Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Brutal
- eerie
- grotesque
- sardonic
- cult movie night
- halloween viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film imaginatively creepy and stylistically distinctive, though its satire, horror, and comedy do not consistently cohere.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Michael’s apparently typical 1950s home is progressively reframed through nightmares, suspicions, and disturbing basement imagery.
Michael senses danger around Nick and Lily but struggles to explain his fears to Sheila and the school social worker.
The film places grotesque parental secrets inside an idealized 1950s suburban setting with garish costumes and sets.
Critics repeatedly identified the film’s unresolved movement among satire, comedy, and horror as a defining feature.
Films like Parents, and why
The Stepford Wives
shared suburban horror, grotesque domestic satire, and unsettling dark comedy
Society
shared surreal suburban unease, family dysfunction, and blackly comic horror
The People Under the Stairs
shared child-centered perspective, uncanny domestic atmosphere, and horror-comedy tonal instability
Edward Scissorhands
shared 1950s cultural satire, stylized suburbia, and unsettling social comedy
Movie Details
- Director
- Bob Balaban
- Release Date
- 1989-01-27
- Runtime
- 82 min
- Rating
- 5.9 / 10 (199)
Cast
- Randy Quaid
- Mary Beth Hurt
- Sandy Dennis
- Bryan Madorsky
- Juno Mills-Cockell
- Kathryn Grody
- Deborah Rush
- Graham Jarvis
- Helen Carscallen
- Warren Van Evera
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Parents about?
- A frightened suburban boy investigates the grotesque secret appetites hidden behind his parents’ perfect 1950s façade.
- What is Parents like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Parents as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Parents violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Parents as brutal.
- What did critics think of Parents?
- Critics broadly found the film imaginatively creepy and stylistically distinctive, though its satire, horror, and comedy do not consistently cohere.
- Which films are like Parents?
- Films with a similar feel include The Stepford Wives, Society, The People Under the Stairs, and Edward Scissorhands.
- How long is Parents?
- Parents runs 82 minutes.
- Where can I watch Parents?
- In United States, Parents streams on MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel.
