''And You Thought Your Parents Were Weird'' is a 1991 American

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

written and directed by Tony Cookson in his feature directorial debut. The film stars Marcia Strassman, Joshua Miller, Edan Gross, John Quade, Sam Behrens, and Alan Thicke. It follows two inventor brothers Josh and Max Carson who create a

robot A robot is a machine—especially one Computer program, programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions Automation, automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the robot control, co ...

. But after Josh uses a ouija board at a Halloween party, the robot later on becomes inhabited by the spirit of their deceased father. The film was theatrically released in the United States on November 15, 1991, by Trimark Pictures. It received mixed reviews from critics and underperformed at the box office. For his performance, Miller was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor.

Plot

Two brothers Josh and Max attempt to invent a fully mobile robot with advanced

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computer, computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. It is a field of re ...

to help their mother, Sarah, with household chores. However, after a playfully performed séance on Halloween, the ghost of their late father, Matthew, possesses the robot. The boys are overjoyed at the return of their father, but it soon becomes apparent that the people who stole their father's work are after their robot, Newman. Eventually, Matthew returns to the afterlife after setting his boys on the right path as they sell the plans for their robot to a rich Texan investor.

Cast

Production

In June 1990, it was reported that producer Just Betzer planned to finance the film through his company, Panorama Film International. Principal photography began in mid-July 1990 in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, under the working title ''Newman'', and wrapped in late-May 1991.

Reception

Box office

The film was a box-office bomb, grossing only $202,590 in North America.

Critical response

Janet Maslin of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' stated, "''And You Thought Your Parents Were Weird'' has a low-budget look and a lot of strained wholesomeness, although it works best when its eccentricities are allowed to show." Michael Wilmington of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' called it "a cute robot movie" and noted, "''And You Thought Your Parents Were Weird'' is so soft and squishy, that any decently cute robot would probably sink through its center like a stone." Roger Ebert of the '' Chicago Sun-Times'' gave the film two out of four stars, and wrote, "''And You Thought Your Parents Were Weird'' seems inspired by several different sources. ��Is the movie worth seeing on its own? Only marginally; it's the kind of entertainment that seems like more fun on Nickelodeon than when you paid for your ticket."

Accolades

References

External links

* * {{Rotten Tomatoes, m/and_you_thought_your_parents_were_weird 1991 films 1991 comedy films 1991 directorial debut films 1991 independent films 1990s American films 1990s English-language films 1990s children's comedy films 1990s fantasy comedy films 1990s science fiction comedy films American children's comedy films American fantasy comedy films American science fiction comedy films American independent films American robot films Films about brothers Films about father–son relationships Films about mother–son relationships Films shot in Los Angeles Trimark Pictures films Films scored by Randy Miller (composer) 1991 science fiction films English-language science fiction comedy films English-language independent films English-language fantasy comedy films