Meet the Parents (2000)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Jay Roach

Writers (WGA):

Greg Glienna (1992 screenplay) &
Mary Ruth Clarke (1992 screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

6 October 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

First comes love. Then comes the interrogation.

Plot:

Male nurse Greg Focker meets his girlfriend's parents before proposing, but her suspicious father is every date's worst nightmare.

Plot Keywords:

Male Nurse | Nurse | Cat | CIA | Wedding

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 7 wins & 14 nominations

Cast

Robert De Niro	...	Jack Byrnes
Ben Stiller	...	Gaylord 'Greg' Focker
Teri Polo	...	Pam Byrnes
Blythe Danner	...	Dina Byrnes
Nicole DeHuff	...	Deborah Byrnes
Jon Abrahams	...	Denny Byrnes
Owen Wilson	...	Kevin Rawley
James Rebhorn	...	Dr. Larry Banks
Thomas McCarthy	...	Dr. Bob Banks
Phyllis George	...	Linda Banks
Kali Rocha	...	Atlantic American Flight Attendant
Bernie Sheredy	...	Norm the Interrogator
Judah Friedlander	...	Pharmacy Clerk
Peter Bartlett	...	Animal Shelter Worker
John Elsen	...	Chicago Airport Security
Mark Hammer	...	Greg's Hospital Patient
Amy Hohn	...	Ticket Agent
William Severs	...	Father O'Boyle
John Fiore	...	Kinky
Marilyn Dobrin	...	Atlantic American Lost Luggage Clerk
Marci Reid	...	Traveler
Frank Santorelli	...	Courier (Wrong Bag)
Russell Hornsby	...	Late Night Courier (Right Bag)
Patricia Cook	...	Little Girl
Cody Arens	...	Little Boy
Cole Hawkins	...	Little Boy
Spencer Breslin	...	Little Boy
Ina Rosenthal	...	Wedding Worker
Kim Rideout	...	Nurse
Kresimir Novakovic	...	Airport Policeman
John Joseph Gallagher	...	Cop
G.A. Aguilar	...	Cop
Lynn Ann Castle	...	Security Guard
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Robbie Bryan	...	Man on Airplane (uncredited)
Phillip V. Caruso	...	Airport Baggage Swipe (uncredited)
Alan Francis	...	Airport Security (uncredited)
Jon M. McDonnell	...	Bartender (uncredited)
Erik-Anders Nilsson	...	Patron on Plane (uncredited)
Buzz Visconti	...	Bar patron (uncredited)
Todd Wall	...	Caterer #2 (uncredited)

Directed by
Jay Roach

Writing credits (WGA)
Greg Glienna		(1992 screenplay) &
Mary Ruth Clarke		(1992 screenplay)
Greg Glienna		(story) &
Mary Ruth Clarke		(story)
Jim Herzfeld		(screenplay) and
John Hamburg		(screenplay)

Produced by
Robert De Niro	....	producer
Greg Glienna	....	associate producer
Emo Philips	....	associate producer
Jay Roach	....	producer
Shauna Robertson	....	co-producer (as Shauna Weinberg)
Jane Rosenthal	....	producer
Amy Sayres	....	co-producer
Nancy Tenenbaum	....	producer
Jim Vincent	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Randy Newman

Cinematography by
Peter James		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Greg Hayden
Jon Poll

Casting by
Ellen Chenoweth

Production Design by
Rusty Smith

Art Direction by
John Kasarda

Set Decoration by
Karin Wiesel		(as Karen Wiesel)

Costume Design by
Daniel Orlandi

Makeup Department
Michal Bigger	....	key makeup artist (as Michael Bigger)
Victor DeNicola	....	hair stylist: Mr. Stiller (as Victor De Nicola Jr.)
Ilona Herman	....	hair stylist: Mr. De Niro
Ilona Herman	....	makeup artist: Mr. De Niro
Linda Melo	....	makeup artist
Rita Ogden	....	makeup artist
Jackie Payne	....	hair stylist (as Jacqueline Payne)
John Quaglia	....	key hair stylist (as John D. Quaglia)
Carla White	....	makeup artist: Mr. Stiller

Production Management
Lisa Rodgers	....	post-production supervisor
Lenny Vullo	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Richard Cowan	....	first assistant director
Amy Lauritsen	....	second assistant director
Deanna Leslie	....	additional second assistant director
Dominick Scarola	....	dga trainee
Marco Schnabel	....	second unit director
Jennifer Truelove	....	second second assistant director

