The Parenting follows young couple Rohan (Dodani) and Josh (Flynn) as they plan a perfect weekend getaway in the country to introduce their parents for the first time. As tensions begin to flare between the more traditional Sharon (Edie Falco) and Frank (Cox) and the laid-back Liddy (Lisa Kudrow) and Cliff (Dean Norris), the families soon realize that their rental, managed by the eccentric Brenda (Parker Posey), is haunted by the presence of a 400-year-old poltergeist. However, when one of the parents becomes possessed, it’s up to the families to come together and stop the evil entity once and for all before its too late. Essentially Meet the Parents as a horror comedy set in a haunted house, it is an absolutely brilliant idea on paper and a perfect sell to audiences. That being said, the final product unfortunately squanders that potential, making for a disappointing film as a whole.

While not without issues, there is a lot to like about the film, and the best part is easily the cast. They are clearly having a blast together and that shows in the great chemistry they have with one another. Dodani and Flynn make for solid leads, playing characters worth caring about, in spite of their flaws. Meanwhile, the more seasoned cast are also great, including the likes of Cox and Falco who get the best moments, and Dean Norris and Lisa Kudrow who provide the biggest laughs. Never meant to have a major role, the film desperately needed more Posey, who is great and definitely understood the assignment better than the rest. In the end, the cast hold it together and are the sole reason to check this one out. Setting them up through a strong opening act, it establishes a connection with the characters as they found themselves in the middle of a haunted house mystery.

But from that point on, everything that followed simply falls flat, losing steam with each passing minute. A big reason as to why that is the case is the fact that it’s just not funny, as its humor mostly lands with a thud. Going for the most silly, juvenile, and obvious jokes, that choice would have been fine if this was a film targeting kids and families. Being an R-rated comedy, it is clearly targeting adult audiences, however, it is hard to imagine any who would consider any of the humor funny. On the other hand, the horror elements are as disappointing, as if they were handled by a director without a horror background. Though the film, never really tries to be overly scary, its horror elements aren’t effective and also play it incredibly safe. While there is technically a mystery to solve at the center of it all, there is little reason to truly care about it or its eventual outcome, but for those who do, the closure the film does provide is not only derivative, it is also predictable, and as a result, unsatisfying.

At the end of the day, The Parenting isn’t an awful film by any stretch of the imagination and might make for a good gateway film for audiences wanting to get more into horror but for a horror comedy, the film is not all that funny, scary, or remotely intense. Despite its many flaws, the cast help to elevate it considerably, to the point of watchability, but it’s not a surprise that this sat on the shelf after being filmed nearly a full 3-years ago, sitting in a sort of theatrical/streaming limbo.

still courtesy of Max

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