---
title: "Parenthood"
year: 1989
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/parenthood"
fi1m_id: "parenthood"
imdb_id: "tt0098067"
tmdb_id: 1552
wikidata_id: "Q1137831"
fi1m_score: 78
critics_score: 76
critics_reviews: 7
published: "2026-10-04T21:05:44.922597+00:00"
updated: "2026-10-04T21:05:45.485190+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Parenthood (1989)

Directed by Ron Howard · 2h 04m · MPA PG-13 · Comedy, Drama

## Identity

Parenthood

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/parenthood
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** parenthood
- **IMDb ID:** tt0098067
- **TMDB ID:** 1552
- **Wikidata ID:** Q1137831
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098067/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/1552, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1137831

**Fi1m score: 78** · Critics 76 from 7 reviews

*In a sentence:* Two hours with somebody else’s relatives, and for once we were not looking for an excuse to leave

> Ron Howard’s family comedy is funny, warmly acted and alert to the irritation that comes with affection. Steve Martin and Dianne Wiest give it weight, though the closing stretch is too eager to make everyone feel better.

## Synopsis

Gil Buckman (Steve Martin) and Karen Buckman (Mary Steenburgen) belong to an extended family whose members have different ideas about being parents and children. Helen Buckman Lampkin Bowman (Dianne Wiest) brings another perspective, alongside Frank Buckman (Jason Robards) and Larry Buckman (Tom Hulce). The story moves among the relatives and their competing concerns, rather than giving one person responsibility for explaining the family to everyone else. Affection keeps these people involved in one another’s lives, but it does not make their expectations agree or their individual difficulties easier to understand.

## Review

Ron Howard’s *Parenthood* is a good family comedy with enough irritation in it to make the affection believable. Its achievement is to give an extended family several points of view without making every relative serve the same lesson. We recommend it for the performances and the jokes, with a reservation about how firmly it steers us towards comfort. These relatives do not always understand one another, and the comedy is better when it lets that remain awkward.

Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel’s screenplay is strongest when it lets competing complaints stand without appointing a winner. The range of family experience gives the comedy more to work with than a succession of parenting mishaps, and there is room for people to be unreasonable without becoming intolerable. Some of the dialogue is too neatly composed: we can hear the line being readied before it arrives. That does not stop it being funny, but it makes the people sound a little more articulate about their difficulties than we believe.

Steve Martin, as Gil Buckman, gives the film a useful centre without making the ensemble feel like an interruption. His comic precision helps, but we enjoy the jokes more because he takes the emotional demands of the part seriously. Mary Steenburgen, as Karen Buckman, offers a steadier presence, and her less emphatic approach is welcome beside the bigger performances. Ron Howard gives his cast room to vary the pace and force of an exchange.

Dianne Wiest gives the performance that stayed with us, as Helen Buckman Lampkin Bowman. We were moved by the spirit she brings to the family friction: she makes the effort of remaining engaged with other people feel tiring, and worth making. There is enough bite in her delivery to prevent warmth becoming mere agreeableness. When the writing sounds prepared, her energy helps it sound like something a person might actually need to say.

We value Donald McAlpine’s cinematography and Todd Hallowell’s production design chiefly for how little they compete with the actors. Editors Mike Hill and Daniel P. Hanley keep the many storylines legible, though the leisurely pace occasionally becomes indulgent. At 124 minutes, the film could afford to lose a little time between its better exchanges. Randy Newman’s music contributes to the warmth, but the performances need less help with that than the film seems to think.

The weaker jokes choose an easy target and move on, briefly making the film feel coarser than its better observations. More troublesome is the reassurance towards the end, which presses harder than the preceding comedy has earned. Family comedies often become anxious about sending anyone away unhappy, and this one shares that habit. A little less insistence would have helped us believe the comfort it offers.

For a family comedy, it is unusually willing to spend time on people who cannot all be the lead. That breadth is worth the occasional slack patch, especially with this cast. Choose it for a companionable evening, provided you can forgive the extra reassurance before bedtime.

*Fi1m score 78, published 4 October 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics find Parenthood an affectionate, perceptive family comedy, with praise centred on its ensemble and its attention to different generations within an extended family. The humour benefits from a bittersweet sense of how relatives support and frustrate one another. Ron Howard’s handling of the many storylines earns approval, while the Los Angeles Times singles out Dianne Wiest’s spirited performance and Empire welcomes the scope Steve Martin has to show his acting talents.

The reservations concern consistency and sentiment rather than the family portrait itself. Empire and the Los Angeles Times find the ending too sentimental or broad, though other reviews see the warmth as well judged. Time Out offers a more qualified response, praising the opening and one-liners but finding the comedy uneven. The balance remains favourable, with the less enthusiastic assessments questioning how reliably the jokes and emotion work.

## Straight answers

**Is Parenthood worth watching?**

*Parenthood* is worth watching for its funny, warmly acted portrait of family friction, and we score it 78 out of 100. We recommend it for a companionable evening, especially for Steve Martin and Dianne Wiest, though the leisurely pace occasionally drags and the closing stretch pushes too hard for reassurance.

**How long is Parenthood, and what is it rated?**

*Parenthood* runs 2h 04m and is rated PG-13 by the MPA in the US. It is a comedy and drama film.

