Stupid characters, inexplicable actions, a few laughs

Rating: 5/10 (2 May 2001)

I'm one of those people who have to see a sort of logic in a movie character's behavior to fully enjoy any resulting comedy. If a character takes a wrong turn somewhere and tries to get back on course but in the process takes an even more wrong turn and fun ensues, that's fine. But if a character gets lost and instead of trying to turn back decides to set his pants on fire or run over someone sitting on a park bench for no apparent reason, that is not funny to me. That's why I rated Meet the Parents a 5.
The main character, played by Ben Stiller, lies for no reason and then gets caught in his lies and makes them worse. He takes actions that he isn't supposed to and has been warned not to do then lies when he is asked if he did so and blames something (a cat) else. And when Greg tries to find the missing cat, he quickly stoops low enough to paint a different cat's tail and try to pass it off as the missing feline (why no one notices the paint smell until later that night, and then they do, is a mystery). The guy isn't especially likeable and you keep wanting to slap him and say, "Just tell the truth! It works!"
Meanwhile, his girlfriend expects Ben (called "Greg" in the movie) to instantaneously act like he is a member of a family he has never met. When Greg needs clothes, his girlfriend tells him to wake up her brother -- whom Greg has never met and whose bedroom door is closed while the brother is apparently asleep -- and borrow some of his. Uh, not a good idea. Later, his girlfriend drops little bomblets on Greg, such as the fact that the best man at a family wedding is her ex-finacee (by the way, Greg never even knew that his girlfriend had been engaged), or that the dad had a different career than what she had told Greg earlier.
All in all this group of characters spends a lot of time cleaning up messes that would have been easily avoided if a little truthful communication had taken place beforehand. It is that fact that kept me from enjoying any of the contrived situations that ensued. In fact, to me the funniest part of this movie was an airline gate agent who acts like, well, an airline gate agent, regardless of the actual situation around her. *That* was not contrived at all and was laugh out loud funny.