If there's one thing that doesn't get miniaturized in Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, it's family drama.
On one side of the fence (literally) you have the Szalinskis. With parents Diane and Wayne at odds over Wayne's scatter-brained nature, the family is disconnected on a fundamental level. On the other side you have the Thompsons. Led by uber-manly patriarch Big Russ, this bunch hardly communicates due to a potent mix of insecurity and fear.
Neither are candidates for "Family of the Year," if you couldn't tell. But when Wayne Szalinski's latest science experiment goes awry and, well, shrinks the kids, these two disjointed clans are forced to fix their problems once and for all.
Questions about Family
- In what ways are the two families similar? In what ways are they different?
- How does Diane's view of her husband change over the course of the film?
- In what way does the film visually depict the Szalinski family's relationship to one another?
- How do Big Russ and Wayne differ in their approaches to parenting?
Chew on This
Despite differing details, both families are similar because their primary problem is a lack of communication.
Although Diane is upset at her husband at first, she eventually realizes that they both have played a role in their family's detachment from each other.