similar to the first. average sequel

Rating: 6/10 (12 April 2008)

Ben Stiller (Zoolander) stars as Greg Gaylord Focker, an uncomfortable man who takes his fiancé's family to meet his parents, who prove to be quite different people than Jack Byrnes (De Niro) would ever imagine. The sequel to the popular 2000 hit comedy Meet the Parents is intriguing, if slightly bizarre and predictable, with a strong cast leading the way.
Very similar to Meet the Parents, this sequel uses physical humour, embarrassing situations and a variety of characters to justify the comedy genre and does so well enough with a few good moments involving Ben Stiller. However it does feel very comparable to the last film and like so many other comedies, it is a tried and tested format but works well enough.
Like the first film, its all about meeting people who are very different and the contrasts work well, with Hoffman's (Rain Man) and Streisand's very unique way of living compared to Byrne's professional and organised way of life, its interesting to observe different lifestyles.
The plot is fairly consistent with up and down moments but coming towards the end it really goes off track and exaggerates a bit.
The acting is good enough, though with the list of A-listers here you would no doubt expect better.
The direction isn't the best though the settings are good, and the use bus is interesting to see and a unique device.
Overall its an average comedy with a few good jokes. The acting and direction isn't the best but it's the writing that lets the film down the most with not enough intensity and interest to really get the characters going.