Mom and Dad

MOVIE #1,132 • 🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿 • 08.31.23 Starting in 2020, I decided to watch & review the entire Nicolas Cage filmography in alphabetical order. This is 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔜𝔢𝔞𝔯 𝔬𝔣 ℭ𝔞𝔤𝔢 – Chapter 45. [Ed. Note: This CAGE review is one of a few that was not done in the patented 'video recap' style. I apologize for the inconsistency and will strive to never let this happen again.] While this isn’t a great film necessarily, it’s a prime example of why I started this Nicolas Cage filmography review project 17 years ago. I was hoping to find some fascinating and/or original under-seen hidden gems and this certainly qualifies. Reuniting with Cage is Brian Taylor, one half of the duo that made Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (a far superior sequel compared to the original) as well as the Jason Statham Crank movies.

This is his first and only solo feature as writer-director (though he’s been tabbed to helm another Hellboy reboot) and I really hope he gets to make more films because, despite its flaws, this is definitely worth a watch. (If anything it’s proof that all movies need to be 80 minutes long on the nose!)

I won’t get into the specifics of the plot because going in 100% cold absolutely added to the enjoyment of this satirical, bloody horror (I didn’t even know it was a horror movie). Suffice it to say, by the time the great Lance Henriksen shows up, hellbent on killing his son (Nicolas Cage), there are only ten minutes left. It was at this point I realized that, as a satire, there was no way anything was going to be resolved successfully (what’s the point? it’s hard being a kid? it’s hard being a parent? both parents and kids are stuck in an unending loop of resentment and pain that will forever trump the joys that supposedly come with those roles? SURE). But the film’s breakneck pace works in its favor, as does its obstitant refusal to address the logistical WHY any of this happening in the hellscape it presents. It also features Cage at his unhinged best and it’s a lowkey/darkhorse entry for Top Cage Rage performances in a career full of them. And let’s be honest: this is why we’re here…


And most of the action is great: stylish and effective. Look at these two elderly people getting killed…


As muddled as the message might be, this is a well-made movie and it’s good enough where that grave sin can be forgiven.

FUN FACTS: Bokeem Woodbine shows up in an uncredited, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo. And the idiot loser Dr. Oz makes an appearance as himself, acting like the idiot loser that he is (he honestly seems too dumb to realize that the movie is making fun of him? LOL).

THE VERDICT: 8 CAGES OUT OF 10

CLICK HERE for all 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔜𝔢𝔞𝔯 𝔬𝔣 ℭ𝔞𝔤𝔢 Chapters + Ongoing Rankings.

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CHRONOLOGICALLY
⫷ MOVIE #1,131 - (YOU ARE HERE) - MOVIE #1,133 ⫸

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Mom and Dad is a 2017 black comedy horror film written and directed by Brian Taylor. Starring Nicolas Cage and Selma Blair, the film premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival, and was theatrically released on January 19, 2018, by Momentum Pictures. A joint British and American production, the film underperformed at the box office but received generally positive reviews from critics. It was released on September 9, 2017.