Parenthood Worth the Money
by: Carrie Thompson
Parenthood, a movie which seems
to attract all ages, is one which is
geared more toward older teens and
adults. The use of children in the
cast seems to attract children to the
film; however, the plot is not as
suitable for them. The film deals
with serious issues of society, yet is
very down to earth. The movie
begins with a flashback of Gil, played
by Steve Martin, as he remembers
his childhood and the neglect he
received from his father. At this
point, he informs the audience that
he intends to raise his children in a
loving, caring environment. In this
movie, Gil’s father’s four grown
children are presented, along with
their spouses and their children. It
shows the ways in which each of the
parents handles the responsibility of
raising children.
One couple, Susan and Nathan,
played by Rick Moranis and Martha
Plimpton, choose to raise their
daughter Patty to be an intellect.
They constantly quiz her with infor
mation, even though she is only about
four years old. For example, Patty
already knows the symbol for each
of the scientific elements. Nathan
becomes so obsessed with educat
ing her that his obsession causes
Susan to leave him.
Gil and Karen, played by Steve
Martin and Mary Steenburgen, are
normal parents who try to do the
best for their kids. They are a bit
distraught when they discover that
their son is going to be sent to a
school for special education. They
are forced to accept the fact that
Kevin is not a normal child, accord
ing to the school principal and a
child psychologist. There is, how
ever, no evidence in the movie that
there is anything wrong with Kevin.
At a later point, the two, Gil and
Karen, are faced with the thought of
abortion because of Gil’s lack of a
job. They manage, however, to wOTk
through the difficult times and to
have a fourth child.
The third family consists of a
divorced mother, played by Dianne
Wiest, and her two rebellious chil
dren. The eldest, Julie, is sexually
active with her boyfriend, Todd,
whom she manies. The marriage is
very unstable, but with the help of
her mother, Julie and Todd work
things out Tlie younger child, Gary,
has withdrawn from his family and
struggles with the things most teen
age boys struggle with, such as sex.
Helen, Julie and Gary’s mother, tries
hard to cope with the frustrations of
being a single mother.
The fourth child in this family of
adults is Larry, played by Tom
Hulce. He resembles the four sib
lings’ father, through his selfishness
and through his insensitivities. He
appears, after having been gone for
three years, to reveal to his father
that his compulsion for gambling
will cost him his life if he does not
come up with a lot of money.
Parenthood is a movie worth pay
ing for. It presents real situations
and many different ones. Despite
the fact that good, solid families are
presented, the viewers also see the
struggles and frustrations that come
with being parents and the difficulty
that comes from being a single par
ent. The movie provides a wide
range of situations. Parenthood is
an honestly made movie, that relates
to life as we live it.
Friends of the College Ticket information
Meredith College buys a block
of fifty tickets during the ticket sales
season in the spring for the Friends
of the College concert series held in
the Reynolds Coliseum on the NCSU
campus. This insures that new stu
dents and faculty may buy tickets
since the series is always sold out
and no new ticket may be bought
after the sales season. All programs
are given on two nights and tickets
may be exchanged for another night
No individual tickets are sold for a
single concert. The price is $30 for
the series of seven concerts. Tickets
may be gotten from Mrs. W.P. Gar-
riss in Wainwright Music building.
The Friends of the College Sea
son is as follows:
Oct. 13 &14,1989- The Saint
Paul Cahmber Orchestra
Nov. 10 &11, 1989- Victor
Borge
Jan. 12 &13,1989- San Fran
cisco Girls Chorus
Feb. 23 &24, 1990- Shalom:
We Are Here (Israel folk group)
March 23 &24,1990- Vlaimir
Feltsman, pianist
March 30 &31,1990-- Moscow
Philharmonic Orchestra
April 20 &22, 1990- Sherrill,
Milnes, Baritone