The Most Gut-Bustingly Funny Movie of 2004! *Very Slight Spoilers*

Rating: 8/10 (1 February 2005)

Meet the Fockers (2004)
Comedy Released 12/27/04 Reviewed 1/2/05 Starring Ben Stiller, Robert deNiro, Dustin Hoffman, Barbara Streisand, Blythe Danner, Teri Polo, Alanna Ubach, Ray Santiago, Owen Wilson, Tim Blake Nelson, Spencer & Bradley Pickren Written by John Hamburg & James Herzfeld Directed by Jay Roach Rated PG-13/14A for Crude & Sexual Humour, Language, Partial Nudity & A Drug Reference
It's safe to say my expectation for Meet the Fockers were low at best. I still wanted to see it, but I couldn't expect much of it. Meet the Parents was very good, so I would give this one a fair chance. Nothing better to do to end the holidays. So is the focking sequel in the circle of trust?
Plot: 1.9/2.5: Gaylord (he prefers Greg) Focker (Stiller) and Pamela Byrnes (Polo) are almost ready to get married. There is just one thing left to do before they make everything final. Pam's parents, Jack (deNiro) and Dina (Danner) have to meet Greg's parents, Bernie (Hoffman) and Roz (Streisand). As we know from the first, Jack Byrnes is an uptight ex-CIA agent. So when he meets the Fockers, as you can guess, he is completely out of place with their eccentricity. This seems like a very paint by numbers type movie, and as much of that as it is, it has an impeccable way of placing all these characters into situations suited to make Jack and Greg as uncomfortable as humanly possible, whether it be trying to hide Pam's recently found out pregnancy, a bastard child or Jack's grandson's first word (the grandson being Debbie's son, who does not appear in this movie). The plot isn't too important, and while it is paint-by-numbers, who cares?
Comedy: 2.5/2.5: Meet the Fockers is simply hilarious. There is no other way to put it. It has been so long since a truly funny movie like Airplane or even Scary Movie has come along, I have begun to forget what a comedy is supposed to be. This is what I call a comedy. This is just one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. It is a little off-the-wall. When one character can say "And one more thing about my vasectomy" and it sounds normal, you know that this is pretty off-the-wall. It isn't quite the same type of comedy as the original. This one is much funnier than the first. This is gold.
Acting: 2.5/2.5: OK, this isn't a movie to showcase the acting from. However, the actors are incredible here. DeNiro (Analyze This) is playing it straight like never before. He is having fun, but he tries enough to be like his old Goodfellas-esquire roles to separate from the rest of the cast. Hoffman (Rain Man) and Streisand (A Star Is Born) are having lots of fun, and it shows as these two carry this movie from the first time we see them. These are two Oscar winning actors having the time of their lives, and it works great. Stiller (Zoolander) may only be good in small doses, but that's what we get here. He's everywhere, but the Ben Stiller in him only comes out a couple times, so it's funny but not overused or tiring. Polo (Beyond Borders), while still mainly in the background, does have a few more lines and works well. Danner (The X Files) is much more in this one, up from a practically nothing role in the original, and while she still isn't too prominent, a few good bits go her way. The actors are not in an award-type movie, but they do exactly the best we could want.
Entertainment: 2.4/2.5: There is some complaining about this movie because the Fockers are too unbelievable. If they were believable, we'd have a bad movie. Some complaints about the reused jokes. They are reused because they're funny. They aren't often though. There are some Focker jokes, but they're only here and there. Sure, it is somewhat crude and offensive in areas, but nowhere near as crude and offensive as most funny comedies out there. It's usually the crudeness that produces comedy, so if that's the price, I'll pay it. Meet the Fockers is entertaining for anyone.
Total: 93%: I can't believe my focking ears, but Meet the Fockers is even better than the original and easily one of, if not the, funniest movie of the year. Despite some critics bashing it, you should see Meet the Fockers as soon as possible. Sneaking in right at the end is one of the best of the year.