Follow up to Meet the Parents (Meet the Fockers (DVD))

Member Name: lyndsey1989

Product:	Meet the Fockers (DVD)
Date:	03/09/09 (42 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Plot, Cast

Disadvantages: None

Meet the Fockers is of course the follow up film to the highly successful film Meet the Parents. This film follows Greg and Pam as they introduce their parents to one another. When I first watched this I was desperate for it to live up to its predecessor but this rarely happens in films, however I'm glad to say this did a very good job! This is a film only review.

Greg knows what Pam's family are like and therefore is worried about taking the trip to his parents. He is also worried about what Pam's father Jack will think of his family as they couldn't be more opposite! In order to minimise any problems Greg makes sure he plans every aspect of their trip. However, Jack makes sure he completely messes this up by purchasing an RV and insisting that instead they will drive to Greg's parents, and take their Grandson along too!

At this point the viewer knows very little about Greg's family but when they arrive at his parents house we soon realise why Greg was so keen to plan the trip and was not particularly keen on Jack meeting his parents! His parents are the complete opposite to Pam's and turn out to be sex-addicts, with his mother (played by the excellent Barbara Streisand) teaching sex classes to the elderly!

The film is very similar to the first in the fact that although it tells the story over the time, there are a lot of smaller issues within the film therefore keeping the comedy fresh and new. Greg encounters a number of problems on the trip including trying to hide all of his mothers 'exotic' ornaments from Pam's parents, his father telling all about how he lost his virginity to the housemaid and a disastrous babysitting incident! Greg is still really trying to impress Jack and it is amusing watching none of it work whatsoever. However, you do feel very sorry for Greg when Jack is still using old CIA tactics on him!

I really enjoyed this film and was pleasantly surprised. I did not expect it to be such a good film as I had such high expectations after my love for the original. Although personally I don't believe it to be anywhere near as good as the original, it is still a very strong film and an enjoyable watch. The appearance of Streisand for me was really enjoyable and she (like all of the actors in the film) played her character superbly and was a true credit to the film. The chemistry between her and Hoffman who played her husband was brilliant and they worked terrifically together. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoyed the first film or anyone who is looking for a laugh a minute comedy! The actors in this film are very strong and it is well worth a watch!

There are a number of big names in this film including Ben Stiller (Greg), Teri Polo (Pam), Robert DeNiro (Jack), Blythe Danner (Dina), Dustin Hoffman (Bernie) and Barbara Streisand (Roz). The film was released in 2004 and runs for 113 minutes. It is rated a 12 but there is a lot of sexual references in it so do be aware of this. The DVD is currently available in a box set with the original for just £4.98 from Amazon which I think is well worth it!

Summary: Great comedy