{"id":118850,"date":"2024-04-30T01:56:30","date_gmt":"2024-04-30T00:56:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hollywoodintoto.com\/?p=2039957"},"modified":"2024-04-30T01:56:30","modified_gmt":"2024-04-30T00:56:30","slug":"randy-quaids-parents-remains-a-bone-chilling-satire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/2024\/04\/30\/randy-quaids-parents-remains-a-bone-chilling-satire\/","title":{"rendered":"Randy Quaid\u2019s \u2018Parents\u2019 Remains a Bone-Chilling Satire"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bob Balaban\u2019s \u201cParents\u201d (1989) begins with a series of family rituals.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Although set in the 1950s, before my time, anyone can relate to the montage that opens the film – a family drive, a game of living room golf, etc.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s what comes next that shocks, as it feels so unnatural and scary, the first of many such moments throughout.<\/p>\n

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Dad (Randy Quaid) is carrying his son to bed while chipper Mom (Mary Beth Hurt) is all smiles and watches approvingly. However, their Boy (Bryan Madorsky), who rarely speaks during the film, is reserved and seemingly unable to speak, in fear of some sort of dreadful retaliation.<\/p>\n

The kid is afraid of something. What he suspects about his parents is dreadful and, as the story proceeds, we\u2019re not entirely sure until the end if we\u2019re witnessing something unthinkable or a child\u2019s warped interpretation of the truth.<\/p>\n

\u201cParents\u201d (1989) is one of the few films that truly scares me. I saw the film when I was too young to fully engage with the satire and subtext it contains. Looking at it now, as a father and with reflection on the decisions and motivations of my own parents during my childhood, the movie still rattles me.<\/p>\n

The tone and look of the film are similar to David Lynch\u2019s \u201cBlue Velvet\u201d (1986) and the then-forthcoming \u201cTwin Peaks\u201d (1990). Indeed, \u201cParents\u201d shares Lynch\u2019s composer, Angelo Badalamenti and the milieu of a Norman Rockwellian past as a setting and cover up for the darkness within.<\/p>\n

For some, the similarity to Lynch was a drawback but here\u2019s the thing – what Lynch does on a film-to-film basis (with rare out-of-character exceptions like \u201cThe Straight Story\u201d) is so distinctive, personal, and nearly impossible to duplicate. Balaban is using Lynch\u2019s paintbrush the same way Brian DePalma borrows from Alfred Hitchcock.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not easy to pull off. I mean this as a compliment.<\/p>\n

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Taken as a companion piece or simply a jolting double feature with \u201cBlue Velvet,\u201d Balaban takes some wild swings and makes a top-grade art film, as well as a terrifying portrait of childhood fears.<\/p>\n

Is it a satire? In some ways, it spoofs the conventions and social mores of the 1950s, though this isn\u2019t a comedy. Perhaps, if, say, Christopher Walken and Kathy Bates had played the title characters, it could have found an easy tone of a horror farce. Instead, the actors aren\u2019t kidding around, and neither is Balaban.<\/p>\n

The boy, whose name turns out to be Michael (but is rarely addressed as such) catches his parents having sex, has a nightmare of his bedsheets turning into a sea of blood and has a shuddering fear of the dark. Are we seeing the boy\u2019s reality or is that even possible?<\/p>\n

This child is so young and inexperienced, could anything we\u2019re witnessing be anything more than a hyperactive imagination?<\/p>\n

Mom and Dad, whose names are revealed to be Lilly and Nick, are an interesting contrast, as Lilly is chipper and charming. Dad, however, has a mean streak that comes out whenever his son tests him in any way.<\/p>\n

Quaid and Beth Hurt give layered, unsettling turns; we can\u2019t tell if they\u2019re faking normalcy, or if they\u2019re genuinely hiding the hostility that they feel towards becoming parents. Their resentment seems directed towards their son.<\/p>\n

Are they wearing a mask of sanity? Quaid isn\u2019t playing Cousin Eddie and Beth Hurt is disturbing in her portrayal of unbroken devotion.<\/p>\n

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It's #ManiacMonday<\/a>! Meet the Laemle family\u2014Nick, Lily and their son Michael, who suspects his parents are cannibalistic murderers. Directed by Bob Balaban, #Parents<\/a> (1989) stars Randy Quaid & Mary Beth Hurt. What's your take on this late '80s horror film?#80s<\/a> #horror<\/a> #movies<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/XszsNbozWe<\/a><\/p>\n

— In Search of Darkness (@80sHorrorDoc) January 15, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n