De Niro and Stiller make it work

Rating: 6/10 (16 May 2007)

Meet the Parents. Something that any couple does not like doing. We've all had our experiences of bad first impressions, failed conversations, and overall just embarrassing moments the first time we meet the parents. Meet the Parents (the film) takes all these to the next level showing how bad a first impression may get. Doesn't seem like something that can make a story but it holds its own. Just look at the two leads and you'll know why the film works.
Greg is a male nurse with a lovely girlfriend named Pam. Greg is considering asking her to marry him. Greg, however, must meet the parents first. He hopes to make a good first impression then do an old school move and ask Pam's father for his daughters hand in marriage. Greg sees this as polite while everyone else sees it as a waste of time. Fate seems to have other plans for Greg as everything that could go wrong does go wrong and he tries to impress the hard nosed father bent on not letting anyone take his daughter away from him.
The film follows Greg for the most part as he struggles to impress Pam's stern father, Jack, and caring mother, Dina. Stiller really does a good job as the struggling Greg. He has some great spurts of humor and the pool scene is one of his funniest moments to date. I couldn't have seen anyone else in the role of Greg other then Ben Stiller. He is just too good in these kind of roles. I really do think this was one of his best roles of his career.
Robert De Niro is one of Hollywood's top actors. He's one of your greatest actors in history. To see him in a comedy did not make much sense to me after seeing him in films such as The Godfather and The Deer Hunter. However, I underestimated De Niro. He has a great sense of humor and a great comedy style. His seriousness makes it all the funnier when something wrong happens and his constant saying of Greg's last name "Focker" brings a laugh every time.
Meet the Parents is well written, well acted, and well directed. There are a few slow parts and a few unnecessary parts. Somethings you know could just never happen but this is why it is a comedy film. The impossible happens. De Niro and Stiller propel the film to being a decent film. I enjoyed it and like seeing it every once and a while. There is nothing bad in the film. No heavy language, no nudity, no violence. Just good old fun for a family audience.
3/5 stars