Meet the Parents (PG-13)
18/08/13 23:50 Filed in: 2000
Starring: Robert DeNiro
October 2000
A far less controversial and far more whimsical riff on Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967), Meet the Parents is really just an elaborate Murphy’s Law scenario where events exponentially worsen each time Gaylord “Greg” Focker (Ben Stiller) attempts to impress his future in-laws. Greg’s fiancée, Pam (Teri Polo), tries running interference for him with her prim and proper mom, Dina (Blythe Danner) and eagle-eyed dad, Jack (Robert DeNiro), but Pam’s peacekeeping efforts are no match for Greg’s uncanny ability to stumble into misfortune. It’s normal for fathers to view prospective son-in-laws with apprehension or distrust, but Jack takes that paternal instinct to new extremes; as an ex-C.I.A. operative, Jack uses high-tech equipment to spy on Greg and later, interrogate him.
There’s no shortage of amusing scenes in the movie; like when Greg accidentally topples an urn containing the ashes of Jack’s mom, or the “Puff the Magic Dragon” conversation between Jack and Greg, or when Greg accidentally ignites the wedding gazebo, handcrafted by Pam’s ex-, Kevin (Owen Wilson), or when Greg, thinking he’s killed the family cat, Jinx, tries to pass off a painted stray for the genuine article—the faux Jinx demolishes the house while the family is at dinner. After an hour or so, however; these escalating incidents, though useful in generating sympathy for Greg, start to challenge the boundaries of believability—by the end, feelings of exhaustion set in and you just wish the guy would either escape the vicious circle of gaffes and mishaps or just be put out of his misery.
Director Jay Roach (Austin Powers) does a good job of utilizing the considerable talent at his disposal. Ben Stiller, son of legendary comedian Jerry Stiller, is known for his slapstick sense of humor so his performance, to some degree, is predictable. The real surprise here is DeNiro, whose deadpan delivery almost seems incongruous with his typical “tough guy” persona. No one will ever confuse DeNiro with a comedian, but he’s quite humorous as the paranoid, overprotective father who uses Greg’s last name as an expletive and repeatedly cudgels Greg over the head with his familial “circle of trust” philosophy. “I’m watching you,” Jack warns Greg, and you can’t help but feel sorry for the guy. What a nightmare!
Meet the Parents is the worst case scenario of a young man desperately trying, yet repeatedly failing, to please his fiancée’s family. Here’s hoping none of us will ever have to experience the embarrassment, humiliation and mental angst endured by that poor, misunderstood and tortured soul…Gaylord Focker.
Rating: 2 1/2