Robert De Niro has made many movies during his career. He made a reputation for being a dramatic actor, and then in 1999, he made a comedy, Analyze This. That movie was very successful, leading to a sequel and other roles in comedy movies like Meet the Parents and Showtime. Many people went to see Meet the Parents, so there was talk of a sequel almost immediately. It took four years, but the sequel, Meet the Fockers, was finally released.
In discussing Meet the Fockers, I will mention some things that happened in Meet the Parents that would be spoilers for that movie. Read at your own risk if you haven't seen that movie and want to.
In Meet the Parents, Greg Focker, whose real first name was Gaylord, was planning to propose to his girlfriend Pam when she got a call from her sister. Deborah was getting married in two weeks. Pam took Greg home with her to meet her family. Pam’s father said he was a florist, but he was actually a retired CIA agent. Jack had hidden cameras around the house. He was very over protective of his daughters and he didn’t care for Greg too much. Jack thought it was hilarious that Greg was a nurse. There were disasters during the visit, starting with his luggage getting lost, but Greg managed to gain Jack’s trust. He and Pam got engaged.
Two years had passed and Greg was still in Jack’s circle of trust. The wedding had been postponed because Greg had reservations about Jack meeting his parents. Greg and Pam were going to her parents’ house and then they all were going to go visit Greg’s parents for a weekend to plan the wedding. Greg was nervous about the trip, but things were going very good for him. When they got to the house, they found Jack with his grandson, Little Jack. Deborah and her husband were out of the country and Jack and Dina had the baby. Jack had specific ideas about how to raise Little Jack, including teaching him a form of sign language and using a certain child raising technique. Jack even had a very unique way of feeding his grandson. Little Jack didn’t seem to like Greg. Jack had a surprise for Greg and Pam. Jack had bought a large bullet proof RV and said they were driving to Greg’s parents.
When they arrived, Bernie was outside doing some sort of martial arts. Bernie was happy to see them and even hugged Jack, who didn’t seem to know what to think. Bernie had been a lawyer, but he quit working to stay home with Greg once he was born. Roz was a sex therapist for senior citizens. She had a group of seniors there when they arrived. Greg was a bit upset by that because he hadn’t told Jack and Dina exactly what Roz did, or that Bernie hadn’t practiced law for years. Roz and Bernie didn’t want to lie, but they agreed not to tell. That didn’t stop them from sharing other stories about Greg that embarrassed him. Jack was very judgmental of the Fockers. He decided that Greg had done something and resorted to his old tricks to prove his theory.
A lot of the humor in Meet the Fockers could be considered crude. There weren’t any fart jokes, but there were some jokes related to the bathroom. At one point, Jack started to leave the tub from his shower, only to find Bernie sitting on the toilet. The Fockers small dog was very friendly in greeting Dina, and later had his way with one of Little Jack’s toys. Some people could be offended by some things that happened in this movie. It was rated PG-13 for a reason, and it really isn’t for children even though several were in the theater when I saw the movie. Jack acted the same way he did in Meet the Parents, from poking fun at Greg for being a nurse to resorting to his old spy tricks. Some of what Jack did was funny, but I thought it got a bit old that he was still doing the same things. The movie was funny and made me laugh, but I have enjoyed other comedies more.
Roz and Bernie Focker were very different from Jack and Dina. Roz and Bernie were much more laid back and very open about things like sex. Roz was a sex therapist for senior citizens. Her office was full of books related to her work, as well as some statues and artwork depicting nude people. Greg hid a few books, but the camera got a nice shot of the titles before he tucked them away. The same technique was used when Greg was hiding a well-endowed male statue. When Roz was first shown, she was having some sort of class to teach seniors different sex positions. There were several senior couples participating. No one was naked, but they did get into some positions. Roz didn’t get too graphic when instructing the couples, but it was clear what she was talking about. There were other discussions that were sexual in nature later in the movie. There were no actual sex scenes in the movie, but it was clear that Roz and Bernie had a very active sex life. They couldn’t keep their hands off each other when they were together. The first night, they got vocal in their bedroom with the little game they were playing. They were just getting started, but when Greg asked them to stop because of the guests in the house, it was clear what they were preparing to do. Roz was showing a lot of whipped creme covered cleavage, but she was still covered. Some viewers could be offended or uncomfortable with some of the sex related content in the movie. Parents should take that into consideration before taking any children to this movie. There was no nudity in the movie, though Bernie tended to wear his shirts completly unbuttoned, so he did manage to show off a lot of skin.
