Did we really need another one of these? The original Meet the Parents was strong stuff, basing its story in the realm of reality and then good-naturedly breezing through the jokes. Meet the Fockers was everything the first film wasn’t, labouring for laughs at every boob joke.
In Meet the Parents Little Fockers, it’s less boob and more dick, writers John Hamburg and Larry Stuckey keeping the bawdiness coming as nurse Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) and father in law and ex-CIA agent Jack Byrnes (Robert De Niro) once again do battle, before bonding with each other by the final credits. The film may be subtitled Little Fockers, but the promise of a new generation is a hollow one, the kids hardly featuring as Jack once again terrorises Greg into temporary madness.
Thankfully, Greg’s infuriating parents (Dustin Hoffman and Barbara Streisand) barely feature in this instalment, so that automatically means this is much more enjoyable than the loathsome second film. But their absence, and the absence of any kiddie time, also means that Little Fockers is ultimately a retread of Meet the Parents. Indeed, it often feels like Meet the Parents: The Outtakes.
One of the big advantages the first film had was Robert De Niro. In a role of meta proportions, the actor traded on his renowned intensity and unpredictability to truly sell to audiences the character of Jack. It was a great joke in itself. But the De Niro of 2010 isn’t quite the same article a softening of roles in the last ten years meaning that another instalment of Meet the Parents almost feels like a parody of his own recent career.
That predictability is synonymous with the rest of Little Fockers. The players simply work through the same manoeuvres over and over again as Greg attempts to improve his financial situation by keynoting for Sustengo, a new erectile dysfunction drug being peddled by randy rep, Andi Garcia (Jessica Alba geddit?!). He needs the money to put the kids through a school for gifted children, but Jack soon suspects that a relationship is brewing between Greg and Andi.
The rest of the film barely rates a mention. It’s passable and sometimes humorous, but largely forgettable. Owen Wilson makes a welcome return as a would-be competitor for the affections of Greg’s wife, Pam (Teri Polo), and it’s good to see Laura Dern back on the big screen as the headmistress of the kids’ would be private school. The other players are simply going through the motions, Stiller doing his shtick as competently as ever, and Blythe Danner still an appealing presence as Jack’s wife, Dina.
If you enjoyed the second film then you’ll probably enjoy Little Fockers, but anybody else should tread with caution when approaching this tired instalment in the Focker universe. It’s reasonably nimble and sometimes funny, but you come out of the theatre questioning why the film was ever made.
I say:
Please don’t make another one. This is one joke that should have really ended a long time ago, regardless of how successfully it’s been strung out.
See it for:
Both Wilson and Dern are very engaging, and also quite funny.
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