Art Department
Tommy Allen	....	property master (as Tom Allen)
Eric Cheripka	....	assistant property master
Ann Edgeworth	....	assistant property master (as Ann L. Edgeworth)
Jason Farrar	....	construction accountant
Chris Ferraro	....	set dresser
Gerard J. Furey	....	shop craftsman
Judy Gurr	....	set dresser
John R. Johnston	....	shop foreman
Hyun-joo Kim	....	assistant art director
Steven E. Lawler	....	construction foreman
Gary Levitsky	....	set dresser
Alan Muzeni	....	set dresser
Chris T. Nelson	....	leadman (as Crhistopher Nelson)
Ken Nelson	....	construction coordinator (as Kenneth D. Nelson)
Richard Nelson	....	set dresser (as Rick Nelson)
Raymond C. Polak	....	set dresser
William Riley	....	scenic foreman (as Bill Riley)
Jeffrey Rollins	....	set dresser (as Jeffrey S. Rollins)
Amy Safhay	....	greensperson
Adam Scher	....	assistant art director (as Adam M. Scher)
Aleta Shaffer	....	art department production assistant (as Aleta K. Shaffer)
David Stein	....	assistant art director
Christina K. Tonkin	....	assistant set decorator (as Christina Tonkin)
Robert Topol	....	scenic artist
M. Tony Trotta	....	scenic artist
Alyson Wellins	....	art department coordinator
Mike Bundlie	....	graphic designer (uncredited)
John Davis	....	storyboard artist (uncredited)
Gerard V. Engrassia	....	greensmen (uncredited)
Daniel Geary	....	carpenter (uncredited)
Grant Shaffer	....	storyboard artist (uncredited)
Stephen Siersema	....	scenic artist (uncredited)
Nell Stifel	....	scenic artist (uncredited)
Ginny Walsh	....	greens foreman (uncredited)
Joan Winters	....	graphic designer (uncredited)

Sound Department
George H. Anderson	....	supervising sound editor (as George Anderson)
David Boulton	....	adr mixer
Jeanette Browning	....	adr recordist
Joe DeAngelis	....	sound recordist
Dennis Drummond	....	sound effects editor
Kim Drummond	....	dialogue editor
Charlie Essers	....	sound re-recording mixer (Japanese theatrical version)
David Giammarco	....	dialogue editor
Galen Goodpaster	....	assistant adr editor
Frank Graziadei	....	boom operator (as Frank J. Graziadei)
Frank Graziadei	....	cableman (as Frank J. Graziadei)
Michael Haight	....	sound effects editor
Doc Kane	....	adr mixer
Jonathan Klein	....	foley editor
Andy Koyama	....	sound re-recording mixer
Goro Koyama	....	foley artist
Tod A. Maitland	....	sound mixer
Andy Malcolm	....	foley artist
Ron Malligers	....	foley recordist (as Ron Mellegers)
Cindy Marty	....	sound effects editor
Bill Meadows	....	sound recordist
James Morioka	....	assistant sound editor
Joe Schiff	....	assistant sound editor
Michael Scott	....	boom operator (as Mike Scott)
Renee Tondelli	....	supervising adr editor
Jonathan Wales	....	sound re-recording mixer
Don White	....	foley recording mixer
Don White	....	foley recordist
Paul J. Zydel	....	adr mixer (as Paul Zydel)
Cornelia Mariana Gavrilescu	....	foley recording assistant (uncredited)
Philip Rogers	....	adr recordist (uncredited)
Jerome R. Vitucci	....	playback operator (uncredited)
Rebecca Wright	....	foley recording assistant (uncredited)

Special Effects by
J.C. Brotherhood	....	special effects coordinator (as Jonathan C. Brotherhood)
Deed Rossiter	....	special effects foreman
Byron K. Lovelace	....	special effects technician (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
David D. Johnson	....	visual effects supervisor: Pacific Vision Productions
Mark Sawicki	....	optical camera (uncredited)

