Meet the Parents
(Rated PG-13)

By Amy Diaz
HippoPress.com

There's something about Robert De Niro in the latest Ben Stiller pratfall comedy Meet the Parents, a movie that answers the question on what video will keep the visiting relatives occupied and in one room of the house this Christmas.

Greg (Stiller) - whose last name is Focker and the source of many a joke - loves Pam (Teri Polo). All set to propose, Greg accompanies Pam to her parents' house for her sister's wedding. A daddy's girl, Pam tries to keep her ex-CIA agent father Jack Byrnes (De Niro) from scaring Greg off. Greg, who is way too eager to please, tries desperately to get Jack to like him while trying to cover up a series of only-in-the-movies missteps. Some examples: Greg accidentally knocks over Jack's mother's urn, loses the family cat, sets fire to some stuff...you see where this is going.

While it lifts liberally from the There's Something About Mary playbook, Meet the Parents is not quite up to the warped standards of Stiller's previous outing as a put-upon suitor. Nor is this movie as good to De Niro as his previous comedy Analyze This.

The joke that keeps Meet the Parents going is that De Niro is a scary guy and Stiller is an idiot in love. The fact that this joke is enough to keep the movie going is a testament to De Niro's ability to keep a straight face and Stiller's ability to provide a constant stream of stupidity.

Meet the Parents is silly, obvious and funny. Without breaking new comic ground or providing any laugh-'til-you-puke moments, Meet the Parents is a completely satisfactory means of entertainment.

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