Keanu has been involved in several movies with pedigree ensemble casts, from The Gift, I Love You to Death, Dracula, to Much Ado About Nothing. But none was as successful as "Parenthood," director Ron Howard's homage to three generations of the Buckman family. The movie grossed $95.5 million at the box office and won recognition for many of its cast. Rick Moranis won "Funniest Supporting Actor" at the American Comedy Awards, Steve Martin, Dianne Wiest, and Randy Newman (score) were nominated for a Golden Globe, and Dianne Wiest and Randy Newman were nominated for Oscars. Others in the cast were Jason Robards, Tom Hulce, Mary Steenburgen, Martha Plimpton, and Leaf Phoenix, who went on to greater fame using the name Joaquin.

Parenthood was written by two close friends of Howard's, Babaloo Mandel and Lowell Ganz, all three of whom had 15 children between them. Talk about overqualified! It was produced by Howard's company, Imagine Entertainment, and Universal, which supplied its studios in Orlando, Florida for the filming (along with Gainesville, Fla.) It was released on August 4,1989 to great reviews. Rolling Stone called it "howlingly comic...spiced with risk and mischief," and said that the film "packs its observations with a sting." Variety said it was an "ambitious, keenly observed and often funny, look at one of life's most daunting passages." Variety also remarked that casting Keanu as Tod Hawkes was "an inspired touch." Time, People, and Newsweek liked the film too.

Ron Howard wanted to cast his movie with "names with proven box office appeal." Keanu topped the list of actors to play the role of Tod. Why? Perhaps because of the other character I thought of immediately when I saw the movie: Ted. Phrases used by critics to describe Tod could have been used for both characters: "good-natured", "intellectually-challenged," "Valley Dude," and "comic character." Tod and Ted shared similar stories: problems with father figures (though Tod's hinted more darkly of abuse), an unsure future (Tod tries house-painting, drag racing), and both faced early rejection and later acceptance by their family/community. But unlike Ted, Tod was a secondary character, with limited screen time to connect with the audience. In this brief time, Tod manages to establish rapport and create a strong presence by demonstrating a natural ability to parent the younger brother of his girlfriend, giving a pivotal speech ("You need a license to buy a dog, drive a car...catch a fish. But they'll let any butt-reaming asshole be a father"), and becoming an accepted member of the family in the hospital scene at the end. All this from a character which was barely sketched in the screenplay, but whose comedic elements with a hint of sadness, was fully realized by Keanu's acting talents.

"Parenthood" resonated with baby boomers who were entering their 30's as parents. It fit the moment, like other movies along the same theme at that time ("Look Who's Talking" comes to mind). So its no surprise that it inspired a short-lived TV series in 1990 with the same title, and directed by Ron Howard. Even Steve Martin paid a short visit with a guest appearance on the show. David Arquette played Keanu's Tod and Leonardo DiCaprio played Garry, the younger son. After shooting "Parenthood" Keanu played Trinculo in "The Tempest" in Lenox, Massachusetts at a winter workshop. His next movie was I Love You to Death, in which he was reunited with River Phoenix in their first picture together. They had met on the set of Parenthood because River's brother (Leaf) and girlfriend (Martha Plimpton) were there. River's first impression of Keanu was this: "I liked the guy and wanted to work with him. He's like my older brother, but shorter."

I don't see Parenthood much on television anymore. So I wonder if history will be kind to it as a movie which reflected its time period and is still relevant today (like River's Edge) or merely an over-glorifed soap opera, appropriate only to its time period (my feeling about "The Big Chill"). And how does the character of Tod fit into Keanu's career? Was Tod another version of Ted, an example of typecasting? Was he just "the guy under the bed," as Keanu described him once? Keanu has not played in too many comedies since Parenthood, and has not played the role of father either (with the brief exception of Little Buddha). I thought Keanu looked uncomfortable in that role at the end of the movie. I wonder if it would be a more natural today.
The balcony is now open.