Meet The Parents Or Not?

Rating: Null/10 (2 May 2008)

'Meet the Parents' is a comedy that's funny enough for an evening watch. The central characters Pam and Greg are very likable but the Pam's family are portrayed to be slightly a bit of a caricature. I find it a bit far-fetched that everyone hates Greg. Even Pam's mother reacts with indifference. I mean she does 'object' but it's as if she could care less. But then again, 'Meet the Parents' is about the tension between Greg and Jack and both De Niro and Stiller do well with their comic abilities. Even though De Niro's character is less likable, it is nice to see him in a comedic role for a change. Stiller is his usual goofy on screen persona (a part he's best at doing). However, due to the director's focus on this, the romantic angle between Polo's Pam and Stiller's Greg isn't well developed, but Teri Polo does a good job. Blythe Danner is adequate (though I don't know whether it was the director's intention to present her as being indifferent towards Jack's cruelty). The toilet and sex humour could have been toned down as it is the overload use that brings the entertainment factor down for me. Also the story follows the old formula of a guy trying to impress his girlfriend's parents, therefore the freshness is lacking. Even so, there are a lot of loose ends such as what happens to Jack's son and his pot. But, in spite of the flaws there are a few genuine funny moments and I liked the 'race' scene towards the end, Greg's problems with the flight attendant, and Greg's attempt to propose to Pam at the beginning of the movie. Roach's direction isn't of the remarkable sort and 'Meet the Parents' mostly works to an extent because of the actors. This could have been more of a fun ride had it not been too over-the-top but it's hell of a lot better than the sequel. There are a lot more other comedies I can recommend over this, but 'Meet the Parents' isn't so bad that you won't want to give it a chance either.