Meine Frau, ihre Schwiegereltern und ich (Meet the Fockers)
U.S.A. 2004

Opening 17 Feb 2005

Directed by: Jay Roach
Writing credits: Greg Glienna, Mary Ruth Clarke, James Herzfeld, Marc Hyman, John Hamburg
Principal actors: Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand, Blythe Danner

If you’re a Hollywood screenwriter faced with the dilemma of writing a sequel to a movie which grossed 295 million dollars, what do you do? In this case you bring on more big-name stars and bask in the knowledge that all the people who enjoyed the first movie are predisposed to enjoy the second one too. Well, it hasn’t worked. Meet The Parents was a funny movie, written with a light touch and displaying the considerable talents of Ben Stiller. Meet The Fockers (the title sets the tone of the movie) aspires only to raise cheap laughs in heavy handed situations. Mr. Byrnes (Robert De Niro), for example, wears a plastic boob to help him bond with his grandson; in turn, the little boy’s first word, repeated ad nauseam, is “arsehole.” The new stars (Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand) are Mr. and Mrs. Focker, an aging hippie and a sex therapist respectively. Throw in the fact that they are Jewish and you can regurgitate jokes about foreskins and Jewish mammas too. Despite the wasted talent and the unfunny, unsubtle story, this movie is probably going to make more money than the first one, which means that the screenwriter will consider that he’s done his job well and can have the last laugh. (Jenny Mather)