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intereact!Director: Jay Roach
Actors: Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand, and Blythe Danner
Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Retail Price (not our price): $14.98
Release Date: 2005-04-19
Theatrical Release Date: 2004-12-22
Studio: Universal Studios
Run Time: 116 minutes
Format: Array
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Discs: 1
Editorial Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
1) Amazon.com
Meet the Parents found such tremendous success in the chemistry produced by the contrasting personalities of stars Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller that the film's creators went for broke with the same formula again in Meet the Fockers. This time around, Jack and Dina Byrnes (De Niro and Blythe Danner) climb into Jack's new kevlar-lined RV with daughter Pam (Teri Polo), soon-to-be son-in-law Gaylord (Stiller), and Jack's infant grandson from his other daughter for the trip to Florida to meet Gaylord's parents, Bernie and Roz Focker (Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand in a casting coup). The potential in-laws are, of course, the opposite of Jack, a pair of randy, touchy-feely fun-lovers. The rest of the movie is pretty much a sitcom: put Bernie and Roz together with Jack, and watch the in-laws clash as Gaylord squirms. As with the original, there is a sense of joy in watching these actors take on their roles with obvious relish, and the Hoffman-Streisand-Stiller triumvirate is likeable enough to draw you in. But the formula doesn't work as well in Fockers mostly because much of the humor is based on two obvious gimmicks: Gaylord Focker's name, and the fact that Streisand's character is a sex therapist. As a result, the movie itself is more contrived and predictable, and a lot less fun than the original. The casting is grand, but one wishes more thought was put into the script.--Dan Vancini
Customer Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
Average Customer Rating: 3.0 out of 5
1) Nice sequel [Rating: 3 out of 5]
Meet the Fockers is ok. Standard jokes and humor. Good plot line but it tend to drag on sometimes. The baby sort of saved the movie at certain places.2) The second chapter is just as funny as the first, which is a good and a bad thing... [Rating: 3 out of 5]
I will admit that `Meet the Fockers' is funny; in fact it's really funny. If I were judging this film of pure comedic effect alone I'd have to say that this truly nails it. You see, it's not a question of landing jokes and gags here for each and every one lands fine, it's just that sadly this film is nothing new. `Meet the Fockers' is more like `Meet the Parents' rehash with a few new faces. Taking as its own film it's genuine and hilarious yet when taken alongside its superior predecessor it can prove disappointing. If only the script had been as ingeniously constructed as `Meet the Parents'.This film picks up right where `Meet the Parents' left off. This time it's more a game of meet the in-laws as the Byrnes family travels to meet Greg's parents. Greg's parents are obviously complete opposites of Pam's. Bernie and Rozalin are loud and obnoxious and, for lack of a better word, `loony'. They love their son regardless of his flaws and failures, in fact they celebrate everything he's ever done, which is not something that sits well with Jack. Add to this the fact that Pam and Greg have a big secret that threatens to dismantle her father and you have all the makings of a very tense visit.My issues with `Meet the Fockers' lie solely in the script. The decision to revisit Jack's untrusting paranoia was frustrating to me. By the end of `Meet the Parents' we feel that maybe finally Greg has broken into Jack's ridiculousness and that they are going to move forward in their relationship. Having Jack resort back to his scheming and manipulating and deceiving all over again seemed kind of forced and repetitive. The clash between the Byrnes and the Fockers was funny and Hoffman and De Niro play off one another well, but Jack's character is not as enjoyable the second time around. There is no real character development. It's like the writers said `hey, this worked last time so lets do it all over again'.The cast all works well, everyone returning as well as the new faces. This film belongs to Barbara Streisand and Dustin Hoffman. I can't think of two actors better suited for the roles. They are hysterical and add layers of genuine sincerity to the roles, much like what De Niro did for Jack Byrnes in `Meet the Parents'. Teri Polo has more to do this go around, but she still a backseat to the more memorable performers, Blythe Danner being one of them.I enjoyed this film and I think if you watch it as just another comedy then you will too. The jokes land one right after the other beautifully. Like I said, it's that pesky problem of remaining stagnant that hits this one. There is no progression of comedic entertainment here. `Meet the Fockers' is `Meet the Parents Part II' and that said it's bound to be funny. Sometimes that's good enough.3) Deniro's lowest point in his career! [Rating: 1 out of 5]
I am saddened to see someone go from Mean Streets, Taxi driver, Raging Bull, Deer Hunter... do this junk. I guess the scripts aren't out there so he has to lower himself to do these formula comedies that might be funny to a seventh grader. The title says it all "Fockers" I could hear Bevis and Butthead laughing at this word because it sounds dirty. The movie isn't any better with its sophomoric humor. Once you've see a Ben Stiller movie you don't really have to see any of his other films because they are basically the same format and are as predictable as his other films. It seems like if you are an actor or singer on your way out you stop and do a Stiller film before you go. Sad!4) One Hilarious Focker [Rating: 4 out of 5]
Meet the Parents is one of those Ben Stiller vehicles that's so slapstick in its hilarity that it can actually make you feel uncomfortable. It's funny, but it's almost disturbingly funny, such that if you make the mistake of imagining yourself in Greg "Gaylord" Focker's (Ben Stiller) shoes, you want to hide under your seat. Meet the Fockers takes the conceit of the original movie one step further. Greg's already met his fiancée's (Pam Byrnes, played by Teri Polo) family, including Pam's pleasant mother Dina (Blythe Danner), her nephew Jack (Spencer and Bradley Pickren), and her domineering father Jack (Robert De Niro). It's now time for that momentous meeting that all engaged couples dread: the family meeting. It's time, finally, to meet the parents who named their son Gaylord Focker.Thus begins a road trip down to Florida to meet Greg's parents, played hippie pitch-perfect by Barbara Streisand as Rozalin (a special kind of therapist for older couples who want to be more intimate) and Dustin Hoffman as Bernie, the over-supportive, super-pal of a dad. Mix the Byrnes with the Fockers and stir. The additional twist is Little Jack, representing a flashpoint of parenting debate. Jack's childrearing is strict and disciplinarian one hand (the Byrnes hand, if you couldn't guess) and the free-love, do-it-if-it-feels-good empowerment of the Fockers. Streisand and Hoffman are the real treat here. Their parental struggles and angst, or lack thereof, are what make the film. If you're a fan of either, you won't be disappointed. If you are recently married or have a kid, the movie's struggle over childrearing is a very funny debate indeed. If you don't, then Meet the Fockers is probably only mildly amusing. Since my son was born the same month I saw his movie, it had particular comedic resonance, and my parents (who are definitely Focker-types) and my wife laughed all the way through.5) These movies are not funny [Rating: 1 out of 5]
I didn't finish Meet the Parents. It was stupid, both literally and metaphorically. It was not funny. It was boring. Thank god I only rented it. I just shut off Meet the Fockers. I was expecting SOMEthing because it has Streisand and Hoffman in it. That's why I rented it. I didn't finish it either. These movies are boring, belabored, obvious and unfunny. Stupid people need entertainment too. But that's what television is for.