I have always been a big Robert De Niro fan over the years. Whether he is playing a serious gangster type of character or in a more laid back comedy role. He is one of those rare actors that can do them both, and do them extremely well. I was quite happy to have received this 2 pack as a Birthday gift this year. The 2 pack comes with two classics, in my book, Meet the Parents and Midnight Run. Both movies are considered comedies and really show what a diverse actor De Niro is when it comes to his comedy side. Even though this 2 pack is focused on De Niro, he has a lot of help in both movies with some great supporting actors. Still, he really stands out on his own and these are two of my favorite movies that he has done.


Meet the Parents:
The first movie, Meet the Parents, was released in 2000 and is already a classic comedy in my book. The story-line is not really unique and the name of the movie fits perfect. The main character is Gaylord "Greg" Focker played by Ben Stiller. This has to be the most ingenious name ever made for a movie. The name a lone is used in a number of different ways for many different one-liners throughout the entire movie. Greg Focker is a male nurse in a serious relationship with a kindergarten teacher named Pam Byrnes (Terri Polo. Just as he is getting on his knees to propose marriage to her, she gets a phone call from her sister telling Pam that she is getting married. During the conversation Pam asks her "is dad ok with this?" and she replies that he asked their fathers permission before he proposed to her so he was impressed. Pam tells this to Greg and lets him know that they are invited to her parents house for the wedding. After hearing that it was a big deal to her father that her sisters fiance asked his permission first, he decides to wait to get her fathers ok as well. Of course, that will be a lot harder than he thinks.

Jack Byrnes, Robert De Niro, is Pam's father and the one that Greg needs to impress. Of course, from the start of the movie, nothing goes as planned. No matter how hard to he tries to get on his good side, something ends up going wrong. These foul-ups range from burning down a newly built gazebo, that was made for Pam's sisters wedding, to loosing his luggage at the airport before they even arrive at her parents house. Of course, Robert De Niro is playing a very overly protective father and secretive man does and is not very eager from the start to help with Greg's chances. The entire movie flows at a very nice pace and has a lot of unique slapstick humor throughout. The acting and use of their characters are what make the movie so good. De Niro gets to play a role that fits him perfectly. He is an ex-CIA agent that was an interrogation specialist now posing as a florist as a cover. His very suspicious and overly protective nature is what makes Greg do some pretty crazy things trying to get his ok to marry his daughter. Of course, Ben Stiller also does an excellent job playing a role that also suits him perfectly. It reminded me of his role in "There's Something About Mary" with his witty charm and strange sense of humor. The rest of the cast blend well together and comedy is well thought out and quite unique. Again, since this DVD pack is about De Niro this is a great choice if you only had two movies to pick from.


Midnight Run:
If you have seen the movie 48 Hours, and liked it, then you will like this 1988 film "Midnight Run" as well. The way the two main characters build a rocky relationship is what really makes this film stand out and remind me of 48 Hours. Jack Walsh, played by Rebert De Niro, is self-righteous ex-cop, turned bounty hunter, looking for one more "Midnight Run" so he can retire and open a coffee shop. This bounty is worth $100,000 and would allow Jack to get out of this business forever. His target is Jonathan "The Duke" Mardukas, played by Charles Grodin, who was an accountant for a Los Angeles mob. While his time with them, this accountant managed to steal 15 million dollars and disperse the money to the less fortunate. Of course, this means that Jack is not the only one looking for "The Duke". The mob is of course after him for knowing to much, the FBI wants him to testify in federal court, and another 3rd rate bounty hunter also wants him. This adds quite of bit of difficulty for Jack as he tries to get "The Duke" back within 5 days after he first finds him. Having so many others chasing after Jack and "The Duke" is only part of his troubles as Jonathan Mardukas poses quite an obstacle as well. The first "wrench" he tosses at Jack is his unwillingness to fly. Of course, he waits till they are on the plane and causes such a scene Jack is forced to find another means of transpertation. This cross-country action/comedy is extremely funny, smart, and has some of the best performances I have seen in a movie of this genre.

De Niro's has always played the part of a thick-headed hard a** extremely well and he really gets a chance to show it here. Of course Charles Grodin's (won an Academy Award for his role) soft spoken wit is what really makes the comedy blend so well together. This is probably my personal favorite roles by both De Niro and Gordin and puts this movie towards the top of my favorite action/comedy list. From the moment that Jack catches Jonnathan he tries to get on Jack's last nerve. The way this portrayed throughout the film is simply hilarious and well thought out. He is constantly probing at Jack's personal life, his habits, and just his personality as a whole the entire movie with quick one-liners. With that soft spoken style and Jack's flame for over the top arrogance it's a perfect match. Again, if you have not seen this movie then you need to check it out. And I thought it was a rather good deal to get both of these movies together.


Special Features
There are some extras in the set that you will not get by just purchasing the films separate. You get some nice Director's commentary, deleted scenes, along with some little tidbits about De Niro himself. I usually don't really care about what special features I get with a movie, especially comedies but, there are at least some interesting facts and funny scenes you will probably want to watch once after watching each movie.

Conclusion:
If you are a fan of Robert De Niro, and like his comedy side, then you can't go wrong with these two movies. Even though they are quite different from one another when it comes to his style of acting and story-lines, they are both done extremely well. Meet The Parents is a comedy that can be enjoyed by anyone in the family. However, Midnight Run is an action/comedy that has a more adult theme and has quite a lot of explicit language so becareful. I was very pleased with both films and the little extras they came with. I am not sure exactly what the price of this set was as it was a gift.  I would probably shop around on line myself because, stores seem to ask to much for these 2 packs.

Thank you for reading!

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older