A poor sequel....

Rating: 4/10 (7 September 2008)

I loved 'Meet the parents'. It was a great movie. My sister purchased the double box set, with 'Meet the fockers' included.
After re watching the first movie to set the vibe, I was looking forward to watching the sequel, that I had not yet seen, straight afterwards.
What a disappointment.
The first thing I will say is that 'Meet the fockers' just doesn't have the same charm and warmth of the first movie. The gags seem more desperate and the whole thing just seems kind of forced.
The original characters persona's are slightly different too.
Ben Stiller's role has changed. In the first movie, he is the guy who can do nothing right, as he struggles to try and impress the respectable, stuck up and perfect father of his girlfriend, and has to try and fit in with their snobbish friends and family, who all seem to share the same attitude and persona as De Niro. Seeing him fail at everything is hilarious viewing. In 'Meet the fockers' he is no longer the lovable fool, but is reduced to being the man stuck in the middle of a clash between his parents and his future father in law, whilst being the butt of a few 'nurse' and 'focker' jokes that we've all heard before. Slight glimmers of his former role are still there, as he fails to win over the affections of jinx the cat, and the unlikable grandson of De Niro, but its not enough.
Next is the role of De Niro. They seem to have turned him in to more of an oddball in this film. It was slightly there in the first movie, but not stressed as much, as most of it was down to his former job. They play on his 'zany' side, and that respectability, and upper class mentality seems to have vanished. He has been reduced to a strange obsessive guy, who just appears to be an unsociable grump. He becomes the butt of Stillers parents jokes, when you expected it to be the other way round. He spends half the movie biting his tongue, when the guy we know from the first movie would have been straight in there running his mouth and belittling them, as he tries to make them conform to his extra high standards. The chemistry between him and Stiller is not the same.
The addition of Stiller's parents, Streisand and Hoffman, seemed like a great idea, and fireworks were expected. It just didn't really work. There was little chemistry between Stiller and his parents, especially noticeable, between him and his father. There are so many missed opportunities (which I won't list because this is a standard review) that would have been great. De Niro was reduced to being the weaker character, which was not a smart move. A guy like him can not be changed with such ease, which made the whole thing unrealistic, as did the over the top performances from Streisand and Hoffman.
Teri Polo gets pushed to the back in this movie, and there's not much that can really be said about her role. The 'loyal' and 'loving' fiancée is the only way to describe her really. She seemed more dominant and head strong in the first movie.
Bylthe Danner's character (De Niro's wife) has been reduced to an impressionable and kinda goofy women who adopts the 'Focker' way of life from the word go, and totally forgets any morals or values she held before. Once again, unlikely.
Missing characters from the first movie, such as the pot head younger brother (who has been sent away to military school), Pams sister and her husband, Owen Wilson and Jacks snobbish best friends, make the Brynes clan incomplete.
Owen Wilson's cameo at the end was weak, as his character had also changed, and is no longer the jealous, rich, stylish high flyer that we remembered. He seems to have become spiritual, and is a different man.
The addition of Jack's grandson was weak, and he got far too much screen time, also giving the movie a childish feel.
I barely cracked a smile through this movie. The jokes were unfunny and limited, as well as being rather predictable and cheap.
Gags from the first movie are simply reused and modified, which is kind of lazy in my opinion. Either that, or they were trying to purposely copy the first movie because it worked.
The whole thing was abit of a mess, mainly due to poor writing and directing.
Now for the positive things....

Jinx the cat was on form.

There were a few funny moments, including a scene with a power hungry policeman, who has his own way of laying down the law.

Glimpes of the 'Secret agent Jack' are still there.

Ben Stiller is still quite funny.

Surprisingly manages to hold your attention throughout.

If you loved the first movie, then you have to watch the sequel really, because it is worth a watch.
I have been quite brutal with this review, but its not so bad that I would tell people to avoid it, as the movie is OK. Its just that the standard was set high with the first movie, and the sequel was disappointing, hence the low score.
4.5 out of 10 from me :)