Man with funny name tries to impress demonic father-in-law to be: everything goes wrong.

Rating: 6/10 (18 July 2004)

Greg (Ben Stiller) is a regular joe trying to impress a psychotic manipulative trouble-making father-in-law to be. It seems to make matters worse, however, that he's also a male nurse, jewish, and his legal name is Gaylord Focker, in this movie which is about as pleasant as taking a visit to a tooth-pulling dentist who is against using anaesthetics.
The riffing on Greg's name is primary-school grade humour, and has that feeling of a cheap joke, kind of that "i can feel a song coming on" feeling in bad musicals, just as bad is the "we're throwing in a funny line" feeling.
This is one of those movies where everything you could imagine might go wrong - does - and always to the detriment of poor Ben Stiller. By the time the resolution started happening, it was too late. There were just too many bad things that happened to Greg Focker.
All this is not to say that its bad quality. Stiller hits the uncomfortable fiance thing perfectly. And the script is good - there are many moments, especially within the first half hour, that anyone who's ever met the parents before can associate with.
Is it enjoyable, though? No, i didn't think so. Ironically, its because they draw you in so much that its so upsetting. You simply can't accept these tragic situations as comedy - you feel too sorry for Greg Focker.
The resolution is fairly forced and implausible.
6/10. But not for me. Too sadistic.
Highlight: the airline hostess at the end.