Lucky Stiff; Parents

Cannibalism is the unlikely subject of these two vastly different feature films. Lucky Stiff, a comedy directed by Psycho star Anthony Perkins and written by Pat Proft, one of The Naked Gun scripters, is an, at times, appallingly stupid (but not funny) comedy about an obese man (Joe Alaskey) who falls for the svelte Donna Dixon, only to discover that her eccentric family of in-breds are planning to have him for Christmas dinner. A good portion of the jokes are in bad taste, with the bathroom humor never rising above a sixth grade level. And the acting is strictly grade Z. Parents, on the other hand, is a genuinely disturbing little black comedy. This first-time effort from actor Bob Balaban (Altered States) stars Randy Quaid and Mary Beth Hurt as your basic 1950s couple who live in a plastic and stainless steel house beautiful, play bridge with the boss and his wife, and enjoy a bit of barbecuing in the backyard. Their ten-year-old son Michael is plagued by nightmares, and has an aversion to eating meat-which is understandable, since his parents never buy any at the store, but always seem to have "leftovers." The leftovers, of course, are none other than cadaver cuisine. Parents is one of the most stylish films of the year, but it's also-with its humorous approach to the subject of child abuse-liable to raise some hackles. During the last 20 minutes, in particular, the film takes a rather frightening Oedipal turn, and biting satire gives way to out-and-out horror. Lucky Stiff is liable to have viewers gnawing their own hands out of sheer boredom, and is not recommended. But Parents, while unquestionably a truly warped movie, will delight some, offend others, but bore no one; it is recommended. (R. Pitman)