"Meet the Parents", I'd like you to meet the rubbish bin

Rating: 2/10 (6 January 2001)

I went into "Meet the Parents" with an open mind, in the mood to see a lighthearted but somewhat intelligent comedy. Considering the two stars (DeNiro & Stiller), I thought I had a good shot at getting what I was looking for. Unfortunately I was sorely disappointed; "Meet the Parents" is nothing more than a 2-hour cliche, with a horrible script full of more holes than Swiss cheese.
For example, Stiller's character name was Gaylord Focker. So everyone in the film keeps addressing him "Hey Focker!" That's not funny, that's sophomoric! Once would have been okay, but from beginning to end? Focker is a male nurse, which makes him an endless target for being less than a whole man. Isn't that fodder for an after-school special from the 1970s?

But the thing that destroys this film is the horrible plot. I guess we're supposed to recognize that DeNiro's character (the father of Focker's girlfriend) is kind of a psycho, but at the same time, Focker is exactly what the overprotective Dad claims: a habitual liar. Then, after Focker has wreaked all kinds of havoc on his future hopeful in-laws DeNiro does an about face and realizes that Focker is the right guy for his daughter, as long as he loves her. What the hell?? You just spent two hours developing a character and then in two minutes you tear it down... I know that it's written in the U. S. Constitution that all films must have happy endings, but you could have found a more plausible way to arrive at that legally binding conclusion. The movie makes absolutely no sense. So Focker didn't lie about his MCAT scores, he lied about everything else. But the MCAT score is the thing that saves him? Why is an MCAT score from 10 years ago more important than the dozens of disasters he has caused?
I know it's just a comedy, but where is it written that comedies don't need to be written and filmed in a logical and intelligent way? If you want to see a GOOD dark comedy about a bad luck streak, check out "After Hours" or "The Out of Towners" (the 1970 original). Leave "Meet the Parents" for another lifetime (I know it's too late, you have all already seen it).