Mom and Dad (2017) Reviews

• Nic Cage in full on Nic Cage Rage mode!

  bizzywiththefizzy2018-02-12

  As soon as I saw the trailer for this, I knew I had to see it ASAP. I adore Nicolas Cage - the screamier, mad eyed the better - and this filmdidn't disappoint. It's essentially Nic Cage infected with some kind of rage-virus (the origin is never revealed or explained), running around trying to slaughter his two kids. Just when things are at peak-crazy, Lance Henriksen (largely of beloved 80s/90s straight to video horror) rocks up and pushes it over the top. I've seen reviews on here complaining about things such as 'how do they afford that house', 'the daughter is too old looking', etc. These reviewers were clearly not brought up on stupid, cheap, schlocky horror films you'd get on the bottom shelf of the cheap section of Blockbuster. It's not supposed to make pristine, logical sense. It's cheap, demented fun, and should be enjoyed as such. You don't see Selma Blair much these days, which is a shame, as she's pretty good here as a bored housewife turned psycho mother. Sadly, she's partnered with the King of Crazy, so she has trouble matching up to his boggle eyed, sing/shouting and whirlwind of destruction. It's surprisingly light on gore (most kills are implied and off-screen, for example, the housekeeper's kid) and feels aimed at teens as much as adults (perhaps the point?) so it's more of a comedy than a horror. The ending was a bit abrupt - it would have been nice to see some hint as to why it all happened - but it's also pretty cool that you're left to answer that question on your own. I watched this right after rewatching 'You're Next' and they kind of paired up nicely - another great fun, bonkers, survival-in-a-family-home scenario (although 'You're Next' is up there with 'Get Out' in terms of awesome, while 'Mom and Dad' isn't one I see myself rewatching to death) Tl,dr - lots of fun, pure undiluted Nic Cage at his Nic Cageiest.

  More

• I don't get it?

  swinson2018-01-26

  Great film, loved the action, love the actors (not a Cage fan), but why is it they can never come up with an ending so they just "cut it". My suggestion to all those people that think they are super film makers, creating a film is like writing a book, you have to catch your audience in the first paragraph and have a bloody ending. If you can't come up with an ending then don't do the movie.

  More

• Interesting, but Ultimately Confusing.

  bhiargoplease2018-02-11

  When I first watched the trailer, I thought this would be a pretty brainless movie. Given the premise, I thought I'd enjoy a couple of violent shenanigans and feel content with simply that. Unfortunately, Mom and Dad fail to deliver any ending, which leaves even the most uncomplicated movie a confusing mess. The strong start really leaves you excited for the rest of the movie, showcasing this strange parent uprising pretty damn well for the first few minutes of the movie. This ultimately falls short when the scope of this apocalypse is condensed into one single family. Admittedly, that would have been a fine idea - but at the end of the movie, I felt like I wanted more. With such an original concept, you'd imagine that they'd have more scenes that portrayed this apocalypse outside the breadth of the single family. Unfortunately, they failed to deliver anything substantial. Even when the setting was shifted to the one family, I felt more engaged pointing out the plot holes than I did actually enjoying the film. Even though this movie is supposed to be nothing more than a murderous blur, I didn't really feel invested with the movie as it went along. In other words, it became predictable as it went along. The only thing that gave me hope was the ending. I was really excited to see how they would wrap this one up. They even hinted at things throughout the plot, like the television static and the unusual ringing. But this was to no avail. At the end of the movie, I felt disappointed. I came in wanting some mindless, original savagery. What I got was a somewhat intriguing killing spree affixed to an incredibly underwhelming plot, which left much more to be desired.

  More

• Cage going ape crazy once more. And I loved it.

  peterp-450-2987162018-02-06

  "I mean, I used to be Brent... and you used to be Kendall... and now we're just... Mom and Dad." I'm sure some parents will experience it in their life. The moment you get a bit tired of your offspring. That you would love to put them on a rocket and shoot them to the moon, so that you get a little bit of time and space. Even though your love for your children is unconditional and sincere. This moment will only last a few seconds with normal parents before they look back at their kids lovingly and realize they can't live without them. Not here in "Mom and Dad". Here you'll see parents in a small American town, who suddenly turn into murderous psychopaths with only one goal. And that's killing their lovely children. The cause of this parental hysteria is not entirely clear. Is it, like in "Cell", an electronic pulse that triggers their behavior? Or is it a mutated virus? Don't expect an explanation. In any case, it causes mothers to leave a little baby in the car which is parked on a railroad crossing. Or a big fat family man swinging around with a bloody baseball bat. And a bunch of fleeing students who are being tackled en masse by crazy parents. The movie isn't exactly horrifying or scary. Only the scene with the newborn baby gave me an uncomfortable feeling. It feels like a typical zombie movie with parents walking around with a glassy look. The only difference is that they only have an eye for their own children and don't have the urge to chase every panicking teenager. "Mom and dad" is complete madness and highly entertaining. Nicolas Cage shines as the father who thinks he's a complete failure. His dreams didn't come true and his career isn't that what he had imagined. The same applies to his wife played by Selma Blair. A bitter-toned, exhausted mother who can't accept that her daughter doesn't show any affection anymore for her. She has been exchanged for weed smoking girlfriends and the omnipresent social media. Their frustrations become obvious during the pool table scene, where they pour their guts out. It's been a long time ago since I've enjoyed total craziness which Cage can play as one of the best. In "Arsenal" he showed a crazy "Tony Clifton" type whose tirades were brilliantly played ans at the same time felt exaggerated. However, the disturbing hysteria and raging frenzy he shows here, exceeds this effortlessly. In a convincing way he shows that frightening look and pure anger. It's as if complete madness has taken over. I admit, It's also overly exaggerated. But that makes it humorous sometimes. The grandparents' moment was an ingenious idea and caused the story to take a different direction. Do you like a horror comedy with a slightly macabre atmosphere? Well, that means this movie is right up your alley.

  More

• Old age having a go at youth, with lots of blood

  michaeljtrubic2017-09-21

  My favourite 2017 midnight madness film. Colourful characters, crazy plot, stylized violence. Typical late night slasher flare. Nicholas cage is back to the wild crazed character type he played so well in "Raising Arizona". I think actors like taking a break from heavy acting to do an occasionally zany role like this in the presence of a raucous midnight screening audience. Thanks for coming Nick and Selma. It was a lot of fun.

  More