Mom and Dad (2017 film)
| Mom and Dad | |
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.png) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Brian Taylor |
| Screenplay by | Brian Taylor |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Daniel Pearl |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Mr. Bill |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Momentum Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 83 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Mom and Dad is a 2017 American horror comedy film written and directed by Brian Taylor. The film stars Nicolas Cage and Selma Blair. It premiered in the Midnight Madness section at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival.[2] The film was released on January 19, 2018, by Momentum Pictures.The film was well recieved by critics who praised the premise,tone and praising both Cage and Blair's performances.
Plot
The film opens with a mother putting on soothing music for her child as she sets her car on railroad tracks and leaves the child in the car to die.
The Ryans are a family of four with a strained relationship. Brent, the father, does not approve of his daughter Carly's new boyfriend; Carly is angry with him, as well as her mother, Kendall, whom she considers out of touch. Carly also fights with her much younger brother, Josh, who annoys her. Carly is forced to cancel plans with her boyfriend, Damon, for dinner with her visiting grandparents.
As Carly is at school, an unexplained static starts transmitting through TV screens and radios. The effect is seen as the Ryans' housekeeper murders her own daughter with a meat tenderizer in front of a terrified Josh and a mob of parents rushes Carly's school in an effort to kill their children by any means they can. Carly escapes the school with her friend Riley and hides out at her house, where Riley's mom attacks and strangles Riley to death. Carly runs home in terror, running into Damon - who has killed his own father in self-defense - as she does. Damon tells Carly that the parents only want to kill their own kids, and accompanies her home to get Josh somewhere safe.
After an exercise class, Kendall goes to the hospital to be present for her sister Jenna's baby, but the static transmits just after Jenna gives birth, causing her to attempt to kill her baby. Kendall escapes the hospital, seeing reports of the mass hysteria on television - the static gives parents a natural instinct to slaughter their children. In an effort to protect her own children, Kendall heads home. Brent heads home as well, as he is bored at work.
Upon seeing Carly with Damon at home, the hysteria fully overtakes Brent, and he knocks Damon out and attacks Carly. Kendall joins him upon getting home; Carly and Josh escape them and lock themselves in the basement. Kendall and Brent bond over their shared desire to kill their children, and run a hose from their oven's gas pump to the basement in an effort to poison the kids. When Carly sees the gas, she rigs up a trap with matches at the basement door and hides with Josh in the house ventilation system. Brent cuts the door's lock off and opens the door, igniting the gas and triggering an explosion that knocks Kendall and Brent out and wakes Damon up.
Damon helps Carly and Josh evade their parents, but Kendall wakes up, stabs him in the cheek with a wire hanger, and pushes him over a stair railing, knocking him out again. The parents close in on the kids, but are interrupted by the doorbell; Brent's parents have arrived for dinner. When he opens the door, his mother pepper sprays him and his father stabs him, revealing that the hysteria affects grandparents as well. Everyone chases each other through the house. Josh evades Brent, who attempts to hide from his father in his car in the garage. Kendall chases Carly outside and hits her in the head, but Brent's mother attacks her.
Brent starts the car, drives it out of the garage, and crashes it, killing both his parents and knocking himself out again. Kendall prepares to finish Carly off, but Damon knocks her out with a shovel to the head.
Kendall and Brent wake up to find themselves restrained in the basement with Carly, Josh, and Damon watching them. They continue to exhibit symptoms of the hysteria, and the kids refuse to let them go. Kendall tearfully tells the children she loves them, and Brent continues, "But sometimes, we just want to--". The film ends before he can finish his sentence.
Cast
- Nicolas Cage as Brent Ryan[3]
- Selma Blair as Kendall Ryan[4]
- Anne Winters as Carly Ryan
- Zackary Arthur as Josh Ryan
- Olivia Crocicchia as Riley
- Brionne Davis as Tanner
- Samantha Lemole as Jenna
- Lance Henriksen as Mel
Production
On February 12, 2016, Nicolas Cage joined the cast of the film.[3] On June 22, 2016, Selma Blair joined the cast of the film.[4] Principal photography began in July 2016.[3]
Release
The film premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2017.[1] The film was released on January 19, 2018, by Momentum Pictures.[5]
Reception
The film received positive reviews from critics. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 75% based on 64 reviews, with an average rating of 6.1/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Mom and Dad's gonzo premise serves as an effective springboard for a wickedly dark, bloody comedy - and an appropriately over-the-top performance from Nicolas Cage".[6] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 62 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews"[7]
References
- ^ a b "'Mom & Dad' Review". Hollywood Reporter. September 11, 2017. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
- ^ Wilner, Norman (August 1, 2017). "TIFF 2017's Midnight Madness, documentary slates are announced". Now Toronto. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
- ^ a b c Roxborough, Scott (February 12, 2016). "Berlin: Nicolas Cage Boards Horror Thriller 'Mom and Dad'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
- ^ a b McNary, Dave (June 22, 2016). "Nicolas Cage, Selma Blair Starring in Thriller 'Mom and Dad'". Variety. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
- ^ Nick Romano (December 27, 2017). "Mom and Dad trailer: Nic Cage, Selma Blair could just murder their kids". EW.com. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
- ^ "Mom and Dad (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
- ^ "Mom and Dad Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
External links
- Mom and Dad at IMDb