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cynmull
Reviews
The Hope Rooms (2016)
Broke my heart
So beautiful, so sad. Conveying distance, longing, lost opportunities is so difficult. Hinds and Scott were perfectly lost with/to each other, as were the others. I've seen this short several times and each time I see and feel something new or different. Amazing piece of film.
Parental Guidance (2012)
What a Fun Movie!
I read the "expert" reviews when the movie hit the theaters. Subsequently I did not see the movie at that time. It has appeared on cable numerous times, & I have seen the movie more than I can count. I find something else to like about it each time I watch. It is a family focused movie - heartwarming & funny and at times, hysterical.
When grandparents Artie (Billy Crystal) and Diane (Bette Midler) are asked by their somewhat distant (emotionally and geographically) daughter Alice (Marisa Tomei) and son-in-law Phil (Tom Everett Scott) to care for their three children while the parents attend a work conference/mini-vacation, Bette is thrilled to try to connect with the family (especially the grand-kids). Artie has just been fired as the long-time announcer for the Fresno Grizzlies for being "old-school", so he's going into the situation a bit wounded. The fact that the young family has a talking/interactive house and car (which Phil invented/developed) is baffling and Artie takes the mispronunciation of his name personally (& it's just funny). The hyper-type A parenting style of Alice and Phil (especially Alice) is well balanced by the easy-going style of Diane and Artie. Artie allows his self-centeredness to interfere on occasion – that's when the most trouble arises. Still, Artie and Diane are a strong team and that heart is shared with Alice, Phil & and kids. The three children are distinctly different from each other, but all affected by the type-A parenting of Alice and Phil. A strong sense of family and love is what binds them together – warts and all.
I enjoy watching Billy Crystal movies, he does not disappoint in this movie as well. Bette Midler just glowed in this role – she held her own with Billy Crystal without dominating; Bette just made the scene better and believable. The movie has an all-around great cast; the acting is natural. LOVE the closing credits & final scene after the credits. This movie has become one of my recent favorites.