Rating: Summary: Very Funny Movie(Another Ben Stiller Winner) Review: I wasn't really sure what to expect with Robert De Niro in a more comedic role and the so-so reviews of Meet the Parents. Well, let me be the first to tell you that all theses reviews were wrong and De Niro shined in his role as the father. The toilet humor of There's Something About Mary is still present in Meet the Parents--I won't give any of it away since the shock factor is what makes these scenes so hilarious. Ben Stiller is wonderful as Gregory, the misguided yet well-intentioned boyfriend of Jack's daughter. This movie had so many well placed comic moments that I never really stopped laughing. Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller make such a great pair because of the fact that they are such polar opposites. De Niro's paranoia feeds Stiller's own paranoia and makes for a lot of awkward but humorous confrontations. Their misunderstandings range from the hidden meaning of "Puff the Magic Dragon" to premarital relations. Mixed in somewhere within the gags and the shock humor is a nice romance story that is somewhat generic but never overshadows Stiller and De Niro's relationship. Meet the Parents is one of the funniest movies I have seen in a long time and I implore you to see it.
Rating: Summary: Robert DeNiro is a comic Genius Review: Okay I thought it was a fluke with aNalyze this, but DeNiro delivers again! MEET THE PARENTS stars Ben Stiller, DeNiro, and a beautiful TeRi PoLo as DeNiro's daughter, who brings her boyfriend (STILLER) to meet her parents, especially DeNiro (an ex CIA man) DeNiro and Stiller offer up good laughs as JAY ROACH the director (also of Austin Powers 1 and 2) gives us joke after joke. A great supporting cast including Blythe Danner and OWEN WILSON fresh off of SHanghai NOON. Ben Stiller continues to amaze me with his comedic and dramatic talent. In my eyes he's up there with Jim Carrey and Robin Williams. MEET the PARENTS is a comedy that the whole family should see, if they are over 13, because it will have all of us WETTING OURSELVES FROM laughing so hard!
Rating: Summary: F U N N Y ! Review: Featuring the dynamic, surprising chemistry of Ben Stiller, the GenX Everyman, and Robert DeNiro, the classic gangster actor, this movie is one of the funniest in recent memory. While some of the gags go way over the top, this movie is one that will appeal to every age, parents and children alike, and unlike so many recent comedies, rarely ever crosses that gross-out line in order to get an honest laugh. There are so many wonderfully funny nuanced moments in this movie, like the one where Ben Stiller comes downstairs for breakfast, and, well -- go see it! Blythe Danner is on board with one of the most incisively funny performances of her career. Jay Roach elicits wonderful performances from everyone, and the overall feeling is one of dread mixed with warmth, not easily pulled off -- but here he does, in spades.
Rating: Summary: There is Something About Ben Review: Ben Stiller does a great job portraying ordinary men in unusual situations. He is probably best known for "Something About Mary," which was a very, very, funny film. In "Meet the Parents" he again portrays an average man in a weird situation. In particular, he portrays a young man in love, who just wants to get married. His first attempt to propose doesn't work, so he plans a romantic proposal at his fiance's home that weekend. Her father, played by Robert De Niro, is a little strange. He is either in the Mafia or the CIA, but he is up to something. He definitely loves his cat. Greg, Ben Stiller's character, doesn't like cats much; but he keeps his mouth shut. From this point onward the movie has a series of strange, but for the most part, believable twists. The comedy is funny, because we can believe it and are happy it is happening to someone else. Toward the end, however, the movie goes a little bit overboard. You can still believe it, if you think Greg is close to a breakdown. I didn't believe it, so the ending took away from the movie. Still, I found myself laughing out loud several times while watching "Meet the Parents." There is something about Ben Stiller which makes otherwise ordinary films, much better. Here he has again done a very good job. "Meet the Parents" is fun and worth seeing. A 3.5.
Rating: Summary: Oh no, no, no, no, no, it's not very good. Way over rated. Review: This movie is not funny, just dumb. Is saying "focker" over and over and over again really that funny? I'm sorry, folks, but NO, it's just not all that funny, and this is the same dull plot that we've seen over and over again in the movies and on tv. Not recommended.
