Parenthood
If you’ve ever seen the 1989 movie of the same name, you’ve generally got the gist of the new NBC show Parenthood. I loved the movie and upon seeing the previews, I found that I know and like many of the actors in the new show so I figured “what the hey,” I’ll give it a try.
The movie and the show are surprisingly similar in that both mix laughter with much heavier themes. In my opinion, the movie had a lot more laughs, mostly because of the actors that were cast, namely comedians like Steve Martin and Rick Moranis. The show doesn’t include any comedians by definition (though Dax Shepard always makes me laugh) but it is funny simply because you find that you’re able to laugh at the ridiculousness of life while at the same time appreciating the more burdensome parts of it.
The show features a broad range of characters which include a pushy Craig T. Nelson and pushover Bonnie Bedelia playing the patriarch and matriarch of a family. Their children include:
• A brother/father/son played by Peter Krause (who will always have a place in my heart from Six Feet Under). He is the go to man in the family for everyone’s problems and suddenly finds himself in unfamiliar territory with a big problem of his own, a son who may have Aspergers
• A sister/mother/daughter played by Erika Christensen who can’t find balance between her work and her home life and has pretty much left the raising of her daughter to her husband
• Dax Shepard cast rather perfectly as the brother/son who can’t grow up but is about to forced to
• And last, but certainly not least, Lauren Graham who plays the sister/mother/daughter who has completely lost control of her life and her two teenagers, and has been forced to move back in with her parents
I was surprised by how many times I laughed and how many times I teared up during 50 minutes of television. I’m usually not so affected by a TV show but then again, I’ve had some major life changes (namely having a child) in the past year that makes me THE prime audience for a show such as this.
After having watched the show, I promptly wanted to get a hysterectomy and ship my daughter off to boarding school so that I wouldn’t have to deal with her growing up and becoming a loose cannon of a teenager. I wonder if I should stop watching now so that I can remain ignorant of all of the potentially craziness that awaits me, but unfortunately, it’s too late. The pilot was very, very good. The actors are excellent and the stories/characters surprisingly real and relevant. And I’m hooked.
If you missed it, I encourage you to check it out on NBC.com or Hulu.com. You can bet that I’ll be watching next Tuesday at 10pm for episode 2.
Posted by Kristin Hanley at 10:17 AM. Filed under:
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