott,and follows a couple who are asked to look after their grandchildren by their skeptical daughter, while she and her husband are out of town.

This was the final20th Century Foxfilm to be financed byDune Entertainmentas part of a deal with the studio; shortly after, the company merged withRatPac Entertainmentand struck a financing deal withWarner Bros.It was theatrically released on December 25, 2012, to negative reviews from critics but was a commercial success, grossing $119.8 million from a $25 million budget.

Plot

Artie Decker, asports commentatorfor theminor leagueFresno Grizzlies,is fired due to his old-fashioned personality and lack ofsocial mediasavvy. After telling his wife, Diane, the news, they get a call from their daughter, Alice, and son-in-law, Phil, asking them to come toAtlantato babysit their three children, Harper, Turner, and Barker, while they attend an entrepreneur convention inHilton Head, South Carolina.Problems arise as Artie and Diane's laidback personalities collide with Phil and Alice'shelicopter parenting.After learning of their grandchildren's various problems, such as Harper's"high achievement syndrome",Turner'sstutter,and Barker'simaginary friend,Carl the Kangaroo, Artie and Diane try to bond with them.

Alice returns home early when her Boss gives her an assignment to redesign the website for theX Games.Artie uses this to his advantage and arranges an interview for the role of sports commentator. In an attempt to win over his grandchildren, he breaks several of the rules Alice has set for them, such as forbidding them from eating sugary food and watching horror movies. Alice is horrified, but after Diane tells her that she and Artie will never be good grandparents if she doesn't give them the chance to, she leaves to join Phil in Hilton Head.

Artie lets Barker skip a playdate to take him to the skate park where his interview is being held. Barker escapes from his supervision, andTony Hawknearly runs him over while skateboarding. The incident is later broadcast on the news. Later that day, Diane berates Artie for letting Turner hit his bully after Artie had tried to teach him a lesson about confidence and standing up for himself. Artie has a discussion with him and shows him theShot Heard 'Round the Worldevent. Meanwhile, Phil and Alice witness the news broadcast of the skatepark incident and return home. The tension comes to a head when Alice discovers Diane has allowed Harper to attend a party the night before a violin recital and Barker claims Carl has been hit and killed by a car.

Alice eventually reconciles with Artie and Diane, and, sensing that Harper has lost her passion for music, allows her to withdraw from the recital. Turner takes her place on stage and overcomes his stutter by reciting the commentary from Shot Heard 'Round the World. Afterward, Artie and Diane successfully reconnect with their grandchildren, and Artie takes up a new job as a commentator for an AtlantaLittle League Baseballteam.

Cast

• Billy Crystalas Artie Decker
• Bette Midleras Diane Decker, Artie's wife
• Marisa Tomeias Alice Decker-Simmons, Artie & Diane's daughter
• Tom Everett Scottas Phil Simmons, Alice's husband and Artie & Diane's son-in-law
• Bailee Madisonas Harper Simmons, Alice & Phil's daughter and Artie & Diane's granddaughter
• Joshua Rushas Turner Simmons, Alice & Phil's first son and Artie & Diane's grandson
• Kyle Harrison Breitkopfas Barker Simmons, Alice & Phil's second son and Artie & Diane's grandson
• Jennifer Crystal Foleyas Cassandra
• Rhoda Griffisas Dr. Schveer
• Gedde Watanabeas Mr. Cheng
• Tony Hawkas himself
• Steve Levyas himself
• Linda Cohnas herself

Release

The film was released Christmas Day 2012, in the United States and Canada and on Bo xing Day 2012, in Australia, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. Its international release spans from December 19, 2012, to July 11, 2013, with the first 2013 release on January 3, 2013, in the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and Singapore.

Home media

The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on March 26, 2013, from20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.

Reception

Box office

The film grossed $77.3 million in the United States and Canada, and $43.5 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $119.8 million.

Despite receiving negative reviews from critics, the film performed better than expected at the box office.In its opening weekend the film made $14.55 million from 3,367 theaters (a six-day total of $29.3 million), finishing in fourth behind holdoverThe Hobbit: An Unexpected Journeyand fellow new releasesDjango UnchainedandLes Misérables.

Critical response

On thereview aggregatorwebsiteRotten Tomatoes,18% of 92 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4/10. The website's consensus reads: "Parental Guidanceis sweet but milquetoast, an inoffensive trifle that's blandly predictable. "Metacritic,which uses aweighted average,assigned the film a score of 36 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.Audiences surveyed byCinemaScoregave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale.

Accolades

Award	Category	Recipient(s)	Result
2013Young Artist Awards	Best Performance in a Feature Film - Supporting Young Actor Ten and Under	Kyle Harrison Breitkopf	Nominated
		Joshua Rush	Nominated
	Best Performance in a Feature Film - Young Ensemble Cast	Kyle Harrison Breitkopf,Bailee Madison,Joshua Rush	Nominated

External links

• Parental GuidanceatIMDb
• Parental GuidanceatAllMovie
• Parental GuidanceatRotten Tomatoes
• Parental GuidanceatBox Office Mojo