Meet the Parents

Reviewed by:
Ben Lerman

Meet the Parents has everything comedy fans could hope for: An all-star cast, a trained cat, and family dysfunction. Let us first allay your worst fears: The funniest parts of this movie are not all in the trailer. Director Jay Roach stocks the movie with running gags that get richer (à la his Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery) instead of old (à la his Austin Powers 2: The Spy Who Shagged Me), so that the pace crescendos into a fit of hilarity by the end. The role of Greg Focker must have been written with goofball guru Ben Stiller in mind. And Robert De Niro as psychodad subtly reminds us of his classic turn as Travis “You talkin’ to me?” Bickle in Taxi Driver. Bobby’s stepped up his comic delivery even since last year’s chuckler Analyze This (you’ll even forgive him the summer transgression of The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle). All told, Meet the Parents is a good time that only the most jaded cinema snob wouldn’t like. Get your tickets, get your popcorn, and get stupid.