Rating: Summary: Trials and Tribulations Review: Meet The Parents: rated PG-13, 1 hour and 47 minutes There is chemistry between Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller in Meet The Parents, a hilarious serio-comedy that radiates a pleasant warmth. Robert De Niro is the belligerent, overprotective, overly judgmental father of the sweetheart Ben Stiller wishes to marry. Stiller's character, Greg, has fallen for the lovely Pam, played by Teri Polo, and is faced with the insufferable task of being accepted into her family in order to gain approval to marry her. Pam's father is an ex-CIA operative who is "a human lie-detector" and he uses this acquired skill to put Greg to the test at every possible moment, out of his irrational fear of losing his eldest daughter. When Greg is constantly set up for failure, it comes as no surprise that he becomes a failure. This is where the film reaches its most saddening moments. Though a lingering sorrow protrudes throughout a large portion of the movie, there are enough hysterical pranks and sidesplitting exchanges to keep the audiences in a light spirit and entertained. Jay Roach is a comical genius and he extends his soulful humor to Meet The Parents as he did so tactfully in the past with the Austin Powers movies. The script was thankfully rewritten from its original form as a one-man Jim Carrey vehicle to a head-to-head father versus son flick with Stiller and De Niro. It seems that the movie could have been easily a miss with audiences if written any other way, and feels like it just barely hits home because of all of the other comedies that have failed miserably with similar strains of humor. Blythe Danner is pleasing as the kooky but good-hearted mother of Greg's love interest. Teri Polo is also very good in her role as the girl being fought over by the two dominant men in her life. In addition, Jinxy the cat does an outstanding job as the extraordinarily well mannered, flamboyant, and funny family cat with whom Jack Burns (De Niro) shares a strong and intimate connection. Robert De Niro is at his comical peak in Meet The Parents. His mannerisms are extremely well thought out and work perfectly with the part. He is truly acting as opposed to telling jokes. He is dynamic and believable, not to mention exceedingly amusing. He outdoes his previous role in Analyze This. Last but not least, Ben Stiller is the heart and soul of the movie. As usual, the remarkably talented actor with a flair for comedy sparks the movie with every line and every gesture. He is such a loving protagonist that even when we watch him screw up throughout the entire movie, each time worse than the last, we still manage to forgive him. After all he is a male nurse, how can we not? In the spirit of There's Something About Mary, Mystery Men, and Keeping The Faith, Ben Stiller plays to perfection. Only this time with the addition of Robert De Niro, he surpasses our expectations of the movie and leaves us with a sweet taste in our mouths. Meet The Parents, directed by Jay Roach, also starring Owen Wilson is a cheerful and spirited comedy guaranteed to satisfy. A
Rating: Summary: Calamity after calamity - Very Funny Review: "Meet the Parents" is funny, outrageous, and full of fun. Pratfalls and pitfalls await our comic star Ben Stiller as he pursues his love and ingratiates himself with his father-in-law to-be, Robert DeNiro. DeNiro is a crazed, over protective, retired CIA agent who zealously protects his daughter from her would-be suitor. Calamity follows calamity, and the sight gags cascade until the end unwinds all the zaniness in a satisfying ending. It is a lot of fun with several belly laughs thrown in for good measure.
Rating: Summary: No, please, no Review: Ben Stiller is a most talentless actor who is a wanna-be pretty boy. Robert De Niro should be ashamed of himself for even agreeing to read an unfunny script, let alone, starring in this "should have been a flop" movie. I'm not even going to bother with Owen Wilson. So what happened with De Niro? After starring in such classics like Taxi Driver and Good Fellas, he lost his self-respect and became a full-time clown for a living. He's a great actor, but can't come off as funny, unless people are laughing at his clownish antics. He looks like a monkey trying to learn sign language in Meet The Parents. As a matter of fact, if they replaced De Niro with a monkey, this movie could have been funny. It would be great if Meet The Parents was the last sequel of Highlander with Martin Scorsese as director. De Niro should have been a paranoid schizophrenic, believing the last haighlanders (his family and Faucker) were collected in his house for the final battle. The "Circle of Judgement" could have been the "Circle of Decapitation." The final half an hour would show De Niro gutting and decapitating everyone, including Owen Wilson.
Thank you
Rating: Summary: Owen Wilson Saves Review: Owen Wilson provided the only comedic instance for me. Although I have to admit, Ben Stiller is staying within his realm of playing a loser who becomes the butt of most jokes. This movie just never made it off of the ground for me. Ben Stiller's humor is like the Three Stooges on Valium. This movie is for those with a limited sense of humor. I think people like Ben Stiller should be judged on a movie by movie basis, what ever happened to supply and demand? These producers need to start reading these scripts more thoroughly. This movie wouldn't be funny even if the entire theater was stoned!
Rating: Summary: Tired of laughing at others' humiliation Review: Ben Stiller has made a name for himself playing the same role over and over again--the humiliated romantic lead. It's not that I don't think the man has talent, clearly he does have some charm, but I'm tired of sitting through movies that make other people laugh when they only make me feel uncomfortable. What's wrong with our culture that it is so hilarious to watch a guy perpetually embarrass himself? I keep reading reviews that praise these films as comedy classics ("There's Something About Mary" was even described as "One of the greatest love stories of our time"--are you kidding me?). Obviously I disagree with these people. However I also disagree with those who criticize "Meet the Parents" and "There's Something About Mary" for being childish and crass. That's not the real problem. "Potty" humor can be very funny at times; plus I can be just as silly as the next person. Watching someone else suffer through humiliations when all he wants to do is impress someone is, however, not my idea of entertainment. If Ben Stiller changes his schtick, I'll start voluntarily going to his movies again. Until then, I will stay far, far away.
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