Meet the Fockers

It was fun going back to poor Gaylord Focker's expolits this week with my viewing of Meet the Fockers, as well as the original Meet the Parents. I always appreciate when a comedy franchise stays true to the original in casting and in tone, but its always great to inject some new blood into the franchise. Meet the Fockers does this with the inclusion of Gaylord (heretofore known as Greg)'s parents, played with much gusto by Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand, as well as his cute-as-a-button nephew Baby Jack.

So Meet the Fockers did everything right in those terms. All the major players from the first return, add a few new zany ones and a cute baby, and you have the formula for a satisfying sequel.

Meet the Fockers has Greg (Ben Stiller) and fiancee Pam (Teri Polo) road tripping down to Florida with Pam's conservative and overbearing parents (Robert De Niro and Blythe Danner) to meet his own aforementioned parents, who are not quite from the same mindset as De Niro's Jack. The overall plot is actually domewhat reminiscent of one of my favorite comedies, The Birdcage.

Much of the humor in this film is derived from the conflict between the two families. The Fockers are over sharing, friendly and sexual, compared to Jack, who maintains his suspicious and cold demeanor seen in the first film. His devotion to Jinx the cat has been replaced by his grandfathering instinct. He insists on the "Ferber" method of child rearing, meaning no coddling and a strict dietary and educational regimen for Baby Jack. Naturally, things go horribly awry, of course thanks to Greg.

Ex CIA agent Jack has his own mission, putting it upon himself to prove without a doubt that Greg is not telling his fiancee the entire truth about his past. A revalation he as concerning Greg's ex nanny makes it appear perhaps Jack is on to something.

Granted, the movie is not as good as the first. But nonetheless, it maintains the tradition of the first while advancing the narrative of the hero Greg Focker, and remains funny while doing so. THe genius casting in no small part made the movie. Hoffman and Streisand were perfect for their roles, and provided many of the laughs with their bizarre behavior and parenting techniques.

Ultimately, Meet the Fockers is a satisfyingly funny followup to one of my favorite comedies. While it doesn't stray too far from familiar turf, it still has enough comic moments, and I would not be disappointed in the least to see Little Fockers when it comes out this holiday season.


Production Value: 3/5
Humor: 3/5
Acting Performances: 3/5
Culture Clash: 7/5


Overall: 6/10