Meet the Fockers

Jay Roach

BY Vish KhannaPublished May 1, 2005

While it may lack the edginess of Meet the Parents, this sequel's all-star cast works well together to create an entertaining, light comedy. Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller reprise the roles that made for a hilarious, squirm-inducing dynamic in the first film. This time, however, Stiller is more of a sideman for a trio of Oscar-winning heavyweights and their on-screen pets. De Niro plays Jack Byrnes, the hard-nosed, ex-CIA father-in-law-to-be who doesn't think Stiller's Greg Focker is good enough for his daughter Pam (Teri Polo). Matters get worse for Greg when the Byrnes clan meets his unconventional parents Bernie and Roz, played by Dustin Hoffman and Barbara Streisand, respectively. The Fockers are completely uninhibited, a striking contrast to Jack Byrnes, who butts heads with them and attempts to drag skeletons out of Greg's closet. Though Stiller has some farcical moments with the Byrnes's grandson and Mr. Jinx the cat, this film is less about him than its predecessor. Instead, the real comedic interplay is between the parents. Hoffman and Streisand have a real chemistry together and are hysterical as foils for both Stiller and De Niro. In a bonus interview with NBC's Matt Lauer, they ascribe their connection to their days as students at the same acting school. In any case, they're a surprising comic duo that lends a lofty irreverence to the slapstick proceedings. Plus: bloopers, deleted scenes, Fockers family portrait, more. (Universal)

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