Mom and Dad: When nurturing becomes a joyful and murderous task
By David Lloyd
Mom and Dad may be the ones who brought you into this world. But in the 2018 film of the same name, they’re taking you out. Ready for parental guidance?
Parents are meant to be our providers, life teachers and most importantly our protectors. What happens when something makes the desire to nurture and protect our children gets confused with murdering them? Our future then hangs in the balance, for survival.
In Mom and Dad, Selma Blair and Nicolas Cage play Kendall and Brent Ryan, two high school sweethearts who’ve managed to remain together despite Brent suffering a mid-life crisis. Kendall has stood by her man to help him through this trying time as he comes to the realization that he’s not the big man on campus anymore. Brent sorely misses the glory days being the top dog and the opportunities he’s missed by marrying so young. Also, it doesn’t help that he and his wife are out of touch with their teenage daughter Carly and her younger brother, Josh, played by Anne Winters and Zachary Arthur, respectively.
Both kids have their own views on life, from Carly being distant with her mom to Josh being increasingly curious about his dads’ toys. Even in flashbacks, you begin to see some hostility brewing between the parents and their children. Flashbacks tend to show up in the heated moments of the film, which sheds more light on current situations. I thought it was a good touch as it doesn’t leave you feeling confused and lost when they appear.
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Also, it adds more flavor to this pot of krazy gravy that’s been simmering since the opening scene. I mean everyone is having some type of issue. For me, the first nine minutes set the tone for things to come. But I will focus on the parents because you know, revenge.
The film’s premise tells us that some type of impulse inhibitor is making the parents attack and kill their own children while ignoring all others. From what I could gather, it appears to be some sort of signal that just…hits you. Thanks to this movie, I can never listen to It Must Have Been Love by Roxette the same ever again. The music is its own character and I enjoyed the way they used it, as it helped to tell that story.
In Mom and Dad, Nick Cage’s character plays like a young Christopher Walken, channeling just about every psycho role the iconic actor portrayed when he was the go-to bad guy. Selma Blair’s character is the typical movie mom who just wants to be loved and appreciated by her family, but still missing that something she can call her own. She does come into her own once faced with the reality that murdering her children is far more rewarding than seeking their affection. If only she had those Liz Sherman powers, ahh, the joys of parenting. Did I mention that Brent’s parents were for coming for dinner? The gravy is boiling!
I highly suggest you take a moment to put this film on your watchlist and enjoy it as much as I did. Let me know what you guys think in the comments below and until next time Auf Wiedersehen.(wf).
Next: The Terrible Two is a terrible one (Review)