MOM AND DAD
Parenting kills
released OUT NOW! 2018 | 15 | BLU-RAY/DVD/DOWNLOAD
Director Brian Taylor Cast Nicolas Cage, selma Blair, anne Winters, Zackary arthur
If you thought the “epidemic of violence” subgenre was all played out, think again. Mom And Dad finds a rewarding new angle, due to the specificity of its pitch.
Quite why suburban Americans start flipping out is unclear – though it seems to be technologyrelated, and it may be a deliberate attack. Suddenly parents like Brent and Kendall Ryan (Nicolas Cage, Selma Blair) are dashing to kill their kids, as if a switch has been flipped on the parental urge to protect. It’s a brilliantly simple high-concept with some horrific ramifications – like what happens when a woman gives birth…
The ensuing carnage is pacy and rich with black comedy – particularly since those affected remain perfectly lucid, able to calmly discuss their plans. Early on, the ironic scoring gets a little much, as attacks play out to breezy cocktail jazz. But later on writer/director Brian Taylor demonstrates more subtlety, with some resonant flashbacks that explore the way parents often do chafe at and resent the restrictions of their parental roles.
All four leads are excellent, with Cage in particular a perfect fit. When Brent’s not ranting, howling or crying, he’s glumly rueing a body gone to seed; in 2018 you couldn’t hope to find a better match for the actor’s skill set.
Extras None. Ian Berriman
Grant Morrison cameos as an expert on the news – Brian Taylor recently adapted his comic book Happy! for TV.