Meet The Parents
When I first saw the trailer for Meet The Parents, I laughed harder than I have during any preview in years. Coupled with the fact that the movie received generally good reviews, stars Ben Stiller (There's Something About Mary) and Robert DeNiro, and is directed by Jay Roach (Austin Powers), it was with great anticipation that I went to see Meet The Parents.
Unfortunately, the movie doesn't quite live up to expectations. While it's not a bad film, it's not the comedy classic it could have been. Unfortunately, the script becomes more and more farcical as the movie progresses, with diminishing returns. But there are still some good laughs to be had along the way.
Meet The Parents follows the travails of the unfortunately named Greg Focker (Stiller), a lovestruck young man making his first trip to his girlfriend Pam's parents' house. His mission: to ask her father for permission to marry her. The bad news for Focker is that her father, Jack (DeNiro), is a no-nonsense former CIA operative who views every boyfriend with suspicion.
As expected, Focker's every move is a disaster. The seemingly innocent half-truths that slip out of his mouth are scrutinized down to the last detail, leading him to create more and more outrageous yarns in order to support his previous comments. Before the movie is over, Focker has an ill-advised conversation with Jack about the lyrical content of "Puff, The Magic Dragon," is subject to a lie-detector test, causes some major toilet problems, and plays a hand in the loss of the family's beloved cat.
Another painful escapade for Focker, and one of the film's funniest, is his meeting with Pam's ex-boyfriend Kevin (Owen Wilson, writer of the highly amusing Rushmore). Kevin, amusingly played by Wilson, is every guy's nightmare vision of their girlfriend's ex: a handsome, athletic goody-goody multimillionaire. He's also tight with Jack and has just finished carving an altar out of solid wood for Pam's sister's wedding. If that's not enough to bring Focker's insecurities to a feverish boil, did I mention that Pam assures him that her relationship with Kevin was "strictly physical"? As you can imagine, Greg is less than assured by this information.
Stiller is perfect as the hapless Focker, effortlessly bringing his every neurotic tick to the surface. DeNiro mugs to good effect, but I get the feeling that he could play this role in his sleep. Focker's girlfriend Pam (Teri Polo) and her mother Dina (Blythe Danner) don't have much to do, and don't do it particularly well.
The film is best when it stays somewhat ground in reality, such as in a hilarious scene where a desheveled Focker -- dressed in funny-looking pajamas -- arrives at the breakfast table to discover a large gathering of well-dressed, neatly groomed family and friends looking at him like he's a fool.
Less effective is the film's final 30 minutes, where director Roach allows the film to careen to an over-the-top climax that's alternately sappy and unfunny. One notable break from the film's fall from grace: a highly amusing scene where an angry Focker goes head-to-head with some unfriendly airline employees.
Although overrated, Meet The Parents is probably worth a look, as long as you don't get your hopes up too high. If nothing else, it'll make your lame-brained antics the last time you met your boy/girlfriend's parents look a little less foolish.
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