Good comedy, some ribald humor, I rate it a solid "7" of 10.

Rating: Null/10 (9 March 2001)

CAUTION -- THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS --
I put this film in the general category that "What About Mary" and "Analyze This" fall into. Ben Stiller is in one, Robert De Niro in the other. These two stars, plus Terri Polo, make the film, "Meet the Parents." Make no mistake, this is "over-the-top" humor. It starts with the name, Focker, of Stiller's character. At one point the parents say, "If they get married and have children, she'll be known as 'mother Focker.' In another, since his real name is 'Gaylord', the characters observe, he is a 'Gay Focker'.

In one scene, trying to retrieve the family cat on the roof, Focker sets the leaves on fire in the gutter, dislodges an electrical line, and ends up burning up the backyard perparations for the wedding. Later he finds a different cat, paints its tail black, and the cat later tears up the inside of the house.
They all take turns making fun of the fact that he is a nurse instead of a doctor. They refer to him as the "male nurse."
The father, De Niro, is a former CIA and has hidden cameras all over, and late in the film proves that Focker flushed the toilet that flooded the back yard. A truck gets stuck and throws feces all over the bystanders. The father doesn't believe any man is good enough for his favorite daughter (Polo) and that is really the root of the story anyway. The boyfriend (Stiller) is dead set on proving himself, and only gets accepted after he totally screws everything up, then finally becomes comfortable being truthful after he has lost, he thinks, everything (Polo).

In the hands of lesser actors and director this could have easily been a "3" film. But I rate it "7" because it is well done and isn't intended to be taken too seriously. Like "Mary" and "Analyze This." Terri Polo became one of my favorites in her role in Northern Exposure. There are few women more attractive, and she is also a decent actor.