And You Thought Your Parents Were Weird is a 1991 American comedy film 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. 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.
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Plot
Two brothers Josh and Max attempt to invent a fully mobile robot with advanced artificial intelligence 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.
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, California, 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 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 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."