Good to watch once

Rating: 7/10 (10 February 2005)

I went into this movie with pretty low expectations. I'd read reviews in the press that suggested it wasn't up to much, and so when I really enjoyed Meet the Fockers I was nicely surprised.
The premise of the movie is a simple one. Greg and Dina have decided to marry, and having finally won over the formidable Jack Byrnes in the original movie, the time has come to introduce the parents to each other.
Dustin Hoffman and Barbara Striesand are well cast in the roles of Gaylord's (Greg) embarrassing hippie parents, who are as you would expect, a world away from stuffy and conservative Jack.
Where this film perhaps falls down a little compared to the original is in the setting. In Meet the Parents anyone can identify with the situation Greg enters. Presented with an uncompromising father and close-knit family harbouring a shared secret he falls foul of his constant attempts to impress and terrible luck.
In Meet the Fockers the film hangs more on the diametrically opposed Bernie (Hoffman) and Jack (De Niro). While this works, it perhaps a little harder for many people to immediately identify with.
That said the film contains many genuinely funny moments and set-pieces, and unlike the first film, none of the humour feels over-exposed.
My one disappointment in Meet the Fockers came from Jack. Fantastic in the first film, his character somehow seemed to have lost much of his punch, becoming more difficult and awkward than intimidating.
I really enjoyed Meet the Fockers, and while it's not as engrossing as the original, it is funny and certainly worth watching.