Outside of the circle and off the chain.

Rating: 7/10 (7 April 2010)

After the huge success of Meet the Parents in 2000, it was inevitable that a sequel would follow. In fact as a write this a sequel to this sequel is due for release later in the summer! With that, it's no surprise where the writers would go with this particular movie. What kind of parents would call their son Gaylord? And are they likely to be on the same wavelength as Robert DeNiro's priggish ex CIA operative Jack Byrnes? Course not. Cue poles apart comedy as Dustin Hoffman and Barbara Streisand play Gaylord Focker's {Ben Stiller} "new age" parents and drive the Byrnes' to distraction. Even the pets are cut from a different mental cloth, while the addition of Little Jack 'L.J.' Byrnes into the mix only adds more comedy fuel for the fire.
It's not rocket science writing, it is in fact a very basic comedy formula. That of thrusting different characters, from very different backgrounds, together under one roof for one very long weekend. Can intended newlyweds Gaylord & Pam (Teri Polo) survive their parents and suspicious skeletons in the closet? Well there's no prizes for guessing correctly how it's going to pan out. But thanks to the cast attacking the material with such gusto, and with skillful comic timing, it all folds together neatly for a fun packed and enjoyable 115 minute movie. 7/10