Ben Stiller's back again...

Rating: 10/10 (21 February 2005)

Although I have not seen 'Meet the Parents' (2000), I liked 'Meet the Fockers' a lot more than I thought.
The story: Gaylord 'Greg' Focker (Ben Stiller) is getting married to Pam Byrnes (Teri Polo). He met her parents, Jack and Dina Byrnes (Robert De Niro and Blythe Danner) last time around, so now it's time to meet Greg's parents, the Fockers.
It's safe to say that the Fockers differ from the Byrnes: Bernie (Dustin Hoffman) is a retired lawyer who has put up a 'Wall of Gaylord' that displays many awards Greg won as a kid; however, they're mostly for last place. Roz (Barbra Streisand), on the other hand, is a sex therapist for senior citizens and has a whole room full of sex-related art. Needless to say, personalities clash, old secrets are revealed, and hilarity ensues.
I've always had a liking for Ben Stiller, even in some of his less-than-inspired projects, and he's great here, particularly in a drug-induced monologue late in the film. Robert De Niro plays his role as straight as he possibly can to all the weirdness going on around him. Hoffman is the complete opposite of De Niro, and the two veterans have some great scenes together. I enjoyed Streisand's performance (her profession is funnier than it sounds), and the rest of the cast does a good job keeping up with this manic fun.
I laughed so hard during this movie I thought I was going to die of laughter. That thankfully didn't happen, but I still fully recommend 'Meet the Fockers'. 10/10.