Stunts
G.A. Aguilar	....	stunt coordinator
Bill Anagnos	....	stunts (as William Anagnos)
Blaise Corrigan	....	stunts
Douglas Crosby	....	stunts (as Doug Crosby)
Peter Epstein	....	stunts
Tony Guida	....	stunts
Stephen A. Pope	....	stunts (as Stephen Pope)
Ron Michaels	....	utility stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Bill Almeida	....	best boy electric (as William Almeida)
Steven Blaho	....	rigging grip (as Steven A. Blaho)
Kenny Burke	....	best boy grip (as Kenneth J. Burke)
Ronald Burke	....	dolly grip (as Ronald J. Burke)
Michael Cambria	....	second assistant camera: "a" camera
Caesar Carnevale	....	camera loader (as Caesar S. Carnevale)
Phillip V. Caruso	....	still photographer
Andrew Casey	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Andrew Cheung	....	grip
Ray Collins	....	second assistant camera: "b" camera (as Raymond Collins)
Ralph G. Crowley	....	generator operator (as Ralph Crowley)
James Edmiston	....	grip
Morris Flam	....	gaffer
Kevin Flynn	....	grip (as Kevin W. Flynn)
Jamie Gallagher	....	generator operator (as Jamie E. Gallagher)
Shaun Gilbert	....	rigging lamp operator
John Gilgar	....	rigging lamp operator
Gary Hildebrand	....	rigging best boy electrician
Tom Houghton	....	director of photography: second unit
Nils Johnson	....	24 frame video operator
Amy Kupferberg	....	rigging lamp operator (as Amy M. Kupferberg)
Francis Leach	....	lamp operator
Todd Lichtenstein	....	rigging lamp operator (as Todd B. Lichtenstein)
Clay Liversidge	....	rigging gaffer
Bruce MacCallum	....	camera operator: "a" camera
Bobby Mancuso	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera (as Robert Mancuso)
Kevin McKenna	....	video playback operator
John Panuccio	....	rigging key grip (as Jack Panuccio)
Lance E. Phox	....	rigging lamp operator
Robert T. Prate	....	best boy rigging grip (as Robert Prate)
Tom Prate	....	key grip (as Thomas J. Prate)
Michael R. Rudolph	....	rigging lamp operator
Tom Shinn	....	lamp operator
Eric Swanek	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera
Phil Testa	....	lamp operator (as Philip D. Testa)
Mark van Rossen	....	lamp operator
Joshua Wingard	....	grip
Richard Yacuk	....	rigging grip
Don Zappia	....	rigging grip
Nick Cupkovic	....	rigging lamp operator (uncredited)
William MacGhee	....	electrician (uncredited)
Jason Micallef	....	electrician (uncredited)

Casting Department
Susie Farris	....	casting associate
Grant Wilfley	....	extras casting
Amanda Koblin	....	casting associate (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Joanna Brett	....	wardrobe supervisor
David Davenport	....	costumer
Patricia Eiben	....	costumer (as Patty Eiben)
John Glaser	....	assistant costume designer
Donna Maloney	....	wardrobe supervisor
Marcie Olivi	....	costumer: Mr. DeNiro
Benjamin Wilson	....	costumer
Jeff Caron	....	wardrobe production assistant (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Kent Blocher	....	assistant editor: New York
Gary Burritt	....	negative cutter
Curtis Croeni	....	first assistant editor
Christopher Marcoux	....	assistant editor: New York
Dennis McNeill	....	color timer (as Denny McNeill)
Carrie Puchkoff	....	assistant editor: New York
Elizabeth Schmidt	....	assistant editor
Kevin Du Toit	....	post-production assistant (uncredited)

Music Department
Bruno Coon	....	music editor
Mark Cross	....	music consultant
Michael Danziger	....	vocal consultant
Don Davis	....	orchestrator
Sandy DeCrescent	....	music contractor (as Sandy De Crescent)
Jim Dunbar	....	music consultant
Brenda Heins	....	music coordinator
Luana Jackman	....	vocal contractor
Randy Newman	....	orchestrator
Randall Poster	....	music supervisor
Jonathan Sacks	....	orchestrator
Frank Wolf	....	music mixer
Frank Wolf	....	music recordist
John Rodd	....	orchestral scoring recordist (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Rocco Curatolo	....	driver: Mr. De Niro
Maurice Fitzgerald	....	transportation co-captain
Kevin Harrington	....	driver: Ms. Rosenthal
Herb Lieberz	....	driver: Mr. Stiller
Thomas McGoldrick	....	driver: Mr. Roach (as Thomas R. McGoldrick)
Edward O'Donnell	....	transportation captain

