DeNiro and Stiller make a surprisingly effective comic duo...

Rating: 7/10 (28 March 2007)

MEET THE PARENTS was the surprise hit of 2000 that firmly established comic credentials for dramatic actor Robert DeNiro and put Ben Stiller on the map. Ben plays Greg Focker, a male nurse who after becoming engaged to a schoolteacher (Teri Polo) nervously agrees to accompany her to her sister's wedding in order to meet his future father-in-law (DeNiro). Greg is naturally freaking out and try as he may, once he and Dad meet, everything that can go wrong for Greg does and it just gets worse for him as the story progresses. Stiller is wonderful as the hassled and harried everyman whose intentions are always good but the end results are never what he planned. But the real surprise here is two-time Oscar winner DeNiro in a deft comic turn as Jack Burns, the father-in-law from hell who turns out to be a former CIA agent. DeNiro proves to be equally adept at comedy here, instinctively knowing when to take center stage and when to let young Stiller shine. Polo is attractive as Pam, the woman caught between these two guys and Blythe Danner is lovely as Jack's wife and Pam's mother. Owen Wilson also provides some grins as Pam's ex-fiancée who Jack adores. Though the misery that gets heaped on Greg throughout the length of the film seems to be a bit much, the smart screenplay and attractive cast make for an entertaining comic romp. Followed by a sequel called MEET THE FOCKERS.