Character Analysis
Whether they're cheering Riley on at the hockey rink or encouraging their "happy girl" to keep her chin up after the big move, Mom and Dad have good intentions; they really do. It's clear that they love Riley like cuh-razy and would do anything for their puck-slapping pride and joy.
About that whole "Where's my happy girl?" thing, though…
Just like Riley, Mom and Dad have a lot on their minds as they adjust to life out west. Their lives were uprooted when the fam moved to San Francisco, too.
Now they're stressed out: Dad's got job drama and Mom has a household to manage—whether their furniture and other possessions ever show up or not. We even get a glimpse inside their heads and see that they each have their own team of emotions piloting their reactions; Mom's is led by Sadness, Dad's by Anger.
The difference between Mom and Dad's stress and Riley's stress is that Mom and Dad were in on the decision to ditch Minnesota for California; Riley wasn't. This was Mom and Dad's call. When they repeatedly ask Riley to stay positive and to be their happy girl, they're being unfair.
It could be that they need Riley to be happy because they're so stressed; if she was openly unhappy, they couldn't handle it because it would remind them of their own sadness. They're negating Riley's sadness because they can't deal with their own. Kind of like that old joke: When a mom's chilly, she puts a sweater on her kid.
Okay, end of psychologizing.
Mom and Dad are well-intentioned, of course, but asking Riley to cover up her feelings isn't cool—nor is it the healthy thing to do. They see firsthand what happens when you ask a pre-teen to stifle their frustrations and worries when Riley becomes a rage volcano at dinner. Check it out:
RILEY: School was great, all right?
MOM: Riley, is everything okay?
Riley exaggeratedly rolls her eyes and sighs.
DAD'S FEAR: Sir, she just rolled her eyes at us.
DAD'S ANGER: What is her deal? All right. Make a show of force. I don't want to have to put "the foot" down.
DAD'S FEAR: No, not the foot!
DAD: Riley, I do not like this new attitude.
ANGER: Oh, I'll show you attitude, old man.
FEAR: No. No, no, no! Stay happy!
Anger punches Fear and sends him flying out of the frame.RILEY: What is your problem? Just leave me alone!
DAD'S FEAR: Sir, reporting high levels of sass!
DAD'S ANGER: Take it to DEFCON Two.
DAD'S FEAR: You heard that, gentlemen. DEFCON Two.
DAD: Listen, young lady, I don't know where this disrespectful attitude came from…
ANGER: You want a piece of this, pops? Come and get it!
RILEY: Yeah, well…well…
DAD'S ANGER: Here it comes. Prepare the foot!
DAD'S FEAR: Keys to safety position.
Dad's Fear and Dad's Disgust turn their keys.
DAD'S FEAR: Ready to launch on your command, sir!
Anger blows his top. It literally bursts into flames.RILEY: Just shut up!
DAD'S ANGER: Fire!
DAD: That's it! Go to your room! Now!
RILEY: Ugh!
DAD'S FEAR: The foot is down. The foot is down!
Dad's emotions celebrate.
DAD'S ANGER: Good job, gentlemen. That could have been a disaster.
MOM'S SADNESS: Well, that was a disaster.
Dad has just as much going on behind the scenes as Riley does, but his emotions are seasoned professionals. They even have a contingency plan—"the foot"—for situations just like this one. Things may get tense, but they know how to respond when Riley blows her top.
All feet aside, Mom and Dad could both use some work in the "communicating with your kid" department, and by the end of the film, they do learn how to respond to Riley better—or at least we can assume that they do. Check out what happens when Riley admits that she misses Minnesota, and asks her Mom and Dad not to be mad at her:
MOM: Sweetie.
DAD: We're not mad. You know what? I miss Minnesota, too. I miss the woods where we took hikes.
MOM: And the backyard where you used to play.
DAD: Spring Lake, where you learned to skate.
Adults and kids finding common ground? What's next—dogs and cats living together?
This shared gripe and grief session between Mom, Dad, and Riley suggests that they may be able to keep a line of communication open in the future, next time Riley has a dilemma. Given that she turns twelve at the end of the movie, there are definitely going to be more dilemmas.
There are also going to be continued opportunities for parental guidance, as we see at the end of the film, when Mom and Dad dish out some words of wisdom while Riley prepares to take the ice with the Foghorns:
DAD: Now, when you get out there, you be aggressive!
RILEY: I know, Dad.
MOM: But not too aggressive.
RILEY: You know, you guys don't have to come to every game.
DAD: Are you kidding? I'm not missing one! Go Foghorns!
MOM: Go Riley! Foghorns are the best!
Dad makes a foghorn sound.
RILEY: Okay! I gotta go.
FEAR: They love us.
ANGER: Yeah, Mom and Dad are pretty cool.
DISGUST: Guys, of course they are. But we can't show it.
Did we mention that Mom and Dad have painted their faces Foghorns teal and are wearing giant foam fingers in this scene?
That's the thing about parents; something you probably know well at this point, and that Riley's just beginning to discover as she leaves childhood behind. No matter how much they love you, no matter how many nuggets of valuable advice they provide, they're always going to be mortifying. That's their job, and we love 'em for it—even if it we'd rather eat an entire broccoli pizza than admit that in public.