Rating: Summary: funny but not great Review: i liked this movie. Ben Stiller Is One Of The Great Actors. I Laughed At This Movie. It Wasn't Great Though.
Rating: Summary: Brilliant comedy, excellent casting, yet still family funny! Review: This is by far one of the funniest movies I have ever seen, and yet can enjoy with my family as well as my friends. The characters are so well defined you feel their every emotion and they are all perfect in their roles. And here's one of the best parts - not only does it NOT play down your intellect, but it has a wonderful plot with plenty of surprises to keep it from being anything but predictable. De Niro is at his best, and although Ben Stiller has had his share of weak movies, this is DEFINITELY one for the portfolio. He is brilliant as he fumbles his way through meeting this unique if not strange family. He is hysterical when meeting Owen Wilson whose excellent portrayal of the ex-boyfriend is classic humor with a modest/jealous balance that makes him shine. Blythe Danner, the mother of the family has never had more fun with a role and is at her best. You MUST see this movie!! It's one that you will definitely want to own.
Rating: Summary: Lov'in Your In-Laws Review: Robert DeNiro and Ben Stiller team up for this 2000 film directed by Jay Roach. DeNiro stars as Jack Byrnes and Stiller as Greg Focker (pronounced just as it is spelled) . "Greg" has decided to propose to "Pam", played by Teri Polo. After learning that "Pam's" younger sister has just been proposed to by the perfect future son-in-law "Dr. Bob", "Greg" feels the pressure to earn "Jack's" acceptance. "Greg" plans to ask "Jack" for "Pam's" hand in marriage while visiting for the weekend to attend "Pam's" sisters wedding. "Jack" is a retired CIA profiler and puts "Greg" to the test, literally. As things fall apart, "Greg" continues to "jump" through "Jack's" hurdles and tries his hardest to make his best impression. From losing the family's beloved cat to nearly burning down the house, "Greg" nearly loses his mind. If you loved "There's Something About Mary", you'll love Stiller's outrageous performance. If you love your in-laws or even if you don't, watch this film and be happy with what you've got.
Rating: Summary: puff the magic dragon Review: hilarious comedy featuring the works of the great DeNiro and the hilaroius Ben Stiller. The two work magically and bring this gem to life. Stiller meets the parents of his fiancee, Teri Polo(Mystery Date, Domestic Disturbance, etc., etc.) and then things get a little bit out of control. her parents being, DeNiro and Blythe Danner(Gwyneth Paltrow's mommy). you get funny ass moments including the part where Stiller explains to DeNiro that the song puff the magic dragon is about smoking pot and DeNiro thinks hes a pot head. other great actors star in this movie, Jon Abrahams(KIDS, Scary Movie), James Rebhorn(Independence Day1996) and Owen Wilson(I:Spy, The Minus Man, Bottle Rocket).
Rating: Summary: In-Law Laughs.... Review: This review refers to the VHS edition(Universal) of "Meet the Parents"......You may not think your in-laws are really so bad after seeing what poor Greg Focker has to go through with his future family. Yes you read right, his name is Greg Focker and he's about to spend the weekend with the parents of the girl he intends to marry. Pam's dad, Jack Byrnes, really loves his daughters, and any man who wants to share their lives better be up to his standards. He's an ex-CIA agent who will scrutinize your every move and you better like his cat as well.What will it take for Greg to win the hand of the girl he loves..and does he really want to be a part of this crazy family after all? It's laugh out loud stuff as every move he makes turns into a hysterical series of events that has Pam's family turning against him. Who else could be the over protective,over bearing,over analyzing, prospective father-in-law than than Mr. Tough Guy himeslef..Robert De Niro. His straight faced comic timing is just one more side of this very talented actor. Ben Stiller is a laugh a minute as he tries to please this unpleasable Dad. The rest of the cast is nicely rounded out by Blythe Danner,Teri Polo,James Rebhorn and the fabulous Owen Wilson. Director Jay Roach brings this terrifc ensemble together beautifully and the music by Randy Newman adds more fun to the story.It's one of those great comedies that is still funny with repeated viewings. The VHS is in Stereo surround, sounds great,has closed captions, and has a nice picture as well. So kick back,enjoy the film, but..be careful not to let the cat out!.....have fun with this great addition to you comedy or De Niro collection.....Laurie
Rating: Summary: National Lampoon's Inlaws Review: Picture this. There you are, about to go on the first date with a girl you met in a club. You ring the doorbell, mother opens, and invites you in. In the living room is the girl. Mother mentions dad will be right in, and positions you in a sofa, as far away from the girl as possible, leaving the seat right next to you. In walks 300 pounds of Dad, who sits down, eyes you from top to bottom, then locks his eyes on yours, and starts a monologue about his daughter being in pristine condition, and him demanding she'd be returned in that very condition, too. He continues about how you are to take things easy. With sweat trinkling down your back, you finally leave with the girl who immediatly makes a comment about over-protective parents followed by a giggle. While I wish this was made up? It is not. When I first learned about 'Meet the Parents', I figured it would be worth a laugh. In the cinema, though? I was experiencing that scene over and over in my head. Except, 300 pounds of dad looked remarkably like Robert De Niro, while my character was being played by Ben Stiller. I found out though, that I had experienced the mild version. Gaylord 'Greg' Focker (Stiller. (what's in a name?)) has steadily been dating Pam Byrnes for a while, and is about to propose to her. Until he finds out her sister is getting married. When he overhears Pam making a comment that Bob (her sister's fiancee) was very smart to seek out Pam's dad's (De Niro) approval first, he decides against asking her right then and there. Greg and Pam head over to her parents' place for the wedding of her sister, with Greg intended on getting on Dad's good side, to see if he can get his blessing. But that's when the trouble starts. Greg's luggage is lost, and a series of misinterpreted comments, little lies by Greg in order to stay on Dad's good side, and some honest mistakes lead to growing tension between Greg and Dad. When Greg finds out that Dad is, in fact, NOT a florist as he was told, but a retired CIA spy interrogator, things start getting REAL ugly. Though Stiller probably was typecast based on his performance in '"here's something about Mary", his performance doesn't give you a feeling of deja vu. Stiller is exceptional at playing the poor misunderstood, but most of all pity-inflicting guy; someone you can't help but feel sorry for, and yet at the same time laugh so hard about. Drama after drama piles up, and from a rather confident man, the viewer sees Stiller transform into a paranoid and broken man, who is trying SO hard to get on Dad's good side, but unintentionally manages to create situation after situation leading to dad noticably liking him less and less. De Niro is a wonderful 'bad' guy. From the very first moment we meet him, he convinces as the over-protective father, who is a tad skeptical towards Greg, turning more and more suspicious of him as the movie goes along. One can't really blame him. All evidence suggests against Greg, and he's just looking out for his favourite daughter. All in all, the movie is highly entertaining. Nothing is funnier than laughing other people's misery (Proof? America's funniest homevideos. The harder they fall? The harder we laugh), and this movie exploits that fully well. You can't help NOT laughing, while at the very same time you feel so terribly sorry for Stiller. For those interested? I did return the girl in pristine condition, and broke up with her shortly after. One of the reasons was her parents being overly suspicious, and spying on us whenever we had some privat time. De Niro handles that part a bit better and uses micro-cameras.