Other crew
Natalie Alexander	....	adr voice
Newell Alexander	....	adr voice
Julie Arenal	....	choreographer
Valentina Aulisi	....	production secretary
Tamara Bally	....	accountant
Dawn Barkan	....	key animal trainer (as Dawn M. Barkan)
Cynthia Bauer	....	set production assistant
Milton Bearden	....	consultant: CIA (as Milt Bearden)
Brian Byers	....	adr voice
Eva Z. Cabrera	....	script supervisor
Brian Cantaldi	....	location assistant
Mitch Carter	....	adr voice
Robin Chambers	....	assistant: Mr. De Niro
Robert Clotworthy	....	adr voice
David Cowgill	....	adr voice
Wendy Cutler	....	adr voice
Juliet D'Annibale	....	assistant production coordinator
Carey DePalma	....	assistant location manager
Ike Eisenmann	....	adr voice (as Iake Eissenmann)
Orin Faison	....	set medic
Michael Ferrara	....	assistant: Mr. De Niro
Jeff Flach	....	location manager
Elisa Gabrielli	....	adr voice
Steve Ginsburg	....	second assistant accountant
Edith Hagigi	....	assistant: Mr. Stiller
Tony Hernandez	....	office production assistant
Bridget Hoffman	....	adr voice
Jenny Kane	....	assistant: Mr. Newman
Kate Kelly	....	production coordinator
Elyse Klaits	....	assistant: Ms. Rosenthal
Julie Kuehndorf	....	publicist
Annie Kuronyi	....	location assistant (as Anne Kuronyi)
Dirk Q. Long	....	caterer (as Dirk Long)
Christina MacGregor	....	adr voice
Gina Marcheschi	....	assistant: Ms. Weinberg
James Maull	....	post-production accountant (as James O. Maull)
Ryan McCormick	....	office production assistant
Tracey G. Mitchel	....	assistant: Ms. Sayres
Solange Monnier	....	craft service (as Solange G. Monnier)
Scott M. Murray	....	assistant: Mr. Roach
Edmund Nardone	....	location projectionist
Jennifer Nickson	....	assistant: Mr. De Niro
Greg Outcalt	....	accounting clerk
Judy Pursley	....	first assistant accountant (as Judy Sarton Pursley)
Daniel Riccio Jr.	....	location assistant
Paul Roeder	....	assistant: Ms. Tenenbaum
Bethann Schebece	....	set production assistant
Robert Scott Schweitzer	....	animal trainer
Reuben Seid	....	adr voice (as Ruben Seid)
Susan Silas	....	payroll accountant
Andre Sulmers	....	assistant: Ms. Rosenthal
Brenda Ventura	....	assistant: Mr. De Niro
Saskia Saffron Viner	....	craft service
Laura A. Wheeler	....	set production assistant
Maria Williams	....	assistant: Mr. Stiller
Joseph Barry	....	stand-in (uncredited)
Brett Botula	....	location scout (uncredited)
Mark Ross Edrys	....	stand-in (uncredited)
Johnny Egan	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Krista Fico	....	set production assistant (uncredited)
Jay Geller	....	metal work and welding (uncredited)
Mike Le	....	assistant: Owen Wilson (uncredited)
Jeff Lomaglio	....	shop craftsmen (uncredited)
Daisy Schwartz	....	assistant: Mr. De Niro (uncredited)
Ben Selkow	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Mimi Turner	....	location scout (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Universal Pictures (presents)
• DreamWorks SKG (as DreamWorks Pictures) (presents)
• Nancy Tenenbaum Films
• Tribeca Productions

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (2000) (USA) (theatrical)
• DreamWorks Distribution (2000) (non-North America) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2000) (non-USA) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2001) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2000) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2000) (Germany) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2000) (Spain) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2000) (UK) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2001) (Japan) (theatrical) (Far East)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2000) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures Canada (2000) (Canada) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (2004) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Argentina Video Home (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (Argentina) (VHS)
• DreamWorks Home Entertainment (2004) (France) (DVD)
• Net5 (2003) (Netherlands) (TV) (first national airing)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD) (special edition)
• Universal Home Video (2001) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Universal Home Video (2001) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2001) (Netherlands) (DVD) (VHS)
• Universal Pictures (2001) (Germany) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures (200?) (Germany) (VHS)

Special Effects

• Pacific Vision Productions (digital effects)

Other Companies

• Birds & Animals Unlimited  animals provided by
• Conway Recording Studios  additional recording
• Custom Film Effects  titles and opticals
• DreamWorks Records  soundtrack published by
• Grant Wilfley Casting  extras casting
• Jo Anne Kane Music Services  music preparation
• Kodak  film stock supplied by
• Movie Movers  star trailers
• Movie Movers  transportation
• Newman Scoring Stage, Twentieth Century Fox Studios, The  music recorded at (as The Fox Newman Scoring Stage)
• Signet Sound Studio  music mixed at
• Tomkats Catering  catering
• Universal Studios Sound Facilities  re-recording facilities (as Universal Studios Sound Facility)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sexual content, drug references and language.

