Meet the Fockers (2004)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Jay Roach

Writers (WGA):

Greg Glienna (characters) &
Mary Ruth Clarke (characters) ...

Release Date:

22 December 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

And you thought your parents were embarrassing.

Plot:

All hell breaks loose when the Byrnes family meets the Focker family for the first time.

Plot Keywords:

Nurse | Miami | Teacher | Eavesdropping | Puppet

Awards:

2 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Robert De Niro	...	Jack Byrnes
Ben Stiller	...	Greg Focker
Dustin Hoffman	...	Bernie Focker
Barbra Streisand	...	Rozalin Focker
Blythe Danner	...	Dina Byrnes
Teri Polo	...	Pam Byrnes
Owen Wilson	...	Kevin Rawley
Spencer Pickren	...	Little Jack 'L.J.' Byrnes
Bradley Pickren	...	Little Jack 'L.J.' Byrnes
Alanna Ubach	...	Isabel Villalobos
Ray Santiago	...	Jorge Villalobos
Tim Blake Nelson	...	Officer LeFlore
Shelley Berman	...	Judge Ira
Kali Rocha	...	Flight Attendant
Dorie Barton	...	Airline Clerk

Also Known As:

Meet the Fokkers (USA) (working title)
Meet the Parents 2 (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual humor, language and a brief drug reference.

Runtime:

115 min | Turkey:106 min (TV version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

UK:12 (video rating) (2005) | UK:12A (original rating) | Taiwan:R-12 | Indonesia:Dewasa | Switzerland:12 (canton of Zurich) | Germany:6 | Iceland:L | Malaysia:18SX | Malaysia:U (cut) | Venezuela:PG-13 | South Korea:15 | Sweden:Btl | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG | Chile:14 | Finland:K-11 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:12A | Netherlands:12 | Norway:7 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

The close-up of Bernie Focker's license plate, as he and Greg are driving away, reveals the letters TMI, a subtle reference to Bernie's propensity for overly detailed explanations and descriptions of personal information. TMI is the literary abbreviation for Too Much Information.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Greg is talking to his parents there are two candles to his right by the door. In the first shot both candles are lit, in the second - only the top candle - and in the third they are both lit again.

Quotes:

Greg Focker: Mom, I'm truly not comfortable having this conversation with you. I've been telling you that since I was eleven.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: The Best of Amy Poehler (2009) (TV)

Soundtrack:

If I Were a Carpenter

Not as good as the original, but its' still a satisfying sequel!

MEET THE FOCKERS made me laugh a lot. It probably has more laughs than the original, but the laughs aren't as big or as fresh or as subtle. And as sequels go, it contains many scenes that are mere variations of the original: the dinner gone wrong, the sports competition gone wrong, the pet gone wrong, the Owen Wilson cameo, the "focker" puns, etc. But many of the variations are quite inspired. Thanks to the terrific cast. De Niro, Stiller, Hoffman and Streisand all look like they're having a great time. Each is given a scene or two to really shine; De Niro and Hoffman fare the best. A child actor's also been added to the cast, and he's a scene-stealer. I just wish Blythe Danner (Mrs. Byrnes) and Teri Polo (Pam Focker) were given more to do. But, as entertaining as I thought the movie was, expect many critics to be turned off or pretend to be turned off by the numerous toilet jokes. I say, flock 'em!