Solid comedy in which the comic timing of De Niro and Stiller masks the predictable plot and gags.

Rating: 6/10 (3 September 2006)

Meet The Parents is a predictable but fairly funny story about a guy whose attempts to impress his potential future in-laws go disastrously wrong. There's a lot of talk on the IMDb about it being the funniest comedy ever and the best film of its decade to date, but in all honesty such talk is rather naïve. Instead, Meet The Parents comes across as a solid, enjoyable comedy of errors. Anyone who watches a lot of comedies will see some of the punch-lines a mile off, but the performers demonstrate a nice sense of comic timing that raises a smile from even the more obvious gags.
Male nurse Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) plans to propose marriage to his steady girlfriend Pam Byrnes (Teri Polo). However, she mentions during a conversation that her father is a very traditionally-minded man who believes that potential "suitors" should ask his permission before proposing to his daughters. Greg decides to accompany Pam on a weekend visit to her parents' place, hoping to make a good impression in their eyes before asking for their approval in his plans. Pam's father Jack (Robert De Niro) turns out to be a pretty intimidating guy, and things only get more and more awkward for Greg when he learns that his future father-in-law is an ex-CIA interrogator. Trying too hard to make a good impression, Greg almost always invariably does just the opposite. an attempt to shower everyone with champagne results in a vase containing Jack's mum's ashes getting smashed; a game of water volleyball ends with Jack's other daughter getting her face wounded; an innocent cigarette causes some pretty disastrous fire damage to the Byrnes' house; etc, etc. Ultimately, Greg causes so much unintentional havoc that he virtually shatters his chances of being accepted by the Byrnes.
The film is actually based on a rarely seen low-budget 1992 film of the same title. Here it gets a more polished makeover, though is not necessarily the better of the two films. Stiller is likable in his accident-prone role while De Niro shows a nice flair for comedy as the terrifying father. Polo doesn't have a great deal to do as the girlfriend, since her role mostly consists of hugging the insecure Greg and assuring him that he's doing great, and Blythe Danner is similarly under-used as De Niro's sweet-natured wife. Of the lead actors, the other one who has the best of things is Owen Wilson, in a small but amusing part as Pam's ex boyfriend. In essence this is a situation comedy of the kind seen on TV virtually every day, but scaled-up with A-list stars and an expensive, cinematic sheen. The script contains some funny one-liners which the actors seize upon with plenty of verve, and Jay Roach directs it with the pace and confidence he invested in his Austin Powers movies. Meet The Parents is plenty of fun, especially when treated on its merits, but you shouldn't be hoodwinked into expecting the comedy-to-end-all-comedies. If that's what you expect and demand of the film, you may come away feeling a little let down.