One of the best movies on Max to check out later this week is the new comedy horror film, The Parenting. Led by an all-star cast including Lisa Kudrow, Dean Norris, Brian Cox, Edie Falco and Parker Posey and penned by a Saturday Night Live head writer, the latest of 2025 movie releases follows a family who stays in the same remote (and very haunted) home one weekend, and deal with demonic entities. And funny enough, Kudrow’s “Smelly Cat” became part of one improvised moment, and this story is too good.
The Parenting follows a young couple (played by Brandon Flynn and Nik Dodani) who bring together both sets of parents for a weekend getaway. Lisa Kudrow plays the mom of Flynn's Josh, who funny enough is a struggling musician (much like Kudrow's highly recognizable Friends character, Phoebe Buffay). In the film, Josh ends up painstakingly singing a song of his creation called “Puppy Dog Eyes.” When I spoke to Flynn, he shared that he very much saw the parallels between Josh and Phoebe. Here’s what happened in his own words:
I mean the origin of this was the night before. I'm reading over the script and I was just like, I really want to throw Lisa off, which is so mean of me. But I memorized ‘Smelly Cat’ and actually performed ‘Smelly Cat’ in the scene, knowing, of course, this was gonna be not the take that happened. And then, Kent Sublette, the writer, who would normally just like to write quick things on a Post-it and give it to a cast member and be like, ‘next take incorporate it’. He, like, came up to me with ’Puppy Dog Eyes’. Like it had like three lines of the song. And he is just like, ‘You should sing this’. And, so then I just kept singing and massaged it into what it was. And then it became brilliant, like the weird serenading [to] Edie Falco.
Given how beloved the aforementioned NBC sitcom is, it has to be hard for someone not to bring it up on set in some form when working with a member of the Friends cast. That's especially true when you're working with the woman who portrayed the flaky, but endearing, Phoebe, who has so many memorable and offbeat quotes on the show. As Brandon Flynn shared, knowing he was going to have to sing off-the-cuff like Phoebe does on set, he decided to surprise Kudrow with his own rendition of “Smelly Cat”.
The song has become something of a cultural touchstone, and Lisa Kudrow hasn't shied away from it. There was even a time at which she performed the song on stage with Taylor Swift. The song was written by the show’s writers, but Kudrow contributed to the melody. The actress previously shared that she’s constantly being asked to sing it by fans, because well, it’s “Smelly Cat”.
The mere thought of the song being performed for the star on set is too priceless, but I still have questions. I mean, was she pleased or confused? Regardless, I do love that the nod directly led to the scene that's ultimately in the movie. In an awkward, but rather funny moment, Flynn’s Josh sings “Puppy Dog Eyes” to his boyfriend’s mom (played by Edie Falco) when she asks him about his music career.
In addition to Kudrow playing Josh’s mom, Breaking Bad’s Dean Norris plays his dad, and Brian Cox plays his boyfriend’s own father. Oh, and Parker Posey plays a very odd and shady caretaker of the residence they occupy that weekend.
The movie is definitely worth your time, whether you love a good comedic horror film, or you're just a fan of Lisa Kudrow. Check out The Parenting with a Max subscription when it drops on March 13. That same membership also gives you access to all 10 seasons of Friends. So you can indulge in "Smelly Cat" and other aspects of the beloved show.
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