Directed by Jay Roach; starring Robert DeNiro, Ben Stiller, Teri Polo, Blythe Danner, James Rebhorn and Owen Wilson.
Ben Stiller not only inherited his father’s endearing hunch, he also inherited his gift for comedy. While Robert DeNiro probably inherited a lot of fine qualities from his father, who was an artist, making people laugh wasn’t one of them. Nonetheless, over the years DeNiro has certainly made the effort. He’s starred in We’re No Angels, Rocky & Bullwinkle and Analyze This. Unfortunately, it was only when he played a straight man to Charles Grodin’s straight man in Midnight Run that he showed any real signs of comedic potential.
That is, until Meet the Parents. Despite working with a ludicrously underdeveloped script, DeNiro proves he may finally be getting the knack for this comedy thing.
Directed by Jay Roach, the man responsible for Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery and Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Meet the Parents stars Ben Stiller as Greg Focker, a male nurse intent on marrying his girlfriend Pam (Teri Polo). Robert DeNiro plays Jack Byrne, Pam’s overprotective ex-CIA agent father. When Greg meets Pam’s parents, who also include Blythe Danner as Pam’s one-dimensionally maternal mom, calamity ensues. Greg breaks the urn holding Jack’s mother’s remains, loses Jack’s beloved cat, overflows the family’s septic tank and almost burns the Byrnes’ house down. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Needless to say, Greg has a hard time endearing himself to Pam’s family.
Meet the Family is the most frustrating type of movie. With an excellent premise and a seasoned cast, it should have been a hit. But while the movie is always on the verge of becoming a rip-roaring, hilarious slice of entertainment, it never quite does. With the exception of Greg and Jack, the characters are less complicated than the crew of the Love Boat. And between the funny calamities, the story is thinner than a Fruit Rollup. With Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery and Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Roach has proved that he can orchestrate some pretty memorable comedic moments. Now he needs to work on some of the other aspects that go into making a quality movie, like character development and a coherent plot. – JoAnne Steglitz