History YMMV / Parenthood

** And we can't go without mentioning Creator/KeanuReeves and Tom Hulce as Tod and Larry respectively. Yes, Tod is basically [[Film/BillAndTed Ted]] with one letter in his name changed, but does so with grace and pathos, and really delivers one of the defining speeches of the movie and shows Tod's HiddenDepths subtly but clearly. And while Tom Hulce already had an Oscar nomination to his name, his performance as the perpetual but sadly aware family screw up Larry shows real depth.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Alex. His scene with Kristina [[spoiler: after he and Haddie broke up]] was a TearJerker and one of the best moments of Season 3

* {{Tearjerker}}: Gary finding out over the course of a phone call just how little interest his own father has in a relationship with him.

** There's also Creator/RickMoranis and his portrayal of Gil's brother-in-law Nathan. All Nathan wants is to raise a prodigy, but his SuperOCD is not only PlayedForLaughs in this case, but also PlayedForDrama when he attempts to keep things orderly with Susan, his wife and Gil's sister.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: Does Larry ditch his son Cool on his parents because he couldn't care less about him, or because he ''does'' care and knows that he's a pitiful excuse for a father and that his son would be better of with people who could take care of him?

* TastesLikeDiabetes: The ending. It starts off with the younger kids doing a rather cheesy rendition of ''Snow White'' for a school play, and goes to a SugarWiki/{{Heartwarming Moment|s}} where [[spoiler:Gil's sister Helen gives birth]], among other things.

** In the scene where Gil and Karen are fighting over the fact that she is pregnant, he says "Let's just have a dozen, and act like they are donuts." In ''Film/CheaperByTheDozen'', Creator/SteveMartin plays the father of a dozen children.

* Tearjerker: Gary finding out over the course of a phone call just how little interest his own father has in a relationship with him.

* SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped: Face it, ''everybody'' in this movie will end up learning a lesson about family.

* TheWoobie: Nearly everyone to an extent, but Cool in particular, who has been abandoned by ''both'' of his parents by age four.

* HilariousInHindsight: Julie and Tod both shave their heads as a form of rebellion- Flash forward to 2007 when Britney Spears did the same thing.

* BaseBreakingCharacter: Max; people either love him and love the representation of asperger's syndrome or despise him for being such a jerk.

* FamilyUnfriendlyAesop: In an episode where an aspergers child has to learn to apologize with the help of a teacher regarding his getting into a fight, the teacher showed him a tape of someone apologizing for something he did so he'd have a way to emulate how to apologize. The video she showed as the model was when Bill Clinton had a public broadcasted apology shortly before the Lewinsky Sex Scandals and Clinton impeachment hearings came about, which alongside the issue of whether Clinton was actually sincere with his apology, carried the implication that the teacher was essentially teaching the kid to fake remorse and deliver a unsincere apology.
** The whole storyline about Max's first love in late season 6, where Max is praised by his mother Kristina for 'being brave', all the while harassing Dylan, the girl he loves, and publicly shaming - and demanding the expulsion of - the boy she's actually interested in.

* {{Earworm}}: As childish as it is, the diarrhoea song is quite catchy.

* TastesLikeDiabetes: The ending. It starts off with the younger kids doing a rather cheesy rendition of ''Snow White'' for a school play, and goes to a CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming where [[spoiler:Gil's sister Helen gives birth]], among other things.

* HeReallyCanAct: 4 of the male characters in this movie.

* {{The Woobie}}: Judging by his politeness for a 14-year old boy who has been though parental abandonment and all sorts of nasty hardships, his reactions to awkward family situations, and how the audience plain loves him, Drew is fitting this trope to a T. The audience continues to beg for more of him every episode.
** Mr. Cyr as well, given Sarah's treatment of him since his introduction as a love interest and the recent re-appearance of Seth. bordering on a concerted effort to BreakTheCutie.

** Mr. Cyr as well, given Sarah's treatment of him since his introduction as a love interest and the recent re-appearance of Seth. bordering on a concerted effort to BreakTheCutie.