This black comedy/horror film hit Philly theaters with plenty of positive word of mouth behind it. Word from New York was that it was a quirky spin on BLUE VELVET with a dash more graphic horror. Excited, I went opening night hoping for TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE MEETS HAPPY DAYS. Sadly, what I got was a plodding mish-mash that while being twisted is also extremely disappointing.

Randy Quaid and Mary Beth Hurt star as Nick and Lily Laemle, seemingly normal parents in 1954 suburban America. He works for ToxicCo. developing defoliants. She is the ultimate homemaker; always perfectly attired and couiffed. However, their young son Michael senses something is amiss and begins investigating the origin of the "leftovers" served every night for dinner.

While the premise seems entertaining enough, writer Christopher Hawthorne isn't able to flesh the idea out (sorry, I had to) and the story ends up plodding through its 83 minute running time. Some scenes seem unfinished. Others rely on contrivances and cheap shocks. And one character, thought to be important by this viewer, disappears 3/4 into the movie never to return.

Despite its underdevelopment, I had a much bigger problem with PARENTS. Sadly enough it runs into the same difficulty that countless genre entries have experienced in recent years: the indecision over whether to be a comedy or a horror film. While BLUE VELVET was funny, its comedy came from the insanity of the situations Jeffrey found himself in. LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM, on the other hand, was a spoof which played the horror elements to the right level and kept a good ratio. Other films (THE LOST BOYS, the HOUSE films) haven't been able to make the distinction and end up too schizophrenic for their own good.

Despite good performances from Randy Quaid (who never gets a chance to cut loose) and Hurt, as well as the competent direction from actor Bob Balaban (also seen in DEAD BANG), the film is far too uneven for me to give a strong recommendation.