This was a movie that I had wanted to see since it came out, but through my own slowness about watching movies it would leave services before I would get a chance to see it. I had heard plenty of buzz about the movie when it first came out. I’m glad that I was finally able to see Mom and Dad. It delivers on the premise of parents attacking their children pretty well. Some of the stylistic choices make a lot of sense now that I realized the director.
It was written and directed by Brian Taylor. He’s part of the team that made the Crank movies as well as the second Ghost Rider movie. There’s needless shaky cam during the action scenes, which doesn’t do anything positive for those scenes. There isn’t shaky cam in all of the action scenes but when it’s used it detracts from them. Outside of the needless shaky cam I think it’s competently made and is a lot of fun and has a lot of darkly comedic moments. It also has moments where you think it’ll get really dark and go places movies don’t usually go.
That being said there’s a lot of kid related violence. The two lead kids played by Annie Winters and Zackary Arthur. Zackary Arthur is very young in the movie, and I didn’t initially realize he was in it, until I saw him in the movie. Nicolas Cage and Selma Blair are the titular Mom and Dad and round out the main family unit. Both Cage and Blair are a lot of fun when they really get to let loose. Selma Blair is terrifying when she gets going. Robert T. Cunningham and Lance Henriksen both have supporting roles with Cunningham’s character getting the absolute shit knocked out of them.
The stunt team in this movie were able to do some insane stuff. All of what they were able to pull off safely makes the movie even more insane than it would be with normal stunts. The effects in the movie are great as well. All of it works together to have crazy stuff happen. It’s all amplified by Mr. Bill’s score.
Mom and Dad is an insane dark comedy that will leave you speechless one moment then have you laughing the next. I don’t really know what else I can say without possibly spoiling any of the moments, and that’s something that I wouldn’t want. You can stream Mom and Dad on the Starz app. I give Mom and Dad 7.5 Sawzalls out of 10.
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