No comedy classic, but definitely has its moments

Rating: 7/10 (13 October 2003)

I'm not going to appraise this movie in the same way most people have, but as a whole it is funny. It has its flaws, but the laughs outweigh those flaws. First of all, I have to give most of the credit to Robert DeNiro. Many compliment this movie because of Ben Stiller, but I feel DeNiro added more of the laughs. His reactions to Stiller's foolish antics are what made me laugh the loudest. It shows that comedy is best when you play it out seriously. Certain gags, some of which the film is best known for, simply fall flat. The dinner table scene where Stiller talks about milking a cat and DeNiro gets choked up reading a poem drags out and is badly paced. In the volleyball scene, when Stiller spikes the ball on that girl's face, I wasn't laughing either. I don't think I'm being a stickler when I say that you can't show someone bleeding and in pain in a gag and expect a laugh. But there are other gags that work with flying colors. I liked the bomb-bomb-bomb joke, and many of the latter scenes when Stiller's at the airport and running into problems with dumb employees.

All in all, it's an uneven comedy that's way too silly at times, but there are enough laughs for it to deserve a recommendation. As I said before, much kudos to DeNiro for a priceless comic performance.

My score: 7 (out of 10)