Critic Reviews
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Amy Simmons, Time Out
This sequel's title indicates the content: smutty, silly and liable to make you smirk despite yourself.
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Andrew Sarris, New York Observer
Very often vulgar and tasteless, and though there are some unexpected bursts of humor and even charm in the proceedings, it's light years away from Chekhov.
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Paul Clinton (CNN.com), CNN.com
[Hoffman and Streisand] make a wonderful team, but it's too bad the material isn't fresher and more worth their time and yours.
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Rex Reed, New York Observer
A vulgar farce that isn't remotely amusing.
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Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com
Could have been much funnier than it is.
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Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
This film has a lot more heart and it's just a lot of fun throughout with all these wonderful actors.
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Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com
Sequel to the mediocre Ben Stiller comedy "Meet The Parents" is a bawdier but inferior movie that relies on the star power of Dustin Hoffman and Barbara Streisand as Stiller's Florida-dwelling Jewish hippie parents Bernie and Roz to fuel its ill-timed toi
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Richard Luck, Film4
A consistently entertaining, sometimes uproariously funny film.
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Mark Halverson, Sacramento News & Review
Repeats itself and strains for laughs where the original giddily stumbled through them.
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Prairie Miller, Long Island Press
Milk bottles and related metaphors feature prominentlyas breast fetish stand-ins, but with a decidely peculiar asymmetrical preference for just the left one.
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Kevin Lally, Film Journal International
Has its smattering of laughs, but the new faces bring fewer dividends than the elemental De Niro/Ben Stiller showdown of the original.
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Joseph Proimakis, Movies for the Masses
full review in Greek
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Peter T. Chattaway, Christianity Today
Meet the Fockers is frequently funny, but it turns a bit too cruel in the third act to be as worthy a sequel to its predecessor as it could have been
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, Empire Magazine
Fans of the first will find some amusement in familiarity, but with such a comically able cast this is a missed opportunity.
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Pete Vonder Haar, Film Threat
The expected misunderstandings ensue, as you'd expect, which would be pretty excruciating if not for the performances of Hoffman and Streisand.
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Nathan Rabin, AV Club
Meet The Fockers has assembled a historic, once-in-a-lifetime cast, then stranded them in the laziest, most mercenary kind of sequel imaginable. It's like the 1927 Yankees taking on the Special Olympics softball team.
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Uri Lessing, eFilmCritic.com
[Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand] seem to have been waiting their whole careers to do unrestrained comedy, and they step into their roles with unparalleled enthusiasm.
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Bill Clark, FromTheBalcony
Amazing how altering one vowel from the king of all cuss words can spawn a movie franchise.
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David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...just as mediocre and gratingly unfunny as its predecessor...
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Karina Montgomery, Cinerina
Catch it on HBO for the sheer delight of everything Hoffman and Streisand do. It's fun to meet the Fockers themselves, but the rest of the movie can stay home.
Read all 25 critic reviews
Featured Audience Ratings
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Lacked the tension of Meet the Parents. Tried to be feel-good but just felt flat.
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Meet the Fockers" sounds like "Meet the f-u-u-...". Oops! Can't say that because of FCC guidelines. Just the same, the title pretty much describes the level of the humor in this Ben Stiller comedy. But that's redundant because it IS a Ben Stiller movie.… More
Meet the Fockers" sounds like "Meet the f-u-u-...". Oops! Can't say that because of FCC guidelines. Just the same, the title pretty much describes the level of the humor in this Ben Stiller comedy. But that's redundant because it IS a Ben Stiller movie. Clearly my expectations for this movie were not high and, maybe because of that, I found "Meet the Fockers" quite funny.
Don't get me wrong. This is not a movie for everyone. First off, the writers did not miss a single opportunity to play off of the name "Focker". It's silly and gets a little old but it somehow works with the other repetitious low-down gags.
Focker is the family name for Greg (Focker), Ben Stiller. The funniest Fockers, however, (now I'm doing it) are Greg's parents Bernie and Roz, a loose and liberal Florida hippy couple still living in the last century and enjoying every minute of it. Dustin Hoffman, as Bernie displays a previously unrevealed talent for over the top comedy. Fitting perfectly with Hoffman's Bernie, is Barbra Streisand as Roz Focker, reminiscent of the "zaftig" Lainie Kazan. Bernie is a yesteryear lawyer who has not practiced since who knows when. Roz is the main breadwinner from her business as a sex therapist to the elderly.
Greg is not too eager to reveal his parents' true nature to his fiancée's parents as they all come to visit to get to know one another better. Teri Polo nicely plays Greg's fiancée Pam. Robert DeNiro and Blythe Danner play her stiff and straight parents, Jack and Dina Byrnes. Oh - also add in some baby low-brow by Spencer and Bradley Pickeren, two adorable twins playing Little Jack/. 2 stars 9-27-07
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Jay Roach's sequel to the hit "Meet the Parents" presents more visible laughter than the predecessor. With the chemistry cemented by DeNiro, Stiller and their new co-stars (Hoffman & Streisand) "Fockers" is a predictable story with unpredictable comedy.… More
Jay Roach's sequel to the hit "Meet the Parents" presents more visible laughter than the predecessor. With the chemistry cemented by DeNiro, Stiller and their new co-stars (Hoffman & Streisand) "Fockers" is a predictable story with unpredictable comedy. 4.5/5
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A step to far here, didn't need it really, the first was very funny but this is too forced. De Niro and Stiller are still good but Hoffman and Streisand are pretty lame and the jokes become slightly childish and cliche. Not terrible but nothing special.
