A strong candidate for the worst movie I've seen all year.

| May 5, 2016

Poor Crystal. There remains a scintilla of dignity in his sad clown. He may beatbox while wearing wraparound sunglasses, but, thankfully for you and yours, he does not dance the robot.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Jan 4, 2013

This grating family comedy resembles a sitcom in its flat lighting, patronizing music cues, and frames supplying little visual information apart from the actors' mugging faces.

| Jan 3, 2013

One of those intergenerational embarrassment comedies in the Meet the Fockers line, where children can enjoy seeing grown-ups looking ridiculous.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Dec 28, 2012

A film with little else to commend it from the obvious.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Dec 27, 2012

An extended "in my day" joke intended to convey the superiority of old people over a lot of supposedly contemporary behavior that doesn't actually exist in real life.

| Dec 27, 2012

Billy Crystal and Bette Midler play dysfunctional grandparents. Ouch, and twice ouch.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Dec 27, 2012

Shtick-y and utterly synthetic

| Original Score: D | Dec 27, 2012

After a while it seems to run out of jokes, maybe to make room for all the crying and hug-it-out family redemption in the last half hour.

| Original Score: C | Dec 26, 2012

I can't deny I did feel fonder of my own family afterward, mostly because I know none of them would ever make me sit through Parental Guidance.

| Dec 26, 2012

It's hard to say what's worse: the sneering disdain for modern child-rearing tactics or the hacky generation-clash humor.

| Original Score: 1/5 | Dec 25, 2012

It's hard to know who exactly "Parental Guidance" was made for.

| Original Score: 0.5/4 | Dec 25, 2012

It's a shame they didn't choose a stronger project than Andy Fickman's family comedy, but you could certainly ask for worse babysitters.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 25, 2012

Parental Guidance feels like it's been thoughtlessly written in a boardroom strictly as a vehicle for Crystal to perform the same past-due routines he does at the Oscars, musical numbers and all.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/5 | Dec 25, 2012

Thanks to Crystal and Midler playing comfortable versions of the personas we've come to know, it's actually better than you would guess.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 25, 2012

Does it work? You betcha. There are smiles and tears, love and affirmations, a few funny jokes and a lot of easy sentimentality.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 25, 2012

Deeply, willfully out of touch ...

| Original Score: 2/5 | Dec 25, 2012

From a bounty of low, low moments in "Parental Guidance," it's difficult to choose the absolute lowest.

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/4 | Dec 25, 2012

Director Andy Fickman opts against subtlety at every turn. A score filled with heavy strings and the occasional ringing of chimes telegraphs all emotional cues, practically willing the water out of your tear ducts.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Dec 25, 2012

Parental Guidance is an engaging comedy that bridges multiple generation gaps, making it that rare movie that grandparents, their kids, and their kids can enjoy.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Dec 25, 2012