I would not want to have someone like Jack in my family. He had issues. He was very judgmental of everyone he met. When first meeting Greg, he’d found it funny that Greg was a nurse and even stated that he was only a nurse because he couldn’t get into medical school. Jack found out differently later, but he still considered Greg being a nurse a joke. He even got Little Jack in on laughing at Greg about it. Jack decided certain things about Roz and Bernie right after meeting them. He did make snap judgments at times. He tended to look down on anyone who didn’t feel the same way he did about something. He was very controlling and didn’t like it if his choices weren’t followed. He would make a decision and then expect everyone to jump to follow. He would flip out about little things, though he did seem to do a little better with that for a while. Dina kept him grounded most of the time, but he even went too far for her. Jack had strong ideas about family, and he didn’t want anyone that he considered unworthy being connected to his family in any way. Jack kept talking about how important trust was to him and about what he called the circle of trust. He snooped and lied and used tricks against the very people he said he trusted. He claimed that others couldn’t be trusted, but he didn’t have a problem with keeping secrets from everyone. He had retired from the CIA, but he was still using some spy gadgets and still had contacts. Jack and Dina were taking care of their grandson, but he was really making all the decisions. He had decided on a certain method that meant no one could pick up the baby when he cried. Dina did express interest in a different method Roz mentioned, but Jack ignored her, making it clear that his decision was the final word with Little Jack. It was said that his parents were out of the country, but I was never sure why they didn’t take him with them. Jack even came up with a unique way of feeding his grandson. He actually put on this harness thing that had a fake breast that was made from a mold of Deborah’s breast. She had pumped milk before she left. Jack claimed using that device to feed Little Jack was less confusing for him. That was just bizarre. Dina didn’t seem to like it when Jack took the device out around other people. Jack had several of the same quirks from the first movie. Some of what he did was funny, but he just got annoying to me. The things he did quickly got old for me.
I wasn’t thrilled with Meet the Fockers, but I did think that the acting was good. Robert De Niro was believable as Jack and did well with the part. I just didn’t care for his character. It wasn’t because of De Niro. Blythe Danner really didn’t have too much to do as Dina. Ben Stiller was fine as Greg, and the character remained true to how he was portrayed in the first movie. Ben Stiller can be very funny, though I haven’t liked some of his movies as much as others. Teri Polo was really under used as Pam. She was fine in the scenes she did have, but she had less to do in this movie. I loved Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand as Bernie and Roz. I’ve never seen either of them in a movie like this before. I thought that he was really good in the part. I really liked his character and would have liked it if he’d had more to do in the movie. I liked Roz too. Both characters were quirky and unique. Owen Wilson returned briefly as Kevin, the character he played in Meet the Parents. None of the characters were developed too much. The focus of the movie was on the comedy.
CHARACTERS
Greg - His real first name was Gaylord. He was nervous about Jack meeting his parents. He was very stressed about keeping Jack happy and remaining in the circle of trust.
Pam - Woman that was engaged to Greg. She loved her father, but did get annoyed with what he did.
Jack and Dina Byrne - Pam’s parents. Dina was more accepting than Jack was. He was a former CIA agent that still had contacts. Trust was important to him, but he showed little trust to other people. He had control issues.
Little Jack - Jack and Dina’s grandson. He seemed to be smart. He didn’t care for Greg.
Bernie and Roz Focker - Greg’s parents. They were very laid back. They were open about expressing their feelings. Roz was a sex therapist and tended to want to talk about sex with everyone, including her son.
CAST
Blythe Danner - Dina Byrne
Robert De Niro - Jack Byrne
Dustin Hoffman - Bernie Focker
Bradley and Spencer Pickren - Little Jack
Teri Polo - Pam Byrne
Ben Stiller - Greg Focker
Barbra Streisand - Roz Focker
Owen Wilson - Kevin
Meet the Fockers was released on December 22, 2004. The movie was rated PG-13. There was a little bit of swearing in the movie, though it wasn’t excessive. I don’t remember the word that rhymes with luck being used, but it did seem as if Focker was being used in its place several times. This is not a movie for children. It is the sequel to Meet the Parents. The movies can stand alone, but this one would make more sense if they were seen in order.
I did enjoy Meet the Fockers, but it isn’t one of my favorite movies. It was funny and entertaining, but much of the movie seemed to be just a rehash of the first movie. Many things, especially Jack’s antics, got old for me. I might watch it again someday, but I won’t be rushing to see it again.
Following the knee-slapping hit MEET THE PARENTS director Jay Roach once again keeps audiences roaring with laughter as he presents this hilarious seq...More at Family Video
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