ah, family gatherings...

Rating: 7/10 (12 June 2005)

By now, we should know that in movies, when WASPs meet ethnic people, there are some wacko situations, as "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" showed. But when the ethnic people are Jews, then it really gets crazy.
"Meet the Fockers" makes use of this. Having been accepted by the Byrneses, Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) decides to introduce them to his parents in Florida. His parents are Bernie (Dustin Hoffman), who distrusts the government, and Roz (Barbra Streisand), a sex therapist. The Byrneses are very laid back, to say the least, and after a little while with the very open Fockers, Jack (Robert DeNiro) once again starts considering Greg unfit for his daughter Pam (Teri Polo), especially since he and Dina (Blythe Danner) are trying to raise their grandson to be tough, while Bernie and Roz want to dote on him as they did Greg.
Watching this movie, I had to wonder what kind of parents Bernie and Roz were to name their son like they did. Of course, all the Focker relatives had embarrassing names. What a family! The movie is mostly an excuse to be silly, and silly it was. But the good kind of silly. I just wonder how it would be to experience the Byrnes-Focker reunion. Either way, "Meet the Fockers" is hilarious.