Meet the Parents

Starring: Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Blythe Danner, Teri Polo, Owen Wilson, Jon Abrahams
Directed by: Jay Roach
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy
2000

Times Seen:
Tim: 3

Summary: Greg (Ben Stiller) is nervous about meeting his girlfriend's (Teri Polo) parents. The trip gets off on to an awful start, and only gets worse as he clashes with her father (Robert De Niro) while trying to win his approval.

Review:

Tim: Meet the Parents is a surprisingly funny comedy. It actually surpasses any expectations that could have been placed on it. It is a hilarious movie. It almost perfectly captures the awkwardness and nervousness that comes with meeting a significant other's parents. It hits all the right notes, has a terrific cast, and overall, is one of the funniest comedies in recent memory.

There's so many things to love about this movie. You have to start with the cast. Ben Stiller is fantastic as Greg Focker. He's perfected the awkwardness of his characters, and is at his absolute best in this film. He makes his character likable enough, but also believable when he finds himself in these horrible, over-the-top situations. Stiller is terrific in this movie. I also have to give credit to Robert De Niro for embracing a role that is so unlike the role he typically takes. He is so funny playing against type, and yet, he makes the performance a typical De Niro one as well. I love how Stiller and De Niro work together. They are so funny playing off each other, and make a terrific team.

The supporting players are strong, too. Teri Polo works very well with the rest of the cast. She and Stiller have a great deal of chemistry and truly seem like they would be a real-life couple. I also loved Teri Polo as De Niro's wife, and Owen Wilson works well as Polo's ex. The cast all work so very well together and are one of the strongest aspects of the movie.

This movie has so many classic scenes and lines. I absolutely love the "I have nipples, Greg. Could you milk me?" line. I could easily name dozens of other hilarious lines in the film. Likewise, there's so many unforgettable scenes. The urn scene, the Puff the Magic Dragon scene, and a litany of others. This movie has so many funny moments- it is surprisingly consistent as a comedy. So many comedies might have a few great moments, but have some real low points as well. This movie has so many humorous moments throughout the entire film. That's a great strength.

As I've said many times, comedies are notoriously hard to pull off. Meet the Parents manages to put everything together, delivering a truly hilarious, memorable movie. This film bottles up a naturally awkward situation (meeting a significant other's parents) and pushes it to hilarious, extreme lengths. That is a formula that works brilliantly. I love this movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
Meet the Parents, Little Fockers, Reality Bites, Analyze This, Analyze That