Steve Martin was a god in the ’70s and ’80s. Though many ’80s fans consider “The Jerk” to be a milestone of his humor, I’d say it’s just a really, REALLY good start. During the ’80s, he gave us so much more, including “All of Me,” “Pennies from Heaven,” “The Man With Two Brains,” “The Lonely Guy,” and maybe most impressively, 1989’s “Parenthood.”
The film followed the lives of three adult siblings (Martin, Dianne Wiest, and Harley Jane Kozak) as they try to juggle careers and aspirations while raising challenging children in St. Louis (though actually shot in Orlando). The family’s despised patriarch – played with delicious indifference by Jason Robards – and younger, ne’er-do-well sibling (Tom Hulce) also show up to throw monkey wrenches into the works.
Check out this story I wrote for Florida Travel & Life about “Parenthood” along with five things you probably didn’t know about the movie. It remains one of my favorite family films.
In the meantime, here are five MORE things I learned about “Parenthood.”
- We adore Steve Martin in “Only Murders in the Building,” but did you know the adult members of the cast of “Parenthood” were playing their own “murder” game during filming? The object was for the killer to stare down – or “kill” – other players withing being noticed. If you watch closely during the family dinner scene, you’ll see the actors are all trying to stare each other down – they’re playing the game.
- Dianne Wiest was nominated for an Oscar for best-supporting actress in “Parenthood.” It was the first non-Woody Allen film for which she received that honor.
- Though the film is set in St. Louis, it’s not hard to see that it’s actually Florida – Orlando and Gainesville in particular. Even in the opening scene, set at a baseball stadium, the cars in the parking lot have Florida tags. Most of the Orlando locations are still around today.
- Martha Plimpton was bald for most of the movie because she had just completed a film where she played a cancer patient. She wore a wig during production until the scene where she and Keanu Reeves shave their hair.
- Randy Newman, also nominated for an Oscar for his song “I Love To See You Smile,” says the lyrics were inspired by the actual smile of cast member Mary Steenburgen.
Don’t forget to read my longer story about this movie at Florida Travel & Life. I’ve also written similar stories about “Summer Rental,” “Cocoon” and “Miami Vice.”