**Where can I watch Parenthood in the US?**

*Parenthood* is streaming on Netflix in the US, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from $3.99. It leaves Netflix on 1 October. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Parenthood, and is it suitable for children?**

*Parenthood* has a UK 15 certificate, so it is not suitable for children under 15 despite its focus on family life. We describe some jokes as coarse, but do not identify specific violence or frightening material; the certificate is the clearest guide here, rather than the warmth of the comedy.

**How does Parenthood compare to Life Is Sweet?**

*Parenthood* is the more reassuring family comedy; we favour [*Life Is Sweet*](https://film.one/film/life-is-sweet) for sharper tempers and affection that feels less forced. Both find humour in relatives’ disappointments, but we recommend *Parenthood* for a companionable evening and *Life Is Sweet* for viewers willing to give its performances time, despite comic turns that sometimes approach caricature.

**What should I watch after Parenthood?**

After *Parenthood*, try [*Life Is Sweet*](https://film.one/film/life-is-sweet) (1990, Fi1m 84): Another untidy family, with sharper tempers and less insistence on reassurance. Then [*Tokyo Story*](https://film.one/film/tokyo-story) (1953, Fi1m 92): For a quieter, more painful account of relatives failing to understand one another; and [*Monsoon Wedding*](https://film.one/film/monsoon-wedding) (2001, Fi1m 80): Another crowded family gathering where affection cannot keep every grievance quiet.

### Reviews we read (7)

- **Slant Magazine**, Eric Henderson (3.5/4): Henderson calls the film a middlebrow masterpiece, despite its screenwriter-like dialogue and conventional sensibilities. He praises its warmly acted, balanced portrayal of family bonds and the ways relatives remain separate from one another. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/parenthood/)
- **Variety**, Variety Staff (85/100, inferred): The review finds the film ambitious, keenly observed, and often funny. It singles out the film’s broad range of perspectives across an extended family as its masterstroke. [Read](https://variety.com/1988/film/reviews/parenthood-2-1117793867/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, SHEILA BENSON (82/100, inferred): Benson finds the film a witty, perceptive family comedy whose bittersweet realism gives its jokes depth. She praises Dianne Wiest’s spirited character and performance, while faulting the broad ending and a few cheap-shot jokes. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-08-02-ca-483-story.html)
- **Radio Times**, John Ferguson (4/5): The critic finds it an affectionate, leisurely comedy that avoids oversentimentality. They praise Ron Howard’s handling of its many storylines and the performances of the ensemble cast. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-n3svqt/parenthood/)
- **Empire**, Caroline Westbrook (70/100, inferred): Westbrook finds the film funny and touching, though its ending turns overly slushy. She praises the ensemble performances, especially Steve Martin’s chance to show his acting talents. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/parenthood-review/)
- **The New York Times**, Janet Maslin (64/100, inferred): The page is identified as a review of the film, but its text is inaccessible. The critic’s verdict and any specific praise or complaint cannot be established. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1989/08/02/movies/review-film-problems-in-toto-of-being-parents.html)
- **Time Out**, BC (60/100, inferred): The review describes the comedy as uneven rather than consistently successful. It praises its terrific opening and very funny one-liners. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/parenthood)

## Details

- **Director:** Ron Howard
- **Director:** Ron Howard
- **Screenplay:** Lowell Ganz, Babaloo Mandel
- **Story:** Lowell Ganz, Ron Howard, Babaloo Mandel
- **Cinematography:** Donald McAlpine
- **Editor:** Daniel P. Hanley, Mike Hill
- **Music:** Randy Newman
- **Production design:** Todd Hallowell
- **Costume design:** Ruth Morley
- **Producer:** Brian Grazer
- **Cast:** Steve Martin as Gil Buckman; Mary Steenburgen as Karen Buckman; Dianne Wiest as Helen Buckman Lampkin Bowman; Jason Robards as Frank Buckman; Rick Moranis as Nathan Huffner; Tom Hulce as Larry Buckman; Martha Plimpton as Julie Buckman-Lampkin Higgins; Keanu Reeves as Tod Higgins
- **Runtime:** 2h 04m
- **Certificate (MPA):** PG-13
- **Release (the US):** 31 July 1989
- **Genres:** Comedy, Drama
- **Budget:** $20 million
- **Box office:** $126 million

## Where to watch in the US

- Netflix: streaming, leaving 2026-10-01
- Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy $14.99, uhd

*Checked 2026-10-04.*

Also available in: AT, AU, BR, CA, CL, CO, ES, FR, GB, IN, IT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 1990: Best Supporting Actress (nominated)

## If you liked this

- *Life Is Sweet* (1990), Fi1m 84: Another untidy family, with sharper tempers and less insistence on reassurance — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/life-is-sweet.md)
- *Tokyo Story* (1953), Fi1m 92: For a quieter, more painful account of relatives failing to understand one another — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/tokyo-story.md)
- *20th Century Women* (2016): More uncertain parenting, with room for children to answer the adults back
- *Monsoon Wedding* (2001), Fi1m 80: Another crowded family gathering where affection cannot keep every grievance quiet — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/monsoon-wedding.md)
- *The Farewell* (2019), Fi1m 84: Family concern becomes suffocating, while the comedy stays close to the hurt — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-farewell.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/parenthood