Meet the Parents

Rating: 8/10 (22 November 2008)

I have to admit I never saw this entirely before seeing the tame sequel, Meet the Fockers, and thank god I finally did, it is a fantastic comedy, from director Jay Roach (Austin Powers). Basically Jewish male nurse Gaylord 'Greg' Focker (Ben Stiller - originally it was meant to be Jim Carrey?) was planning to propose to girlfriend Pam Byrnes (Teri Polo), but he sees that first he should ask permission from Pam's parents first, like the boyfriend of her young sister Deborah 'Debbie' Byrnes (Nicole DeHuff) has. So begins the weekend visit from Hell when Greg meets mother Dina (Blythe Danner), and strict father and ex-CIA agent Jack (Robert De Niro), and trying to make a good impression, with no embarrassment or humiliation, everything that can go wrong, does go wrong, and very disastrously. In the course of the weekend trying to get on with the parents, especially Jack, Greg manages to knock over Jack's mother's ashes (and have the cat pee on them), have a personal lie detector test, hit the bride sister Debbie in the eye with a volleyball, flood the garden with the toilet water and sewage (because of the sceptic tank not being emptied), burn some of the garden and the altar made by Pam's ex-fiancée Kevin Rawley (Owen Wilson), and lose the cat Mr. Jinx. There is obviously the point where Greg pretty much gives up trying, and is told to leave, but Pam has a real talk to her father, and he knows that she is old enough to make her own decisions, and he has to get used to one of her partners, so they all make up in the end, and it ends not only with a wedding (Debbie and her boyfriend), but you know a sequel is inevitable with Jack saying "all we have to do is meet his parents". Also starring Jon Abrahams as Denny Byrnes and James Rebhorn as Dr. Larry Banks. Last time I saw De Niro manage some comedy was in the dark Scorcese classic, The King of Comedy, and he proves himself capable of being not only a great method actor, but a great comedian, oh, and Stiller excels too, a very funny film. It was nominated the Oscar for Best Song for Randy Newman's "A Fool In Love". Robert De Niro number 2 on The 100 Greatest Movie Stars, he was also number 50 on The 100 Greatest Pop Culture Icons, and he was number 5 (along with Al Pacino) on The World's Greatest Actor, and the film was number 18 on The 50 Greatest Comedy Films. Very good!