A meet-the-parents comedy meets a haunted house, witchcraft, and demonic possession in Max's The Parenting. Between some light gore and family drama, the star-studded dark comedy—starring the likes of Friends' Lisa Kudrow, Succession's Brian Cox, and The White Lotus's Parker Posey—definitely has a lot going on. Did I also mention that everything kicks off with an '80s flashback that ties into the story? Needless to say, there are quite a few things to keep track of by the end of the film.
But, as far as the main storyline goes: we follow Rohan (Nik Dodani), Josh (Brandon Flynn), and their dog Kate as they spend a weekend with both their parents, all under one roof in a farmhouse out of the city. It's the first time that the families officially meet, and the hope is to have a lovely and relaxing time. In fact, Ro plans on making the occasion even more special with a surprise proposal to Josh. But when a 400-year-old demon is unleashed in the house, and zombie-like apparitions make their presence felt, things very quickly get out of hand.
With the families (plus, their best friend Sara, played by Vivian Bang) caught in all the horrific chaos of what was supposed to be a romantic and cozy getaway, it might be hard imagine how they can all leave unscathed. But, somehow, they do—for the most part. In fact, everything ends on a happy note. Here's the ultimate breakdown of the final moments of The Parenting. Warning: major spoiler ahead!
Who unleashed the demon?
The unsuspecting guests of the farmhouse had no clue that this whole trip was a setup. We find out towards the end of the film that the moment that Ro and Josh booked the Hazleton Fields residence, they stepped into a trap. The caretaker Brenda (Posey) had rigged the whole thing so that someone in the house would unleash the ancient demon called Andras. All they had to do was chant a few Latin words, "Ego sum tibi Andras." And Brenda's ingenious plan of making these words the fake WiFi password worked!
Ro's dad, Frank (Cox), was connecting his laptop to the WiFi and he recited the words repeatedly. He got caught in a trance, and the next thing you know he becomes Andras's host.
So, Brenda's evil?
Not exactly. Remember that '80s flashback of Andras's first attack on the family that lived in the house? Well, Brenda was a friend of the daughter in the family. Her name was Allie, and she loved hanging out with Brenda because she thought she was cool. But her mom didn’t like that Brenda was a bit rebellious and witchy—given her parents' obsession with the occult.
Allie was annoyed with her mom and brother and wanted to do something to spook them. Brenda brought a book of witchcraft and suggested summoning a demon to "get them." Allie didn’t realize how far the curse would go and immediately regrets her decision to go along with it once she realizes the very real and deadly consequences. She steps out of the protective circle and is killed by Andras. Andras spares Brenda but haunts her for the rest of her life until he can find a new host to inhabit so he can take every life on Earth.
What happened to Allie and her family?
As it turns out, the faceless zombie-like apparitions that have been making their presence felt in the house are the members of Allie's family. They were never trying to harm any of the living, but were actually trying to warn them about Andras.
Does Andras, in Frank's body, kill anyone?
Andras, in Frank's body, causes quite a bit of damage and a couple of casualties. One of the first signs that something is deeply wrong occurs when Frank straight-up slashes Josh's arm with a knife—twice. While Josh doesn't lose his arm, he loses a bit of blood because of the huge gashes. Later, Frank also exposes himself. He comes out of his room completely naked—with a hard-on—for everyone to see.
Frank almost strangles his wife, Sharon (Edie Falco), nearly to death. But she is rescued by Josh just in the nick of time. None of the humans die, but unfortunately, a couple of animals take the fall because of Andras.
One of the three Pomeranian puppies that Josh's mom, Liddy (Kudrow), is dog-sitting during the trip dies after getting squished by a China cabinet. The heavy piece of furniture is knocked down by Frank's booming voice (one of Andras's powers). Another pup accidentally drinks some of Frank's demon vomit and is transformed into a demon dog. The dog attacks Liddy and is therefore slain by Josh's dad, Cliff (Dean Norris).
How do they manage to defeat Andras?
Frank is able to tell Sharon in her sleep that they need to kill him in order to defeat the demon. Ro, who refuses to kill his father, comes up with the plan to summon Andras into his own body. As Andras leaves Frank's body and begins to possess Ro, he hands Josh the gun and asks his partner to shoot him. But, of course, Josh doesn’t have the heart to kill the person he loves. Instead, he chants the same Latin words and summons Andras. All of their family members join in one by one, confusing the demon.
After entering and exiting bodies, unable to fully possess one host due to the repeated summons, Andras is left without a vessel. He appears as a weak spirit before their eyes and dies on the spot—which, initially, doesn’t seem to make Brenda too happy.
Does Ro get down on one knee?
The entire gang comes together, including Brenda. After everything they’ve been through, the initial hiccups with Ro's parents not liking Josh are completely forgotten. While Ro plans to propose to Josh, he lost the ring during all the chaos. As luck would have it, Josh finds the ring and is the one who gets down on one knee.
Everyone gets a happy ending.
The happy couple gets engaged, their families grow closer than ever, and we see the souls of Allie and her family—plus, one of the Pomeranians—finally finding the light. Of course, Allie doesn't leave Earth without flipping one off to Brenda.
Even the demon dog that attacks Liddy seems to have recovered, returning to its original state and scampering off without a problem. It's love and hugs all around!
We also get a mid-credits scene!
After some credits roll, we see the couple and their dog driving back to the city. In the car, they process everything that's happened and conclude it wasn't such a bad weekend. But, as Ro points out, "I can't believe I saw my dad's hard co—"
