What a let down

Rating: Null/10 (11 February 2001)

'Meet the Parents' turned out to be. The basis for my disappointment was the few recommendations from friends had led me to believe this was going to be the funniest experience I'd ever had in the cinema. Well, Duck Soup it was not!
On the whole I tend to like slow studied movies that leave things unsaid so as to make the viewer do some work. It certainly is slow, and studied, overly so. In fact, for the most part you can see the 'jokes' coming a mile off. The Art of Humour works when the unexpected occurs. Most of hilarity surrounding De Niro's plodding, sceptical overprotective nature as a prospective father-in-law gave a one paced, one dimensional feel to what ought to have been very funny. A good attempt all the same. The film kept itself above the level of pure slapstick. One or two moments generated sighs of sympathy rather than laughs. Still, as humour goes this was infinitely better than 'Police Academy' slapstick. There was a plot. The young man was on a mission, to win the consent of the de Niro for his daughter's hand, only it might have faired better with a little more complexity and depth.

The one really bright spark to emerge from this film was Terri Polo who, while being new to me, is someone I shall look out for in future movies. She brought a believable air to the proceedings, and the fact she is breathtakingly beautiful was not lost on me either! Had she been the girl who lived next door to me I've a funny feeling I'd actually be the one prancing around on Robert de Niro's roof instead!!