A pale shadow of the original

Rating: 6/10 (19 January 2005)

Unfortunately, "Meet the Fockers" does not live up to the promise of its predecessor. The jokes are not particularly funny, the writing is loose and lacks direction, and it's clear nobody's having fun doing this -- it's purely a job for these actors, and an attempt to cash in on the original.
All that said, the movie is not all that bad. It's mildly entertaining and occasionally engaging, but it really requires that you've seen "Meet the Parents" to fully enjoy it. Many of the jokes are unfortunately recycled from the original, and bits and pieces of "Flirting with Disaster" can also be found here and there. The film is like a collage of many past comedies, but in the context of the first film. There's little attempt at originality, and really none of the little moments that made the first film so enjoyable. The directing is loose and rather aimless.
All in all, worth a watch if you really liked "Meet the Parents," otherwise skip it.
6/10