In the family comedy “Parental Guidance,” Artie Decker (Billy Crystal), who is accustomed to calling the shots, meets his match when he and his eager-to-please wife Diane (Bette Midler) agree to babysit their three grandkids when their type-A helicopter parents (Marisa Tomei, Tom Everett Scott) go away for work.
Inevitably things go haywire as soon as they arrive. The kids are not happy to see their grandparents, who have a very different approach to parenting and family life from their mother and father.
Artie’s has mixed feelings about this which is partly due to his recent professional setbacks. A minor league baseball announcer for over 30 years, Artie has just been fired, losing his dream to work in the major leagues. Still reeling from that disappointment, the last thing he wants is to look after his grandchildren. But Artie will ultimately discover that there’s more to life than announcing ball games. “He’s been fired from a job he loves, but then finds himself kind of falling in love with his grandkids,” says Crystal.
