Meet The Parents (DVD) Review

Arguably the best comedy of 2000, Meet The Parents is one of the best-written, humor-filled laughers since Caddyshack (1980). Screenwriters Greg Glienna and Mary Ruth Clarke should have received Oscars for their flawless presentation of a string of ironic gaffes and hilarious antics. But Meet The Parents wouldn t be the comedy masterpiece it is without the onscreen chemistry of Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro. Stiller, son of comedian Jerry Stiller (Seinfeld & King Of Queens), is a comic genius in his own right and has recently dominated the Hollywood box office with a string of smash spoof comedies such as There s Something About Mary (1998), Zoolander (2001), Along Came Polly (2004), and Dodgeball (2004). De Niro, on the other hand, moves from the less serious roles of his early career into the comedy genre with an ease fully indicative of his enormous talent. Earlier comic roles in Wag The Dog (1997) and Analyze This (1999) prepared movie-goers for the veteran actor s zinging one-liners. Overall, the cast is superb, and Meet The Parents excels in the realm of over-the-top humor.
Meet The Parents follows the hardship of Gaylord "Greg" Focker (Ben Stiller), a male nurse who travels with his fianc e, Pam Byrnes (Teri Polo), to meet his future in-laws. Pam s mother (Blythe Danner) seems alright enough, but her father, Jack (Robert De Niro), is a never-ending source of torment for the easy-going, bridge-building Greg. A retired CIA operative, Jack is paranoid and suspicious of the man who aspires to be his son-in-law, and he goes to great lengths to uncover skeletons in Greg s closet or otherwise drive a divide between his daughter and her future husband.
Along the way, Greg must not only contend with the prying eyes of Jack Byrnes, but his hellacious feline companion Jinxie, Pam s perfect ex-boyfriend Kevin Rawley (Owen Wilson), and the infamous Jack-mandated, Byrne family "circle of trust". When Greg accidentally loses Jinxie, it sets off a chain of events that is so hilarious, most people will have to watch the segment multiple times in order to catch everything. Ultimately, Jack and Greg rectify their "circle of trust" issues when Jack does a background check on Greg that returns little info, prompting Greg to reveal that his full name is Gaylord - yes, his name is really Gay Focker !
Meet The Parents takes advantage of a common experience shared by its audience members and transforms this recurrent rite of passage into a truly hilarious night of entertainment. It is, quite simply, one of the funniest movies ever made. Directed by Jay Roach (director of the Austin Powers franchise), Meet The Parents is a true modern day comedy classic that, like a fine wine, only tastes better with the passage of time. It s one of those rare cinematic gems that can be watched over and over, yet still provoke shrieking laughter with relative ease. Successful enough to spawn a sequel, Meet The Fockers (which is in-and-of itself a memorable comedy), Meet The Parents is a definite must-see movie that you won t want to miss.



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