Parenthood Details

This feel-good family ensemble piece from director Ron Howard manages to avoid being oversentimental, and the result is an affectionate, leisurely comedy about the joys (and otherwise) of bringing up children. Steve Martin grabs the comic honours as the elder son of a family headed by crotchety Jason Robards, although there are fine performances, too, from a star-studded supporting cast that includes Dianne Wiest, Rick Moranis, Mary Steenburgen, Martha Plimpton and Keanu Reeves. Howard handles the large number of different story strands adeptly and he makes the most of Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel's sharp script and some neat set pieces, notably Martin's cowboy turn at his son's birthday party.

Expertly packaged, frequently funny, sometimes accurate, but more often sentimental, study of paternal relationships (maternal relationships are defined in terms of the absence of a father).