Meet the Fockers Reviews

Honestly, it is rather difficult to judge to this movie 10 years later. Indeed, after all these years, especially after the very lame 3rd installment, it seems hard to believe that this first sequel was actually pretty good and quite enjoyable. Indeed, in fact, it all started with ‘Meet the Parents’. Back then, Robert de Niro already started to throw his amazing legacy away by showing up in some underwhelming features but, at least, those movies were watchable and, from the few comedies he has made, this one definitely worked. Hell, it worked so well, they pretty much remade the whole thing again with ‘Shrek 2’, again with some tremendous success. For the sequel, they didn’t take any risks and they pretty much took the same formula but they added some new characters played by such big stars like Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand (for Streisand, it was her first movie in almost a decade). Obviously, it remains some really low-brow entertainment but, in this genre, it was actually quite fun and I actually liked the damned thing. To conclude, even if it didn’t grow old very well, I still think it is a decent comedy and I think it is worth a look but don’t expect anything amazing before watching this movie.

This is an excellent sequel. Just like the first film, this is a solid comedy coming out of conventional Hollywood. I really like the clashing characters coming together putting away their differences.

I was going to do something today, but I'm not sure what. *thinks* *doesn't remember* Well, I must have forgotten.

*decides to watch 'Meet the Fockers'*

Wow, this is different.

But this is great; this is really good. This is as good as "Greenberg". And I like Ben Stiller....

And I like how much you can get from real life.

This is as good as a Sophie Kinsella novel.

And I'm not just saying that to be patriotic. ;)

And, for that matter, I'd take Meyer over Rowling.

{I mean, seriously, she likes Jane's novels and Chopin's nocturnes-- how bad could she be?}

Those Brits, they just don't know the glory of minor-league baseball. ^^

What I mean is, let's be clear about something.

*holds up index finger*

This is Region 1.

(9/10)

"If your family's circle joins in my family's circle, they'll form a chain. I can't have a chink in my chain."

Meet the Parents concluded with one of the most obvious "a sequel is coming" moments in movie history, as Robert De Niro's Jack Byrnes comes to the realisation that he will have to meet the parents of his future son-in-law. Let's face it, though: when has a comedy sequel actually been any good? 2004's Meet the Fockers, however, is a pleasant surprise. This is not a stale follow-up which disgraces the original film - for once, here's a comedy sequel that revisits its world without banally repeating the same old stuff, and manages to improve the formula in addition to actually topping its predecessor in the laughs department. If you liked Meet the Parents, you are more or less destined to love Meet the Fockers. On the other hand, if you detest Ben Stiller and hated Meet the Parents, look elsewhere for entertainment and let the rest of us enjoy this top-notch comedy.

The story takes place a few years following the events of Meet the Parents. Gaylord "Greg" Focker (Stiller) - the well-meaning but accident-prone male nurse - is still engaged to his fiancée Pam (Polo) after winning the approval of Pam's father; former CIA agent Jack Byrnes (De Niro). With the wedding approaching, it has come time for Jack and his ever-patient wife Dina (Danner) to meet Greg's parents: free-wheeling hippies Bernie (Hoffman) and Roz (Streisand). Also along for the ride is Jack's grandson Little Jack (played by the Pickren twins). Jack has been led to believe that Bernie is a lawyer and Roz is a doctor, but the truth is that Bernie stopped practising when Greg was born and Roz is a sex therapist for senior citizens. Before long, the families' different ideologies begin to clash and Murphy's Law once again takes hold.

Despite its bawdy humour, Meet the Parents was firmly grounded in recognisable truths about family life and courtship. While the situations and characters were exaggerated for the purpose of comedy, there was always a sense of truth throughout which made it easier to identify with Greg and everything he was willing to endure for the sake of love. For this sequel, Bernie and Roz are not overly realistic, and this is exactly why Meet the Fockers is so funny. Watching Greg's over-the-top parents interact with the more "normal" characters is hysterical. Plus, we can relate to situations in which parents humiliate their offspring to no end. Admittedly, the conclusion to the film is predictable, but for a comedy it's the journey that counts. Fortunately, the journey throughout Meet the Fockers is, for the most part, a hoot; providing an almost non-stop barrage of genuine laughs. With this film, director Jay Roach once again demonstrated why he is one of the best comedic directors of all time. He has a firm understanding of comic timing, and he's deft at keeping his films moving forward at an agreeably brisk pace.

Screenwriters Jim Herzfeld and John Hamburg relied on a number of scenarios and jokes that will be familiar to anyone who has seen Meet the Parents (especially since the duo also wrote the first film). Thus, expect a few Focker name jokes, and expect Jack to use his old CIA methods in an attempt to expose "the truth". It would be easy to dismiss these aspects as being unoriginal, but it all comes together nicely. Why act like a grumpy film snob and complain about something which really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things? Meet the Fockers only stumbles in its final act with Tim Blake Nelson appearing as an overzealous cop who precipitates the obligatory confrontation between Greg, Bernie and Jack. During this section, the laughs cease and the pacing slows to a crawl. Thankfully, the very last scene compensates for this slow patch, as does the tremendous amount of laughs contained within the film's first two-thirds.

