Good Performances In A Weak Sequel

Rating: 3/10 (31 December 2005)

"Meet The Parents" was a good movie - funny and interesting. Essentially what made it funny and interesting was the relationship between Jack (Robert de Niro) and Greg (Ben Stiller.) Jack was enough of a unique character that he was quite funny. The problem with this movie was that there was nothing unique in it.
The premise seemed good enough. In the first movie we're introduced to Pam's parents; now we're going to meet Greg's. Played by Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand it seemed that they would be perfect complements to De Niro. But they ended up being cast as refugees from the 60's. Yes, they were quite a contrast to CIA agent Jack but the whole "refugees from the 60's" thing has been overdone in my opinion.
I just didn't find this movie especially funny, and what I think was supposed to be the climax of the movie, after Jack injected Greg with sodium pentathol to get "the truth" out of him seemed to me unpleasant and completely unfunny. De Niro's good; Stiller's good; Streisand's good; Hoffman's good. In fact, of the major stars the only one who I thought didn't quite pull it off was Teri Polo as Pam. But for all the good performances, this movie just didn't catch me. I just didn't care for it, which is why I give it a 3.