I watched this immediately after I watched Meet the Parents, which I'm glad about. All the standard sequel setups were no problem for me. I remembered all the inside jokes and film-specific gags without hesitation. I should watch film series like that more often.
This movie was not as good as the first one. Yet, I liked it better. Allow me explain.
Meet the Fockers followed the two standard sequel rules: 1) Recycle as much you can, and 2) More is Better. Many of the gags were repeated but to a higher degree, and then new jokes and gags were added. The movie, as a result, was less tight than its predecessor, lost focus at times (Little Jack? hello), and, in some ways, felt forced.
Except!
I liked this movie because of the brilliant casting choices of Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand as the title characters. They. Were. Hilarious. I cannot laud them enough.
Gaylord "Greg" Focker has put off marrying Pam Byrnes for years since he first met her parents, mainly because he knew he would have to face the truth that his parents and hers would have to meet someday. Finally, the wedding is around the corner, so the Byrnes with Captain Jack (Robert DeNiro) in tow drive in this ridiculously large RV to Miami to meet Bernie and Roz Focker, two people who couldn't be more opposite.
This movie was a laugh riot and, in some ways, was funnier and more heartwarming than the first. I can't even put into words just how brilliant it was to play Hoffman against DeNiro and to have Babs playing an archetypal Jewish mother with the profession of professional sex therapist (Bernie was a stay at home dad). The culture clash here was so good, and of course, Greg tries to get his parents to subdue themselves a bit so as not to irritate or frighten Jack; however, when they tried to subdue, it was either unsuccessful or disastrous, producing hilarious consequences.
Then, we have Little Jack. This is what made the movie worse for me. Normally, I'm taken by a cute performing baby as much as the next person, but Grandpa Jack's obsession with raising the little tyke meant too much time for this plotline. While the manary gland was ridiculous and funny and provided much of the comic foundation, the kid's little expressions and things were distracting. There was too much focus on him.
Also, the tension between Jinxy the cat and Moses the dog was extraneous. The people tension was good enough.
All in all, this movie was less focused than the first one, so, as sequels mostly are, it wasn't good as the first movie, but I think I laughed harder because the reactions between the two sets of parents were at the core of this movie. I thought Stiller was funnier in the first movie, but he still kept me giggling, especially when Jack hopped him up on truth serum.
I rate this one an 8 (not much lower, but still a very good because this idea was not shaky). And it passes the test; I'd like to have this along with the first one. And I'm all ready to go see "Meet the Little Focker?" I've been fockerized.