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Thai | Spanish | Hebrew | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Denmark:A (DVD rating) | Iceland:L | Malaysia:U | South Korea:12 | Ireland:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Chile:TE | Denmark:7 | Finland:S | France:U | Germany:6 (w) | Hong Kong:IIA | Netherlands:AL | New Zealand:M | Norway:A | Peru:PT | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:Btl | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 | Greece:K-13

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

When the urn breaks, Mr. Jinks the cat runs and urinates on Jack's mother's ashes. In The Untouchables (1987), Al Capone, played by Robert De Niro, says he wanted Eliot Ness dead so he could go to his house in the middle of the night and 'piss on his ashes'.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the very first scene, Gaylord is practicing his marriage proposal to a patient. As the camera pans past the heart monitor, the display reads "ECG Lead Fault", which means that one of the ECG electrodes has fallen off or (more likely) that the ECG electrodes were never hooked up to the actor in the first place.

Quotes:

Kevin: There he is. Okay, G-Man, we've got swordfish and we've got salmon, what'll it be?
Greg Focker: How 'bout a little of both, K-Dog, I'm pretty hungry.
Jack Byrnes: I think they call that the 'munchies'.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Dana Carvey/The Wallflowers (#26.3)" (2000)

Soundtrack:

Puff the Magic Dragon

One of the funniest comedies of the year, De Niro and Stiller make the perfect comedy pair. *** (out of four)

MEET THE PARENTS / (2000) *** (out of four)

By Blake French:

The main character in "Meet The Parents" is a Chicago-based male nurse, Greg Focker (pronounced just how it is spelled) who realizes how unlucky a person can be. He is about to propose to his schoolteacher girlfriend, Pam (Teri Polo), when her sister Debbie (Nicole Dehuff) calls and explains that her new fiancé, Dr. Bob Banks (Tom McCarthy), received a blessing from her father before he asked the question. This information makes Greg reconsider his method of choice, and instead jumps at the opportunity to meet Pam's overprotective parents when they fly to the east coast two weeks later to arrange Debbie's wedding.

At the airport, the attendants loose Greg's parcels. Thus he arrives without any luggage. Once at Pam's parent's house, they exchange greetings and aquatint themselves with each other. Pam's parents, Jack and Dina Byrnes (Robert De Niro and Blythe Danner) learn about Greg's unusual last name, that he does not like cats, and is a male nurse, all facts that do not settle well with Pam's father. Greg does manage to gift Jack with a pleasant supply of rare flowers. However, even though Pam explained to Greg that her dad is in the hobby of rare flowers, he does not seem too impressed.

Even More complications ensue, especially when Greg learns of Jack's peculiar behaviors and suspicious gadgets, such as a polygraph and hidden cameras placed in every room of the house, as well as meeting Pam's brother, Denny (Jon Abrahams), and Debbie's soon to be in laws, Larry (James Rebhorn), and Linda Banks (Phillis George), and Pam's wealthy ex-fiancée, Kevin Rawley (Owen Wilson). Soon, Greg's chances of receiving Jack's permission to wed his daughter become less and less probable as his bad luck only manages to increase.

The film introduces Greg and Pam with silly quirks that come up later in the story. Pam's parents are also quite the treat; the movie does not go over the top but portrays them with serious humor and charismatic wit. It is De Niro and Stiller who make the movie, however. They form an very effective comedic chemistry, even more amusing than the likable shtick between De Niro and Billy Crystal in "Analyze This." The filmmakers take advantage of the phenomenal tension between Greg and Jack, and place them in one hilarious situation after another.

While outrageous and at times explosively funny, director Jay Roach takes the plot seriously. His previous films, including the Austin Powers films and "Mystery, Alaska," have had trouble with taking anything seriously. But "Meet The Parents" has emotional connections, develops solid empathy for Greg, and we really believe he has something precious that can be lost: Pam.

The movie does not completely develop romantic chemistry between Ben Stiller and Teri Polo, thus there were times when I simply did not believe the two were really in love. The relationship sometimes feels trite and contrived. There are also important plot nuggets left only partially examined: Jack's pot-head son, who could have contributed a lot more to the drug related material, is left as a plot device to provide another string of conflicts within Jack and Greg.

I really enjoyed the whimsical performances and opportune casting. Ben Stiller reprises his "There's Something About Mary" role, with cute charm and the obscured zany flippancy. Robert De Niro is perfect in a role he was born to play, with serious attitude that results in the main portion of the film's funny moments. Blythe Danner is also charming in a kind of role that is becoming all too usual for her.

"Meet the Parents" is one of the funniest movies of the year. It gives audiences with a solid story that does not interfere with the comic material, but contributes to it. The top notch performances and lively direction also raise the film to a higher level. During a year in which effective comedies are an endangered species, "Meet The Parents" is a landmark achievement in light entertainment.