I went into The Parenting with low expectations. I thought it to be a Gen-Z horror-comedy with an aim to skewer boomers by way of the recognizable cast (Brian Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Edie Falco, Dean Norris, Parker Posey), with not one among them that immediately “screams” hilarity. And so my hopes were low. I mean, do we really want a Meet The Fockers (2004) horror movie? Well, count me old-fashioned as my misgivings gave way to being pleasantly surprised. The set-up is fresh, with a male gay couple introducing their respective parents at a farmhouse rental. Posey gets the laughs and our curiosity piqued early on with her general vacancy and kooky ability to trail off and/or get distracted mid-thought, and the immediate tension amongst the newly introduced parents allow for some fun, off-kilter comedy. Watch for a realistic weed gummy trip with Brandon Flynn, and a going-for-broke Cox who splinters into two polar opposite characters with an admirable passion. It is all quite amusing, however it is the horror in this horror-comedy that falters. The CGI and make-up are passible, but not in the comical sense and even though I mostly love a shock of gross-out humour, a lot of it felt unnecessary and distracting and served to only interrupt the awkward comedy that was sufficiently gaining momentum thanks to this game and seasoned ensemble. But all that aside, this film has some guts, alt-comedy-wise with the different generations poking fun at each other. I was wrong. It’s wasn’t at all what I expected. It was much more progressive than I assumed it would be. And by that I mean it’s regressive, rude and insensitive.