Meet the Parents (2000)

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<bams@3blackchicks.com>


'3BlackChicks Review...'

MEET THE PARENTS (2000) Rated PG-13; running time 108 minutes Genre:Comedy IMDB site: http://us.imdb.com/Details?0212338 Official site: http://www.universalpictures.com/meettheparents/ Written by: James Herzfeld Directed by: Jay Roach Cast: Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Teri Polo, Blythe Danner, Owen Wilson, Nicole Debluff, Jon Abrahams, James Rebhorn (Larry Banks), Phyllis George (Linda Banks)

Review Copyright Rose Cooper, 2000 Review URL: http://www.3blackchicks.com/bamstheparents.html

Whatever special water Robert De Niro drinks that makes him so talented, somebody oughta bottle it up and give it to Hollywood's 20 Million Dollar Club (you hear me, DiCaprio?). Serious or funny, De Niro runs big time circles around those so-called stars earning boucoup bucks.

Oh yeah: and Ben Stiller ain't so bad, either.

The Story (WARNING: **spoilers contained below**): MEET THE PARENTS is a comedy of errors: most of which were made by Greg Focker (Ben Stiller).

Greg, a male nurse, is in love with elementary teacher Pam Byrnes (Teri Polo), and wants to marry her; but just before he has a chance to propose, he finds out Pam's father Jack (Robert De Niro), a "rare flower dealer", expects any potential suitor of his daughter to ask him for her hand in marriage. Since Greg has yet to meet Pam's family, they set off to meet Jack and Pam's mother Dina (Blythe Danner) during the weekend when Pam's sister Debbie (Nicole Debluff) is preparing to marry her doctor boyfriend.

Greg's suitcase, which didn't fit in the plane's overhead storage, is lost by the airline - and from there, a series of interconnected foibles befall Greg, affecting the whole Byrnes family, much to the consternation of Jack, who doesn't like or trust Greg - even though Jack has a secret or two of his own. And yes: Wackiness Ensues.

The Upshot: There were a bunch of folks in this cast - decent supporters, all - but make no mistake: this puppy was Robert De Niro's and Ben Stiller's to play with. And play with it, they did.

That Ben Stiller could crack a rib or two, comes as no surprise; the man had me near tears as his weekend went swiftly to hell in a great big basket. When his character, Greg, ran back into the house after he...well, I won't spoil it, even though it's a scene that's been shown in numerous trailers already. Suffice it to say that the audience erupted with laughter when Greg jumped through the upstairs window. Though I've not liked him all that much in the past, Stiller's comedic timing in "Parents", as well as KEEPING THE FAITH earlier this year, really gave me pause to reconsider. If nothing else, like Jack said, I'll be keeping my eye on Mr. Stiller.

But De Niro was like a treasure found for me. I won't waste my time or yours in recounting the dozens of serious movies in which he worked his acting magic; and though I've seen him crack a smile or two in flicks like MIDNIGHT RUN and WE'RE NO ANGELS (and, of course, as an ObMobster-type in ANALYZE THIS and similar fare), in "Parents", his mere facial twitch, or "innocent" crack, kept the audience roaring. I can't wait to see his next comedy showcase.

The weakness of this movie was that there were too many characters, and situations, that were left underused. Blythe Danner was game as Jack's ditzy wife Dina, but De Niro could've almost as easily gone it alone without too much muss and fuss. The rest of the family seemed equally mere appendages, as if writer James Herzfeld needed to include a "whole family" for Greg and Jack to bounce their lunacy off of. And it's a crying shame that the dysfunctional natures of both Pam's ex-boyfriend Kevin (Owen Wilson) and her brother Denny (Jon Abrahams) weren't further explored; surely, those characters had much more to offer than being simple "straight men" for Greg and Jack.

Fun though MEET THE PARENTS may have been, by concentrating almost exclusively on two characters out of many, it wasn't as great as it could've been. Still, I noticed no shortage of grins, and had a good time remembering the first few meetings I had with my now-husband's family. At least I never had Issues with raw sewage...

Bammer's Bottom Line: At times Laugh Out Loud hilarious, MEET THE PARENTS re-introduces a different, funnier side of Robert De Niro to the world (or at least, to that part of the world that didn't bother with that "Rocky And Bullwinkle" mess).

MEET THE PARENTS (rating: greenlight): But who knew that they could come up with funny riffs on the name "Focker"? [end Sarcasm]

Rose "Bams" Cooper                            /~\
Webchick and Editor,                         /','\
3BlackChicks Review                         /','`'\
Movie Reviews With Flava!                  /',',','/`,
Copyright Rose Cooper, 2000                `~-._'c    /
EMAIL: bams@3blackchicks.com                    `\   (
http://www.3blackchicks.com/                     /====\

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