Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
On Quartile, Parenthood scores 7/10 across five categories — strongest on Acting (Well Above Average), weakest on Cinematography (Below Average).
Ranked among Quartile’s Top Acting.
The story of the Buckman family and friends, attempting to bring up their children. They suffer/enjoy all the events that occur: estranged relatives, the 'black sheep' of the family, the eccentrics, the skeletons in the closet, and the rebellious teenagers.
Parenthood is an ensemble comedy-drama that leans heavily on its cast to elevate fairly familiar material. Steve Martin, Mary Steenburgen, Dianne Wiest, and Jason Robards anchor a sprawling multigenerational story with genuine warmth and skill — the acting is the clear standout. The plot covers well-trodden family dysfunction territory without much surprise, cycling through recognizable sitcom-adjacent situations, and Ron Howard's direction is competent but visually unremarkable. The film doesn't bring much that's distinctly new to the suburban family comedy genre, feeling more like a polished execution of familiar tropes than a singular vision. The ending wraps things up with a crowd-pleasing uplift that, while earned emotionally, leans into sentimentality rather than earned resolution.