Rating: Summary: A perfect example of a hilarous comedy that works Review: A perfect example of a hilarous comedy that works without compromising realistic script. De Nero's acting is a charm to watch in parallel with very fluid comedian Ben Stiller. To fuel the humour there are Owen Wilson and James Rebhorn and a great group of cast. Jay Roach did it with perfet craft! Looking forward to the sequel "Meet the Focker".
Rating: Summary: De Niro + Stiller = Hilarious! Review: One of life's most uncomfortable moments is meeting your true love's parents for the first time. In Meet the Parents, a 108 minute 2000 DreamWorks production, Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) is subjected to an extra-difficult first meeting, largely because his girlfriend's father, Jack Byrnes (Robert De Niro) is a suspiciously conservative ex-CIA agent who has taken an instant dislike to "Focker." This hysterical film directed Jay Roach, is a romantic comedy set in a high-scale, snobbish Long Island neighborhood. After viewing the movie, it as easy to see why Robert De Niro received the Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor (Comedy) and Randy Newman, songwriter of the movies theme song, "A Fool In Love" was nominated for an Emmy. Much to my dismay, the nominations did not lead to an award. As the movie progressives, we realize that no one's ever been good enough for Jack's first-born, Pam (Teri Polo), including male-nurse, Greg Focker. He will never be accepted into the family's "circle of trust." Greg's trouble begins when the airline loses his luggage (in which he's hidden a 2 carat engagement ring), and things escalate from there. But as movies like this typically go, things continue to go from bad to worse for poor Greg. Before long the septic tank overflows, a fire has been started, the other daughter's wedding has been ruined, and an incident involving a champagne bottle, and urn, and a very mischievous cat are all tied to Greg, not to mention the fun Jack has with Greg's last name. Through the course of the weekend, Greg succeeds in turning everyone against him, up to and including his own girlfriend. At the conclusion of the movie, there is a hilarious airport scene that will leave you rolling on the floor. As with most romantic comedies, there is little surprise to the ending. You know that it will end well and eventually, boy does get the girl. This is one of the funniest romantic comedies that I have seen. I think both men and women can relate and will appreciate the humor displayed in this movie. A comedy has to be very funny to receive a high rating from me, thus I give Meet the Parents a five-star rating. It is a must see movie for all!
Rating: Summary: OUT OF A SINGLE PIECE OF WOOD... Review: ...the exploding wedding gazebo was carved. It's truly rare when a movie can make you laugh as much as this one and to catalog the funniest moments would be difficult. Of course it's De Niro's against type casting that adds so many layers - but the true humor is in the little things, like De Niro's commentary track. The DVD has two feature commentaries, one with the Director and Editor, the 2nd with the Director, Stiller, and De Niro. On the 2nd, De Niro mumbles incoherently and frequently trails off when responding to questions posed by the others - not once does he offer any commentary without a prod from someone else. I'm not complaining, his babbling is funny and often has nothing to do with what is on the screen. The only explanation is that they did this commentary track in two remote locations. Enjoy!
Rating: Summary: Very Funny, DeNiro Makes You Laugh! Review: I first saw this movie in the theater at a "sneak preview." I couldn't stop laughing. I knew Ben Stiller was funny-but Robert De Niro? I couldn't believe it. The story has been told before in romantic comedy: a hapless groom, a male nurse, wants to propose to his girlfriend. They travel together to her WASP family's home (Blythe Danner is the Mom, thus the Wasp overtones) in Long Island for her sister's wedding. De Niro plays the father of the family, a retired "flower importer" (he actually is something else, but I won't ruin the surprise), who delights in poking small and large fun at his bumbling prospective son-in-law. The movie follows Stiller and the family throughout the weekend and the very funny happenings and mishaps. Owen Wilson steals the movie as the former boyfriend. I would recommend this movie to those who enjoy broad comedies. If you want to see a different side to De Niro, this movie offers it. I wouldn't recommend this movie to those who need subtlety and nuance in their comedies-you won't get it here. I enjoyed the voice over commentary on the DVD (De Niro, Stiller, the director, and one other production person). De Niro offered some insights into how he came up with various facial expressions and improvised some lines. At times however, four people may have been too much as sometimes everyone became silent. But overall, a great, funny experience-
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