Robert De Niro's deadpan style once again works like a charm for the role of Jack Byrnes. Much like the first movie, De Niro's facial expressions are particularly hilarious. And if you've ever wanted to see De Niro wearing a fake latex boob, Meet the Fockers is your movie. Ben Stiller also provides a great deal of funny moments, and his interactions with De Niro are constantly amusing. However, it's Dustin Hoffman as Bernie Focker who steals the show in this sequel, and Barbara Streisand is equally side-splitting as Roz Focker. The interplay between Hoffman and Streisand is priceless. The two stars have known each other for decades, and their long history shows in their very natural portrayal of a long-married but still deeply affectionate and sexually active couple. Meanwhile, Blythe Danner is great as the dignified Dina, and Teri Polo carried off all that was required of her as Pam. The names are huge, and together they make an incredible cast. However, the spotlight is constantly stolen by the Pickren twins who appear as Jack's grandson Little Jack.

Meet the Fockers has endured criticisms for feeling too much like Meet the Parents from a narrative standpoint. While Meet the Fockers is indeed reminiscent of its predecessor, it's better that way. The film would have been a disaster if the formula was heavily tweaked and "improved". Happily, by staying with what worked in Meet the Parents and building from there, this sequel is far better than it had any right to be. Meet the Fockers is not perfect by any stretch, but it is a highly enjoyable laugh riot that's completely free of pretensions, and the exuberant personalities which were executed by a pitch-perfect cast make the film all the more entertaining. Since the film made in excess of $500 million at the box office from an $80 million budget, yet another sequel was produced: 2010's Little Fockers.

7.9/10

hilarious much better than meet the parents which is good - but this has it all so many belly laughs. Robert De Niro is so funny and cool. Arse...hole.....

I saw this sequel before its previous film so I didn't really know what to expect going into this film. Meet The Fockers is a comedy that I loved throughout every second. Meet The Fockers has a hilarious yet extremely crude title name which could put people off the film. I find this absolutely ridiculous because it should be tried. It is a film that is full of laughs and disasters that are lying ahead that will crack you up! It is a very crude film that would teach teenagers a lot of lessons about sex and the humour about it as well.


Robert De Niro is one of the greatest actors ever and there's not denying that if not the best ever! His performance as Jack Byrnes is absolutely awesome once again! What I really love about Jack's character is that he is a real psycho in a psychological and emotional way but not in a physical way. I mean, he does love his daughter but he thinks about his feelings for Greg before hers which is really bad. Because of Jack's large amount of pressure that is laid on top of Greg, Greg starts messing up and starts to push everyone else especially his parents to impress him. When Greg gets in embarrassing and awkward situations, you would feel really sorry for him but at the same time you would just laugh your head off so you sort of feel two kinds of feelings at the same time in the same situation. Dustin Hoffman was amazing as Bernie Focker. Dustin is an actor who always knows what he is doing in a romantic comedy no matter the kind of character he plays especially when he made his famous debut as Benjamin Braddock in The Graduate back in 1967. Bernie is an idiot but a very loving, well-intentioned and caring father who loves his son but being himself at times gets Greg under a lot of pressure to satisfy Jack. Barbra Streisands performance as Roz Focker was really awesome as well! She was the perfect choice to be alongside Hoffman as Gregs parents because they both together show their love for their son as well as each other yet their stubbornness of being themselves as far as sex is concerned. Teri Polo was a lot better this film as Pam Byrnes. I dont think she was very attractive in Meet The Parents but she was gorgeous in Meet The Fockers which is a big improvement for my liking for the character.


Jay Roach is a genius at creating hilarious comedies! He certainly proved that with the Austin Powers trilogy but he did even more so with both Meet The Parents and Meet The Fockers. I think he wanted the audience to see the more personal side to what was going on between the characters and also the cruder side of things helped that and went a lot deeper.


Overall, Meet The Fockers is an absolutely hilarious comedy that I loved first time I saw it and still love it now after seeing it so many times. Meet The Fockers is a lot cruder, funnier, crazier and more dramatic and romantic than the previous film was which is why I prefer Meet The Fockers over Meet The Parents. I cannot wait for third film coming out called Little Fockers!

I wasn’t expecting much from Meet the Fockers, a sequel to 2000’s pretty successful comedy Meet the Parents in which jokes about bad last names are made. While I like watching Ben Stiller suffer, I’ve seen him humiliated so much, it’s begun to give me tired head. But Meet the Fockers is a pleasant surprise. It carries on a lot of the same gags from the first film, but freshens things up by make the jokes about more than how many ways there are to sizzle Stiller’s Gaylord Focker.

At first things are going uncharacteristically well for Gay. He, along with fiancée Pam (Teri Polo) are headed to the home of her parents the Burns, where they will take a flight to Miami for a pre-wedding meeting between the two families. On their way to the airport a stranger offers to give Gay and Pam his cab. All the lights turn green for them and a ticket screw up lands them in first class where the evil stewardess from the previous film treats our Focker like royalty. After a bit of jostling in which Pam’s father convinces them all to take his massive, tank-like RV to Miami instead of a plane, we’re introduced to Gay’s parents the Fockers, who in an unexpectedly inspired bit of casting are played by Dustin Hoffman and Barbara Streisand. The film quickly returns to familiarly uncomfortable territory, as the two families’ different ideologies clash and Stiller tells ridiculous lies to cover up for his own parents’ oddities.
Aside from a few moments of embarrassing humiliation at the hands of Jack Burns, Stiller comfortably takes a side seat as more of a reaction man while Gay and Pam’s parents handle most of the comedic heavy lifting. For instance, his mother is a sex therapist who likes talking openly to the Burns about her family’s sexual history. Doing so is prone to make Stiller fall backwards out of his chair. His constant state of paranoia is for the most part justified, his attempts to hide his family’s oddities understandable in the face of his father-in-law’s manic, judgmental, over-protectivity.

Two ways to ruin a successful original...1. add Dustin Hoffman; 2. add Barbara Streisand. Come on, Babs? I honestly couldn't get passed them.