"What kind of people name their child Gaylord Focker?" wonders Blythe Danner in Meet The Parents. Four years later, director Jay Roach answers with Meet The Fockers, re-teaming Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro and tossing in the delirious double-act of Barbra Streisand and Dustin Hoffman. Again Stiller is the butt of all the jokes and there are lots of jokes about butts (or what comes out of them), but thankfully the fresh meat makes up for a lack of fresh ideas.
After worming his way into the 'Circle of Trust', Gaylord 'Greg' Focker (Ben Stiller) is desperate to stay on the right side of future father-in-law and ex-CIA man Jack Byrnes (Robert De Niro). However, when the Byrnes' are invited to spend the weekend with Greg's parents, it all falls apart. Bernie Focker (Dustin Hoffman) aggravates Jack with his New Age liberalism while sex therapist Roz Focker (Barbra Streisand) simply scares the hell out of him.
"INSPIRED CASTING"
Especially funny is Streisand assaulting De Niro with an erotic massage and she also has great chemistry with a delightfully impish Hoffman. Sadly the writers don't fully exploit the clash between Hoffman's ageing hippy and De Niro's government spook as the awkwardness between Jack and Greg remains the heart of the story. Thankfully though, the formula still fizzes with De Niro rivalling Jim Carrey for comic gurning ability, while Stiller's trademark mix of patsy antics and wounded puppy dog charm is always engaging.
On the downside Stiller's onscreen fianc茅e Teri Polo is given nothing to do except balk in the appropriate places and the major set-ups also feel a little too familiar. Among these are the customary blocked toilet gag and a re-tread of the polygraph scene from Meet The Parents (this time Jack injects Greg with truth serum). Although not as disarmingly funny the second time around, inspired casting means that, unlike most in-laws, the Fockers don't outstay their welcome.
Meet The Fockers (2005)
