Meet The Parents (2000)

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Directed by Jay Roach.

Starring Blythe Danner, Robert De Niro, Teri Polo, James Rebhorn, Ben Stiller.

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In this comedy from Austin Powers director Jay Roach, Ben Stiller plays a young man who endures a disastrous weekend at the home of his girlfriend's parents. Greg Focker (Stiller) is completely in love with Pam Byrnes (Teri Polo), and views their upcoming trip to her parents' house on Long Island (where her sister is to be married during the weekend) as a perfect opportunity to ask her to marry him. Once Greg is introduced to Pam's parents, however, things stampede steadily downhill. Pam's father, Jack (Robert De Niro), takes an instant and obvious dislike to his daughter's boyfriend, lambasting him for his job as a nurse and generally making Greg painfully aware of the differences between him and Pam's family. Where Greg is grubby, relatively unambitious, and Jewish, Pam comes from a long line of well-mannered, blue-blooded WASPs. Things go from bad to worse in less time than it takes to spin a dreidel, with Greg incurring the wrath of both Pam's father -- who, it turns out, worked for the CIA for 34 years -- and the rest of her family, and almost single-handedly destroying their house and the wedding in the process. ~ Rebecca Flint, All Movie Guide

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Reviews and discussions

Re:Top 5 Everybody Seems To Lov ...
by Risselada in Top 5

lost interest.

"[quote user="unclefestering"]5. Magnolia I'll admit it. I'm in the camp that says PT Anderson is overrated. Wow these shallow lives are interconnected and if they can just see the connections the world will be a better place. blah blah blah. Oh and we need a miracle! Cue the raining frogs.[/quote] You really think he's saying that the world would be a better place if people would just see the connections? I don't think he's expecting people to see the connection or for anything to change if they had seen them. And I don't want to say that these people's lives are shallow. Maybe on the surface some of them are, but we get the time to delve in and the hurting underneith. I think it's really for the audience to see the connections. I don't think there's a point where any of the characters really discover any of the connections. [quote user="unclefestering"]4.2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) Yeah it is visually brilliant. But can someone tell me what the darn plot is?[/quote] It's a m ... " [More]

Re:Top 5 Everybody Seems To Lov ...
by unclefestering in Top 5

hasn't rated it.

"Here are just a couple that everybody told me I would love, but no... they were wrong. 5. Magnolia I'll admit it. I'm in the camp that says PT Anderson is overrated. Wow these shallow lives are interconnected and if they can just see the connections the world will be a better place. blah blah blah. Oh and we need a miracle! Cue the raining frogs. 4.2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) Yeah it is visually brilliant. But can someone tell me what the darn plot is? 3. V for Vendetta (2006) Was I the only person who wondered how a totalitarian government couldn't manage to get the billing records from FedEx for someone who shipped a million Guy Fawlkes costumes? 2. Meet The Parents (2000) I found Robert DeNiro creepy and not funny. Then again if my daughter brought Ben Stiller home to marry, I would throw her out. 1. You've Got Mail (1998) Tom Hanks plays a psychotic-obsessive stalker and Meg Ryan says "I wanted it to be you. I wanted it to be you so badly." My predictions is that they find he ... " [More]

All I can say is:
by kelowen in kelowen Blog

is neutral about it.

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"Painfully funny! " [More]

Deleted Scenes Are GREAT!
by JakeStevens in JakeStevens Blog

liked it.

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"I haven't watched this since I saw it in the theater years ago, and I had forgotten (thankfully) how painful some of the Ben Stiller scenes are to watch. Thankful because it made it fresh again - it's every male suitor's worst nightmare come true. Much better than it's dreadful sequel, I watched some of the deleted scenes and was in hysterics whenever De Niro flubbed a line or couldn't keep a straight face. Definitely watch the deleted scenes for a fresh laugh. " [More]

#56
by eagle795 in eagle795 Blog

hasn't rated it.

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"DeNiro does comedy…and does it well. If you don’t laugh watching Meet the Parents you should go get an x-ray to make sure your funny bone isn’t broken. " [More]

Re: Top 5 Everybody Seems To Lo ...
by achance42 in Top 5

lost interest.

"5. There's Something About Mary/Meet the Parents - I don't really hate these movies but I have no desire to see either one again and they deserve to be singled out for what they have wrought in their paths. For all their "shock" humor value, neither film is that funny. In fact, between these two being big hits and the success of "Friends," which thrived entirely on the premise that a funny dialogue all depends on the inflections with which it is being said, lowered America's expectations for comedy in the 21st century.4. The Illusionist - I was extraordinarily bothered by Ridley Scott's Matchstick Men, not because it was poorly made or poorly acted or anything like that, but because it was painfully obvious to me from about five minutes in who was zooming whom. I had a much deeper reaction to The Illusionist. Not only was it easy to figure out where you were supposed to start looking for the twist (because of course there was one) but again, I figured out who w ... " [More]

Meet the Parents
by MovieBabe in MovieBabe Blog

hasn't rated it.

