Okay, if I’m going to be honest, if your parents can tolerate crass language, and you don’t end up retreating into an awkward silence if someone says a bad word on screen, then you can very much enjoy The Parenting with your family. But before we go into the whys, let me just tell you about the what. The Parenting is a horror comedy, not unlike the Ghostbusters or Goosebumps films, that tells the story of a young gay couple who want to have their first ever family getaway in the middle of nowhere. Rohan (affectionately called Ro by his boyfriend Josh), who has the most common brown boy Bollywood name (second only to Rahul), is the one who has set everything up because he plans on proposing to his one true love, Josh. In your typical Meet The Parents situation, Ro worries that Josh might not make a good impression on his parents and the whole plan will be a bust, but he stays optimistic by trying to make everything as perfect as he can. Will he succeed? And what are the horrors these families are going to face? This is the basic premise of the movie.
In The Parenting, Nik Dodani plays Ro, the “perfect” son and a perfect boyfriend. The last time I saw Nik, he played an adorable prick on Atypical. So, I never thought I’d see this day, but I’m pleasantly surprised. He does essentially hold this movie together, and it’s not some fancy role or anything, but somehow, I can’t see anybody else in his place. Maybe it’s the new norm to have one half of the gay couple be a POC character. This essentially ticks off two of the boxes for Hollywood production houses trying to keep the cash flowing. You know, I’m not complaining because if it’s working, then why not? But this isn’t a movie where representation was just another obligation; it is actually, shockingly, more than just that.
First, be warned, there is some animal cruelty here, so if you feel even remotely angry about any sort of harm to animals, tread with caution. Of course, this is meant to be all fun and games, but (spoiler alert) if even demon dogs are animals you want to be protecting, and even when you know it’s just a furry doll in question, then I’d say skip this movie. But with that out of the way, let’s get into the serious business.
The Parenting has a great cast, both of newcomers and veterans, who know how to do comedy. The film is actually seamlessly funny, specifically in the first half. The jokes do land, in a weird nostalgic sense, and there are some genuine moments that feel authentic and fresh. However, as the movie progresses, the newness washes away, and it takes on the feel of those old t-shirts you want to turn into rags at any moment. It took me having to look up the cast to realize the guy who plays Josh, Brandon Flynn, was in the dreaded 13 Reasons Why, but hey, I guess he’s grown up now. Yes, Edie Falco, Dean Norris, and Lisa Kudrow are great at their roles, but I think Brian Cox takes the icing on the cake for this one. He’s just got a lot more to do; you’ll see.
No, I didn’t actually laugh watching The Parenting, especially because the end of the movie steps into lame territory in the hope that it’s funny, but I can admit I let a few smiles slip here and there, and some moments I genuinely felt happy for Josh and Ro. It is a tough line to cross, this mishmash of genres that is well established, so it gets categorised as bottom shelf slop. It does often seem like it could be a skeptic’s wet dream, but it’s hard to get done in the right way. I think what elevates this movie just slightly above your average horror-comedy streamer is its cast and their ability to make everything seem somehow genuine.
At the end of the day, The Parenting is just an adult comedy with all of its teenage sexual jokes that sometimes land but often fall flat. You know, almost in the way Ro’s mom, Sharon, doesn’t quite enjoy Josh’s jokes, you’ll find yourself feeling the same way slowly as the movie goes by, till it feels like you’re gnawing on stale old bread. I genuinely enjoyed the first half of this film, and it felt like it had the potential of being like Ghostbusters level fun. But instead, it later turns out to be the same old run-of-the-mill, color-graded scenes of possessed men who can’t control their tongues or their bodies (no intended crassness). I guess this makes it sound like I’d have preferred if the movie had taken the comedy-only route and then chosen to show off some real-life “horrors” of meeting the parents. It does do that, but in a subtle way, instead of focusing on demonic possession that’s easily confused by circles and a woman with a fiery tongue.
At the end of the day, I feel like this movie had potential but ended up deflating early on rather than later. Even a great cast couldn’t save it because they were just playing the characters given to them. I think what’s cool about The Parenting is how much substance each of the parental units has, but if only the ending could’ve been improved to be a little bit unique rather than the same old possession stuff. I do admire what they tried to do with getting rid of the demon at the end of the film, but I’ll leave it at that, or we’d be going into spoiler territory. I’d give The Parenting 2.5 out of 5 stars; it’s a good attempt that sometimes has sparks but fizzles out. If you do end up watching it with your parents, let us know how that goes.
