Old will be new in the upcoming truthful family comedy “Parental Guidance”
starring Billy Crystal, Bette Midler, Marisa Tomei and Tom Everett Scott.
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| Photo courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox |
Billy
Crystal plays Artie Decker, a well-meaning but rather self-centered man who
loves his life and his wife Diane (Bette Midler), but has never bothered
to connect with his grandchildren. Time soon came to reconnect when they
agreed 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 brings a family together.
“PARENTAL GUIDANCE combines comedy and pathos in the best way,” affirms Billy
Crystal, who portrays Artie Decker. “It’s what life is about. This
film has something for everyone.”
“The film was my idea,” says Crystal. “I have three grandchildren of my own and
another one on the way in March. The two older girls stayed with us for six
days while my daughter had her first vacation away. After the sixth day I
rested and then walked into the office and said, ‘okay, here’s an idea
for a movie. It is a horror story!’”
In the
story, Billy Crystal’s Artie and Bette Midler’s Diane are “the other
grandparents” to their three grandchildren – meaning their son-in-law’s parents
have a much stronger connection with the kids, which Diane envies and has long
sought to correct. But Artie and Diane’s infrequent visits to their
daughter Alice’s (Marisa Tomei) home have relegated them to second-tier status
– along with a few photos of the couple hidden on Alice’s mantelpiece.
“It’s not that Artie and Diane don’t love Alice – who is their only child – and
her three kids; they just don’t understand them,” explains Midler. Diane
has renewed hope when Alice reluctantly invites her and Artie to babysit the
couple’s grandkids while Alice and husband Phil (Tom Everett Scott) enjoy some
time away from home. For Alice, her invitation is an act of, well,
desperation – her in-laws are unavailable so she must turn to Artie and Diane
for help. (Alice’s misgiving even lead to her breaking out in a rash.) But
Diane sees it as a golden opportunity: “Grandparenting is a second chance” to
be a part of their lives of their grandchildren and Alice – she tells Artie,
who is much less enthused about hanging out with the kids he barely knows.
Artie’s mixed feelings about this “second chance” are partly due to his recent
professional setbacks. A minor league baseball announcer for over
30 years, Artie has just been fired, losing his dream to work in the major
leagues. Still reeling from that disappointment, the last thing he wants
is to look after his grandchildren. But Artie will ultimately discover
that there’s more to life than announcing ball games. “He’s been fired
from a job he loves, but then finds himself kind of falling in love with his
grandkids,” says Crystal.
Before getting to that point, Artie undergoes a series of granddad vs.
daughter/grandkids comedic misadventures, misunderstandings and mistakes, not
to mention daughter Alice’s lack of faith in his ability to stick to her myriad
rules and regulations. Says Marisa Tomei: “Artie and Diane are like
a ‘club of two’ and haven’t cultivated relationships with their grandchildren.
They had a great time living their own lives, but forgot to get to know the
kids.”
“Parental Guidance” is released by 20th
Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.
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