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"Forget Urban Legends: Final Cut. And that overhyped devil-in-a-blue-nightgown rerelease. I have seen hell, and its truest cinematic portrayal can be found not in these slash-and-spew horror flicks but in Jay Roach's comedy Meet the Parents. It's the hell of anyone who's ever had a joke fall flat. Or who's walked into a roomful of strangers and felt as if he had just landed on Mars. Or who's desperately wanted to say to people whom he's trying to impress that he really is charming and intelligent and not a freak who, cracking under the pressure of making dinner conversation, will say he'd once milked a cat on his Detroit farm. Meet Greg "You Can Milk Anything With Nipples" Focker, my hero. Greg (Ben Stiller) is about to propose to his girlfriend, Pam (Teri Polo), when he learns of both her sister's engagement and the importance of securing her father's approval. Seeing an opportunity to do things properly, Greg holds off on the proposal and instea ... " [More]

Meeting this Movie Was Worth th ...
by pippin06 in Reel Thoughts

liked it.

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"Ok, so how silly am I? Go ahead, you can say it. I had never seen Meet the Parents until just this past weekend, at least not all the way through. Allow me to duck from your aghast faces and possible hurling tomatoes. When this movie first came out, I was like, "This could be funny." Then, the hype started. I didn't see it in time before the hype made me think: "Oh geez. Everyone thinks this film is a laugh riot, and I probably won't get it or think it's funny like they do." I can think of a dozen films that meet that criteria, starting with Anchorman and the Wedding Crashers. I don't think gross-out humor is always funny, and I like some intelligence underlying my comedy films. It's just the way I roll, baby. I'm happy to say that I was not disappointed by Meet the Parents. Now I wonder what I was waiting for all this time. It really was funny and intelligently so. I also enjoyed Ben Stiller, who I mostly enjoy, but he has his bombs like anyone else. Do I need to summa ... " [More]

Re: Your overrated list
by Risselada in Totally Over-rated

lost interest.

"[quote user="Rock"][quote user="Risselada"] I Am Sam - WOW...why was this on your list?Shrek - Must not like animated movies?Selena - Didn't like J-Lo doing the film? I thought it was a great biopic on her life.Million Dollar Baby - GREAT FILM. What didn't you like?The Wedding Singer - Good film. But not sure that it was hyped to begin withMeet The Parents - Good film. Hilarious sceens. again I'm not sure there was alot of hype to begin withTrue Lies - Personally my favorite film of both Arnolds. I thought both Arnolds interacted well together. I'd like to see a return of those charactersBad Boys II - While it was a decent film. I too didn't think it lived up to the original filmToy Story - I really think you don't like animated moviesThe Whole Nine Yards - Great film. Almost as good as the Hudson HawkMen In Black II - I thought it was a worthy sequelThe Truman Show - I believe that film showcased Jim Carrey's best acting abilitiesLiar Liar - Again, Jim Carrey's b ... " [More]

Re: Your overrated list
by Rock in Totally Over-rated

liked it.

"[quote user="Risselada"] I Am Sam - WOW...why was this on your list?Shrek - Must not like animated movies?Selena - Didn't like J-Lo doing the film? I thought it was a great biopic on her life.Million Dollar Baby - GREAT FILM. What didn't you like?The Wedding Singer - Good film. But not sure that it was hyped to begin withMeet The Parents - Good film. Hilarious sceens. again I'm not sure there was alot of hype to begin withTrue Lies - Personally my favorite film of both Arnolds. I thought both Arnolds interacted well together. I'd like to see a return of those charactersBad Boys II - While it was a decent film. I too didn't think it lived up to the original filmToy Story - I really think you don't like animated moviesThe Whole Nine Yards - Great film. Almost as good as the Hudson HawkMen In Black II - I thought it was a worthy sequelThe Truman Show - I believe that film showcased Jim Carrey's best acting abilitiesLiar Liar - Again, Jim Carrey's best acting but in a ... " [More]

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Review by All Movie Guide

All Movie Guide

is neutral about it.

This excellent comedy features outstanding performances plus a well-constructed and hilarious script. Meet the Parents is also the directorial proving ground of Jay Roach, who finally earns his stripes beyond the realm of movie vehicles for his pal, comic actor Mike Myers. After previously attempting only sporadic work in semi-humorous projects such as Midnight Run (1988), intense, dramatic character actor Robert De Niro follows up the box-office hit Analyze This (1999) by successfully lampooning himself again, conclusively adding the comedy genre to his catalogue. Lead actor Ben Stiller is accomplished by now in his romantically challenged nerd role, executing his part with expected alacrity. Ranging through a wide field of comic styles, Meet the Parents may be less lacerating or outrageous than it could be, but it's also that rarest of Hollywood star vehicles -- a sure-fire hit appealing to a broad spectrum of audience members. It's bound to spawn a sequel or two. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

Tags: inlaw , wedding , circle-of-trust , funny , classic-comedy
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