The Parenting is an upcoming comedy horror movie scheduled for release on March 13, 2025 on Max. The movie is directed by Craig Johnson from a screenplay by Kent Sublette. Johnson made his feature film directorial debut with 2009's True Adolescents.
The movie follows the story of a young gay couple, Josh and Rohan, who organize a weekend getaway in the country to introduce their families. During the getaway, tensions arise between Josh's traditional parents, Frank and Sharon, and Rohan's laid-back parents, Liddy and Cliff.
Things get even more complicated when the occupants of the rented country house realize that it is haunted by a 400-year-old poltergeist. When one of the parents gets possessed, the young couple and their best friend, Sara, must come up with a way to get rid of the evil entity while uniting their families.
The movie stars Nik Dodani and Brandon Flynn as Rohan and Josh. Several acclaimed actors appear as their parents.
Nik Dodani plays the lead role of Rohan, Josh's boyfriend. Rohan plans the weekend getaway to the country along with Josh so that their parents can get acquainted with each other.
Dodani made his TV debut in HBO's The Comeback season 2, which makes The Parenting his second collaboration with Lisa Kudrow. He also made his Broadway debut in Waitress. Director Craig Johnson and Dodani have previously worked together on Alex Strangelove.
Brandon Flynn appears as Josh, Rohan's boyfriend. Aspiring to unite their families, Josh organizes his family's getaway with Rohan's. He navigates through the challenges at the country house alongside his loved ones.
Flynn is best known for his appearance as Justin Foley in the hit Netflix TV series 13 Reasons Why. He had a recurring role in True Detective and appeared as Henry Osgood in Ratched alongside Sarah Paulson.
Lisa Kudrow portrays Liddy, Rohan's mother. Liddy has a laid back attitude like her husband Cliff (Dean Norris) in contrast to Josh's parents, which highlights the differences between the two families.
Kudrow is best known for her role as Phoebe Buffay in the sitcom Friends, which earned her several accolades including a Primetime Emmy award. She earned critical appreciation for her role in The Opposite of Sex. Last year, she appeared in Netflix's TV series, Good Deed.
Brian Cox appears as Frank, Josh's father. Much like his wife Sharon, Frank has traditional views in comparison to Rohan's parents, which contribute to the cultural and moral clashes with Rohan's family.
Cox, a Laurence Olivier Award winning actor, has appeared in movies like Churchill and The Rookie. He received a Golden Globe Award and three Primetime Emmy Award nominations for his role in HBO's Succession.
Besides the aforementioned actors, several others appear in The Parenting as prominent characters:
A trailer for the movie was released on March 1, 2025. The film is produced by Chris Bender and Jake Weiner. Further, Richard Brener, Chris Pan, David Neustadter, and Jared Ian Goldman are the executive producers.