The Parenting Review: This Possession Comedy Is Dead On Arrival

PLOT: A couple rents a countryside house for a weekend with their parents and then discover it’s inhabited by a 400-year-old poltergeist.

REVIEW: Horror/comedies can have a difficult time in balancing between their two targeted genres. Do too much of one, and you lose the identity of the other, so it’s always been a delicate balance that needs to be struck. I’m not sure it’s appreciated just how much skill it takes to pull it off and pull it off well. Because in order to accomplish that, you have to know both genres intimately and understand the common tropes and pitfalls. The Parenting seems to understand the comedy due to its hilarious cast, but when it comes to the horror, this may as well be a Disney movie.

The Parenting follows Rohan and Josh as they go on a weekend getaway, where their families are set to meet for the first time. They were able to get an insane deal on a mansion because, unbeknownst to them, a horrible set of murders happened years prior. Now, whatever it is, is coming after the family. I think one of the biggest drawbacks is that the Rohan and Josh relationship feels sloppy. Rather than proving that these two are meant to be together, the film gives us every reason why they don’t really fit. But in the name of the “we come from different backgrounds and now we’ve found love” trope, they forgot to give them some kind of legitimate connection. It doesn’t help that the film is so boring when following these two, and only really comes to life when introduced to the supporting characters.

I’m pretty sure if I just say: Parker Posey is in this in a very strange and unusual role, then most of you can have a pretty clear idea of it. She’s worked well within this niche and provides some laughs. She’s so over the top that it can clash a bit with the others but that’s her style. Lisa Kudrow and Edie Falco are fun as the mothers who could not be more opposite. This allows the laughs to come from different angles, which makes it a bit less tired. We’ve seen them play similar characters in the past, but that’s why they work so well here. In fact, most of the actors feel like their casting was based on past work and the audience’s familiarity with them versus actually writing intriguing characters.

I half-expected Brian Cox to be an offshoot of his Logan Roy character from Succession, but he’s a bit more loose here. He’s intimidating but in a different way. Once he’s possessed, he seems to be having a blast as the older patriarch. It’s nice to see him in a less serious role. He really relishes in the evil, even if it’s presented in such a corny way. I won’t deny that Dean Norris feels a bit wasted, as he doesn’t have a ton to do outside of commenting on the stuff going on around them. He and Kudrow feel like they met for the first time on set versus a long-term couple. At least Falco and Cox have that Old Money swagger to them.

The horror in The Parenting is where the film really drops the ball. I don’t think you need to be pristine when it comes to this style of comedies, but the fatal flaw is coming across as dreadfully corny. It’s hard to ever take any of the possession seriously. Especially when there aren’t really any consequences to what’s happening. They even kill off multiple animals and it hardly even makes an impact. I get it, they’re going for laughs. But when everything is treated so lackadaisically, it’s hard to invest as a viewer. The makeup felt very cheap and so did the FX work.

Ultimately, The Parenting doesn’t seem to know what it wants to be. The comedy is entirely reliant on the performers being naturally funny versus anything situational. That’s not inherently a bad thing, but when the supporting cast brings the only bit of life, it makes the times we follow the leads a bit plodding. Their romance doesn’t really work and they feel completely disconnected from the people playing their parents. The focus is on the wrong characters and, as such, makes for a boring film overall. Casting funny people isn’t enough these days, you need to actually give them something to work with.

THE PARENTING IS STREAMING ON MAX ON MARCH 13TH, 2025.

The Parenting

BELOW AVERAGE

5