The Parenting

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2:14

The Parenting

2025

1h 40m

Horror

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

49%

Tomatometer

37 Reviews

84%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

A hilariously terrifying comedy, THE PARENTING follows young couple Rohan and Josh as they plan a perfect weekend getaway in the country to introduce their parents. As tensions begin to flare between the more traditional Sharon and Frank and the laid-back Liddy and Cliff, the families soon realize that their rental -- managed by eccentric local Brenda -- is haunted by the presence of a 400-year-old poltergeist. When one parent becomes thoroughly possessed, it's up to the young couple and their meddlesome BFF Sara to unite the families and stop the evil entity once and for all.

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Critics Consensus

Playing in the well-worn horror-comedy sandbox, Craig Johnson's The Parenting may need a time-out when it comes to reinvigorating the genre.

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Randy Myers

San Jose Mercury News

03/20/2025

2/4

Director Craig Johnson gives up the ghost of a promise the movie had going for it.

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Benjamin Lee

Guardian

03/15/2025

2/5

As a comedy, it stops being funny and as a horror it never starts being scary with Johnson’s direction far too drab and lifeless for something so cartoonish and schlocky. Big swing, bigger miss.

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Vikram Murthi

IndieWire

03/13/2025

C-

The ostensibly heartfelt scenes where characters apologize for their behavior or stand up for themselves never display an ounce of emotional potency because no one resembles a real person.

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Josh Winning

Radio Times

Dec 24

3/5

The result is brilliantly high-energy and camp, but with a heartfelt message at its core.

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Alise Chaffins

MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack)

Jul 15

3.5/5

The Parenting sets itself apart as a unique film. The demon aspect is fun without being overly scary or gory, allowing this to be enjoyed by people looking for a mild scare to accompany their laughs.

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Maxance Vincent

The Cinema Spot

Jul 11

2.5/5

Who doesn’t like actors having fun for 90 minutes? I certainly do, but Kent Sublette’s screenplay is chock-full of some of the most egregious horror comedy tropes that it becomes easy to figure out what will happen as the film progresses.

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Martyn S

@RT88144008 Feb 1

This is a fun light-hearted easy watch - a film you can enjoy by yourself or others. If you are in the mood for that kind of movie then this is certainly worth a watch.

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Marion W

@MaidM Feb 1

I love this kind of humor, so I really enjoyed it. Comedic horror done well with actors who didn’t phone it in. If you like silly movies that make you giggle the entire time, this is for you.

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Brenda S

@Beeceesel Jan 18

I’m crying! My type of humour! Some of my favourite actors too!

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Zachary K

@ZacharyKing Nov 4

Its kind of just mediocre on all fronts, not much to say about this one. Got a few laughs out of me and had a fun soundtrack. 5/10

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Bill P

@RT28912689 Oct 24

Comedy horror that's not scary or funny despite an all star cast. The cast kept me watchng because, come on, Edie Falco, Lisa Kudrow, Parker Posey(!), Dean Norris, Brian Cox, Vivian Bang... Did they lose a bet or something? How did such an A-List bunch get suckered into this second rate flick?

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TI H

@MeInCharacter Oct 19

It took me a while to get into this. At first, I didn't realize it was meant to be a comedy. Once I switched into the right frame of mind, I began enjoying the production, especially the all-star cast. The film certainly has its moments. The schtick is that two men are about to be engaged, and they spend the weekend in a house with their parents, emotionally unstable friend, and three Pomeranian dogs. Oh, and a demon. The house is haunted. ////// It's a fun story, but ultimately, the setup is better than the execution. I felt that they could have done more with the relationships while at the same time making the plot complications funnier. I'll bet you get a kick out of it, although you might, like I did, fast-forward through parts.

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Craig Johnson

Director

Brandon Flynn

Josh

Nik Dodani

Rohan

Brian Cox

Frank

Edie Falco

Sharon

Lisa Kudrow

Liddy

The Parenting: Trailer 1

2:14

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Synopsis

A hilariously terrifying comedy, THE PARENTING follows young couple Rohan and Josh as they plan a perfect weekend getaway in the country to introduce their parents. As tensions begin to flare between the more traditional Sharon and Frank and the laid-back Liddy and Cliff, the families soon realize that their rental -- managed by eccentric local Brenda -- is haunted by the presence of a 400-year-old poltergeist. When one parent becomes thoroughly possessed, it's up to the young couple and their meddlesome BFF Sara to unite the families and stop the evil entity once and for all.

Director: Craig Johnson
Producer: Chris Bender, Jake Weiner
Screenwriter: Kent Sublette, Kent Sublette
Distributor: Max
Production Co: New Line Productions, Good Fear Content
Genre: Horror, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 13, 2025
Runtime: 1h 40m

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