The Parenting ***

Starring: Brandon Flynn, Nik Dodani, Brian Cox, Edie Falco, Lisa Kudrow, Dean Norris, Vivian Bang, Parker Posey 

Director: Craig Johnson

Country: USA

Distributor: HBO Max

Josh (Flyn – 13 Reasons Why) and his boyfriend Rohan (Dodani – Atypical) have rented a house in the countryside for a weekend with both their families, only to find that it is haunted by a vengeful poltergeist.

Both sets of parents are played by TV royalty, so the calibre of the acting is actually pretty high. Brian Cox (Succession, Troy) and Edie Falco (The Sopranos, Nurse Jackie) play Rohan’s parents, while Lisa Kudrow (Friends, The Comeback) and Dean Norris (Breaking Bad) play Josh’s. This is unmistakeably a comedy film, so while you know exactly what you’re getting with Kudrow in this genre, what’s actually quite delightful to enjoy is Cox throwing himself into a ridiculous role that couldn’t be further from his usual fayre. You may not realise that you want to see Logan Roy possessed by a sassy demon, but once you’ve seen it, it can’t be unseen!

Like all good supernatural ghost films, the story is confined to the limits of the house, albeit a sprawling wooden mansion standing proudly in rolling snow-covered forest. And with such a gorgeous location, every shadowy corner and hidden nook is used for concealing a jump-scare. It doesn’t hold back on these either, with its demon taking human form in the shape of a variety of clichéd ghostly tropes. But then, this isn’t about reinventing the horror genre.

While there’s no doubt this is a fun romp, the film’s main problem is its completely generic narrative. If this were an out-and-out spoof then this would be less of a problem, but it actually doesn’t go heavy on the gags, meaning that its only half-funny, half-interesting and also only half-scary. There’s no doubt this is an amusing way to pass ninety minutes, but if it didn’t have the cast that it has, we wouldn’t be giving it a second look.

UK Release: Coming Soon!

#TheParenting