Meet the Fockers (2004) **1/2

Rating: 6/10 (26 December 2004)

Not as good as MEET THE PARENTS, but still a decent sequel with star power going for it if not the most clever gag writing.
I enjoyed the first film and yet found myself shifting back and forth during the course of this follow-up; I was chuckling one minute but then shaking my head the next, wondering why too much of the material tended to rely on cheap sex jokes and non-clever toilet humor (I'm no prude but jeez - can anyone write ANYTHING else for a laugh these days?). It also felt as though there were too many obvious references to routines that worked well already in the original, just to let you know the filmmakers didn't forget them.
One thing is for certain -- Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand were ideally cast as Ben Stiller's parents, The Fockers. That in itself makes this sequel worth the watch. At times it was hard to swallow that any married couple could be so irresponsibly perverse and inconsiderate during such a crucial first meeting with their future in-laws, but then again I suppose that's supposed to provide the whole basis for this film's existence. By the time it's all over, most fans who liked PARENTS should come away from FOCKERS feeling that they've had at least some fun with it. Just how "much" fun will vary from viewer to viewer, though.