for any groom on the verge of proposing marriage to his girlfriend , there are certain rules that he needs to follow .
firstly , fill her life with happiness and romance during the courtship .
secondly , buy her a beautiful ring that glitters as brightly as her eyes .
thirdly , find the perfect moment and location to propose .
finally , the groom - wannabe should probably get her parent 's blessing . of these four , the last one can be a nightmare .
meeting parents is a rite of passage , fraught with unexpected questions , bouts of nervousness , the reality of being disliked , and the inability to make a positive impression .
if you 're lucky , things will go smoothly .
but , if you 're greg focker ( ben stiller ) , everything will go wrong .
and with a name like that , how could it not ?
when greg first meets his fianc ?
e 's father , jack byrnes ( the grimacing robert deniro )
, greg immediately feels overwhelmed and is put on the defensive .
when he tells jack that he 's a male nurse , the incorrigible dad shoots back , " not many men in your profession , huh , greg ?
"
it 's definitely not a good start .
but greg is determined to win him over , and it 's this desire that fuels the movie .
he first takes small steps such as agreeing to say grace before dinner .
it does n't matter that he 's jewish .
if daddy byrnes asks him to say grace , then that 's what he 's going to gamely do .
"
oh god .
..
you 're such a good god " , he moons .
his discomfort at trying to force out a simple prayer will make you chuckle , but when jack gives him the " deniro squint " ( that familiar , unsettling gaze that gives deniro that aura of invincibility ) , it 's pretty hard not to grin .
things get progressively worse for greg .
and that 's too bad because he 's a genuinely likable guy with a romantic heart .
eventually , he begins to try so hard that he starts to mess everything up , committing a host of gaffes that embarrass , humiliate or injure other people .
it 's a never - ending ordeal of missteps , miscues , and mistakes .
he buys some champagne , but uncorking the bottle leads to disastrous circumstances .
he tries to find jack 's missing cat .
but his method of solving the problem leads only to more trouble .
and there are several other episodes , each one trumping the next in outrageousness .
the more our well - meaning beau screwed up , the more the audience groaned in sympathy .
we liked greg .
and , we liked this movie .
" meet the parents " is a farcical comedy that certainly has its moments .
just sit back and watch greg get into trouble .
no matter what the situation , whether its playing a harmless game of water volleyball or sneaking a smoke on the roof of the house , things will horribly go wrong .
we laugh at greg 's expense , but love often makes a person do dumb things , and ben stiller has the knack of playing the romantic fool .
deniro is also affable , tough on the outside yet sentimental on the inside .
their tug - of - war is often funny , the slapstick is elaborate , and there are several topical throwaway gags ( mostly targeted at the airline industry ) to make this film an amusing yet smart lampoon about future in - laws from hell .
Output: P