Parenthood (1989)

 

Steve Martin stars and is perfectly uptight as Gil Buckman, a family man trying not to freak out on the rollercoaster of parenthood, but there's a veritable Love Actually-sized ensemble here too: a single mother (Dianne Wiest) struggles to raise a teenage boy (a young Joaquin Phoenix) while trying to steer an older daughter (Martha Plimpton) away from no-hopers like Tod (Keanu Reeves playing Ted again), and more (Rick Moranis, Tom Hulce, Mary Steenburgen, and Jason Robards) all in Ron Howard's comedy smash hit about the trials and tribulations of the privileged white raising kids in traditional family units.

★★★☆☆

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It's Complicated (2009)

Some of Nancy Meyer's movies are so clean, so sanitised, with sets so "interior-designed" they feel like laundry detergeant commercials, but she keeps things more down-to-earth and more relatable in this romantic comedy, another movie in which she squarely targets a more mature generation of female movie-goer, this time telling the story about a woman (Meryl Streep) who embarks upon an affair with her married ex-husband (Alec Baldwin) while keeping up appearances with her adult children and with the architect (Steve Martin) renovating her house.

★★★★☆

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The Pink Panther (2006)

Steve Martin steps into the role that Peter Sellers made his own over seven of nine previous Pink Panther instalments and he is not any more or less funny - the entire series is a bit wet - but despite yourself you'll laugh at the daggy dad-jokes as the bungling Inspector Clouseau somehow manages to track down a murderer and the legendary jewel, The Pink Panther.

★★☆☆☆

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Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)

In this classic John Hughes comedy from the 80s, circumstances throw together an odd couple - a permed and incessantly jovial shower ring salesman (John Candy in a role that would be played these days by Melissa McCarthy) and an uptight and incessantly grumpy marketing executive (Steve Martin...(who, Ben Stiller? Sandra Bullock?)) - on a trip across America via planes, trains, and automobiles.

★★★★☆

CINECAL: ONE SENTENCE REVIEWS