Parental Guidance (2012)

Artie and Diane agree to look after their three grandkids when their type-A helicopter parents need to leave town for work. Problems arise when the kids' 21st-century behavior collides with Artie and Diane's old-school methods.

Director:

Andy Fickman

Writers:

Lisa Addario, Joe Syracuse

Stars:

Billy Crystal, Bette Midler, Marisa Tomei

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Billy Crystal	...	Artie Decker
Bette Midler	...	Diane Decker
Marisa Tomei	...	Alice Simmons
Tom Everett Scott	...	Phil Simmons
Bailee Madison	...	Harper Simmons
Joshua Rush	...	Turner Simmons
Kyle Harrison Breitkopf	...	Barker Simmons
Jennifer Crystal Foley	...	Cassandra
Rhoda Griffis	...	Dr. Schveer
Gedde Watanabe	...	Mr. Cheng
Tony Hawk	...	Himself
Steve Levy	...	Himself
Cade Jones	...	Ivan Halloran
Mavrick Moreno	...	Cody
Madison Lintz	...	Ashley

Storyline

Old school grandfather Artie (Billy Crystal), who is accustomed to calling the shots, meets his match when he and his eager-to-please wife Diane (Bette Midler) agree to babysit their three grandkids when their type-A helicopter parents (Marisa Tomei, Tom Everett Scott) go away for work. But when 21st century problems collide with Artie and Diane's old school methods of tough rules, lots of love and old-fashioned games, it's learning to bend - and not holding your ground - that binds a family together.

---

Taglines:

This Christmas it's a battle for the ages

---

Genres:

Comedy

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some rude humor

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 December 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

Us & Them

Filming Locations:

Fresno, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$14,554,053 (USA) (28 December 2012)

Gross:

$76,898,488 (USA) (29 March 2013)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Chernin Entertainment, Walden Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Datasat Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Because of the time of year the movie was shot-late fall early winter. The grass at the home in Atlanta was dead and had to be digitally colored to look green.

---

Goofs

Artie gets fired at the end of the baseball season (fall). Then he goes and sees his grandson's little league game (early summer). Then he goes and auditions at the X-Games as an announcer (late summer). All in the span of a week.

---

Quotes

[from trailer]
Harper Decker Simmons: [with a mouthful of cake] Yogurt not like ice cream! You lied!

---

Crazy Credits

During the credits, we see pictures of each person listed with their children.

---

Connections

Featured in Chelsea Lately: Episode #6.194 (2012)
A clip of the movie featuring guest Marisa Tomei is shown.

---

Soundtracks

"Home"
Written by Drew Pearson and Greg Holden
Performed by Phillip Phillips

User Reviews

Great Family Movie

This was an excellent family movie, had plenty of laughs and some really heartwarming moments. Billy Crystal and Bette Midler made a great pairing, I don't know why it hadn't been done before. Crystal brings his great acerbic wit combined with Midler's warm demeanor and the great comedic timing of both makes for gold medal hilarity. Marisa Tomei is great as a new-age parent with high anxiety when it comes to allowing her parents into her automated life. Bailee Madison is a little fireball, and she is one to keep an eye on. With her innate acting ability she will have you on the edge of tears one moment and laughing till you pee the next. Madison is an absolute joy to watch and it was great to see her paired up with classic comedic talent like Crystal and Midler. The writing is fair, but luckily with such a well-placed cast you hardly notice those short-comings. This is definitely one I would take the whole family to, it's got enough for all to enjoy. I highly recommend it for the holiday season, it will have you walking out with a smile.