Pretty good--from someone who totally hated the original.

Rating: 6/10 (15 January 2005)

Yes, I hated Meet the Parents. I was sick of De Niro's character after about five minutes. He works much better toned down in this film, but he's still annoying. But forget about him. This film works because of Barbra Streisand and Dustin Hoffman. Hoffman sometimes takes it a little too far, but not as badly as De Niro did in the original. Streisand shows why she's still on the radar after an eight-year absence from the big screen, even a political conservative would have to admit it.
The humor is still a little too lowbrow for me, but this was still better than a typical Jim Carrey movie (like Bruce Almighty. I also tired of the characters pushing the limits of polite conversation on their first meeting. Just because the Fockers are liberated aging hippies, doesn't mean that the film should resort to playing out like an episode of Dharma & Greg. I can stay home and watch that in reruns for free.
I am sure a third installment will be made, maybe with Pam and Greg having a baby, and maybe De Niro will be toned down even more, but please let that be it! Note to the people of Jacksonville, Florida who were at my screening: Come on, was it really THAT funny? Didn't you see that blue dog in the commercial and trailers umpteen times? Oh well, if you enjoy a good guffaw simply for the sake of guffaw-ing, I won't rain on your parade.