Meet The Fockers Movie Review: By Adam Mast, ZBoneMan.com

Meet the Fockers went into development immediately after the box office totals were tallied for Meet the Parents. In fact, it was thought that the film would have been released earlier (heck, the first one came out in 2000, making this wait longer than the one between Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones). But, the film makers wanted to get the script just right and the cast picture perfect, so they took their focking time. Well, I can say that they got the casting right, but as far as the screenplay? Let’s just say they should have taken more focking time.

First off, I must confess that I never was a huge fan of Meet the Parents. The first time I saw it, I felt the picture was incredibly predictable, over the top (even by comedy standards), and repetitious (I mean really, the whole use of the "Focker" name became tiresome). I have to admit though, I have warmed up to the movie a bit having seen it a few times since. It does have it’s moments (my favorite being Stiller’s awful ordeal at the airport during the climax of the film).

In Meet the Fockers, Gaylord (Ben Stiller) and Pam (Teri Polo) decide it’s finally time to tie the knot, but before the big day, it seems only right that Jack and Dina Byrnes (Robert DeNiro and Blythe Danner) should meet Gaylord’s parents. As the film begins (in what my wife and I were certain was a dream sequence – we were wrong), everything is going right for Greg (aka Gaylord). Things are just falling right into place, and that’s the first sign that things are going to go south quickly. Rather than flying to meet his parents, Greg agrees to make the trip in Jack’s souped up RV. Upon arrival, the Byrnes’ and the Fockers come face to face, and right away it becomes clear that all is not going to go as smoothly as buttah. Before long, Greg Focker’s inevitable Series of Unfortunate Events put Di Niro's up-tight character into CIA mode.

Ben Stiller is pretty much the same Greg from the first picture. He’s still out to win the approval of his soon to be father-in-law Jack, and as advertised, Jack hasn’t changed much either. He’s constantly looking for a way to prove that Greg isn’t good enough for his daughter. I suppose DeNiro’s good here, but oh how I yearn for a role that showcases this legendary actor's comic-chops. His portrayal of another Jack in Martin Brest’s masterful and hilarious Midnight Run, is expertly crafted and proves that DeNiro can play comedy with the best of them.

It is the brilliant casting of Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand that give Meet the Fockers what little kick it has. Hoffman’s Bernie Focker is the ultimate hippy and he isn’t at all afraid to express his liberal opinions to his diametrically opposed counterpart. It is fun watching these two veterans share screen time together - as they did in the superior Wag the Dog. Streisand has a good time playing with our perception of her personnae. Her sex therapist Roz Focker is annoying at first, but I warmed up to her, and I think it’s because of Streisand’s playful nature.

Meet the Fockers is one of those sequels in which the idea is clearly better than the finished project. The concept is a funny one and seems like the correct natural progression for the storyline. I liked the little inside gags that audiences will only get if they saw the first picture (i.e. the inclusion of that snooty stewardess from the first picture, or check out the song Jack’s RV plays when he presses the horn). The casting of Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand as the Fockers is genius. And the fact that director Jay Roach and all cast members from the first picture have returned is a major plus. Sadly though, the film pulls up far short of it's potential because most of the jokes aren’t all that funny, and because the timing always appears a little off.

Meet the Fockers is extremely broad, even more so than the first picture (i.e. a scene in which a dog is flushed down the toilet is something you might expect to see in 2003's Mormon misfire Home Teachers – not this movie). This film is also much different in tone - trading in the obvious, more free flowing humor of the Meet the Parents, for sexually charged jokes that more than push the boundaries of it's (PG-13) rating. Beware of flashing teenagers, well endowed statues, and yes, we’re even witness to foreskin fondue.

I really enjoy Jay Roach. I love his energy, but I see a trend with Meet the Fockers that I saw with his lively Austin Powers series. As, is the case with this picture, the second Austin Powers film traded in more innocent and tame humor for sex jokes. But then, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me was visually dazzling and far more creative than Meet the Fockers. It was also much more consistent. I found myself laughing a lot during that movie. Meet the Fockers by contrast, really runs out of steam. It’s far too long, and the pacing is awkward and the story labored. Many moments that are meant to evoke laughter, end up dead in the water (including a dull cameo by Owen Wilson - who reprises his role from the first picture). Most of the jokes here are either recycled (including the use of the "Focker" name) or beat into the ground (the subplot revolving around Jack’s infant grandson – which reminded me of Rick Moranis’ plot line in Ron Howard’s superior Parenthood) gets old really fast.

I didn’t hate Meet the Fockers, nor would I say that I was entirely disappointed by it (it wasn’t like I had high expectations). Actually, I’m kind of indifferent about the experience. It’s just sort of there. Should Jay Roach decide to do a third film (Little Fockers perhaps), I hope it’s funnier and more creative, because this likable cast and their audience deserve better.

Grade: C

Adam Mast, ZBoneMan.com