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The sequel to Meet the Parents. Ben gets into more bother with Robert when they visit Ben's parentts before the wedding. Robert is brilliant as the ex CIA agent. Dustin and Barbra are very funny as well. Guest appearance from Owen Wilson.
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MEET THE FOCKERS, despite the titular double entendre, really isn't the funniest film--the Stiller/De Niro rivalry is continually ridiculous, but unfortunately not ridiculously funny like in MEET THE PARENTS; however, as a sequel, it most certainly is not pointless (see… More
MEET THE FOCKERS, despite the titular double entendre, really isn't the funniest film--the Stiller/De Niro rivalry is continually ridiculous, but unfortunately not ridiculously funny like in MEET THE PARENTS; however, as a sequel, it most certainly is not pointless (see 2010's LITTLE FOCKERS if you want a pointless threequel). To add to our all-star cast, this time around we have actor Dustin Hoffman and singer Barbara Streisand as Bernie and Roz Focker, respectively; while we still keep Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, and Owen Wilson--tell me I didn't forget anybody.
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Jack Byrnes: I'm not so sure this wedding is such a good idea. I don't like what I'm seeing from these Fockers.
"Misery loves family"
Meet The Fockers is a big step down from the hilarious Meet The Parents. It's still a decent comedy that has a few… More
Jack Byrnes: I'm not so sure this wedding is such a good idea. I don't like what I'm seeing from these Fockers.
"Misery loves family"
Meet The Fockers is a big step down from the hilarious Meet The Parents. It's still a decent comedy that has a few really funny parts such as...
Greg Focker: I still masturbate to Pam. What? She's hot - check out those boobs. I just wanna lather 'em up with soap and rub my face in 'em. I could take a vacation in there.
As a whole the movie was quite a disappointment after the first, but there was no way it was going to live up to the first. The core cast from the first one is good again and the additions of Dustin Hoffman and Barbara Streisand doesn't hurt. Once again the movie relies on funny and weird situations to create the laughs. Those situations just aren't as good here.
If you loved the first, you probably like this one too. If you hated the first, you probably hate this one more. I still haven't been able to get myself to watch the third movie in the series, Little Fockers. The reviews are less then great. I'll probably work up the courage at some point.
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Sequel to the very funny Meet The Parents is yet another decent into madness for Gaylord Focker. This entry, like every other sequel is less strong than the first, but still manages to be a fun, hilarious ride. I was fairly surprised at the cast here, Barbra Streisand (whom I'm… More
Sequel to the very funny Meet The Parents is yet another decent into madness for Gaylord Focker. This entry, like every other sequel is less strong than the first, but still manages to be a fun, hilarious ride. I was fairly surprised at the cast here, Barbra Streisand (whom I'm not a fan) was very funny in this film, and she had great chemistry with Dustin Hoffman. Some of the comedy is a bit more raunchy than the first film, and with this cast they are able to pull off a good sequel. Meet The Fockers is a fun comedy that will appeal to fans of the first. The film is very funny, but I felt that it wasn't up to par with the original. Meet The Fockers has it merits, and for a sequel its well done, and quite successful at following the direction of the first. But the film nothing too original either. As far as a comedy sequel is concerned, Meet The Fockers belongs on the very short list of films that is able to make me laugh without having tired out jokes and forced jokes thrown at you. The films humour is well balanced and is funny and doesn't feel forced, it feels natural, meaning it doesn't try too hard at making you laugh. What makes this film funny is the good cast of talented actors who because they have good chemistry, they're able to pull something really funny in what supposed to be a run of the mill unfunny sequel.
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Good cast, bad movie. Sometimes funny, but, Meet the Fockers is not the best film I ever saw.
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Hilarious! I haven't seen 'Meet The Parents' and the fact that I didn't need to with this film shows how good it is. Definite must watch!
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This movie was focking hilarious! It's much better than the first, comedy wise. I don't know, it was just that entertaining. Stiller and De Niro are great, but Dustin Hoffman is the real scene stealer in this one. He was perfectly cast, as was everyone else.
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light hearted and so funny loved it!!!
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Almost-rude elements (such as the title) and classic family tensions cleverly translate into solid slapstick.
This sequel to <i>Meet the Parents</i> is transformed by delightfully relaxed Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand as Ben Stiller's exuberant screen parents.a… More
Almost-rude elements (such as the title) and classic family tensions cleverly translate into solid slapstick.
This sequel to <i>Meet the Parents</i> is transformed by delightfully relaxed Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand as Ben Stiller's exuberant screen parents.a baby subplot includes bizarre scenes with a male breast-feeding apparatus; Robert De Niro deserved an Oscar for his deadpan look.
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28/01/2011 (DVD)
I laughed more at this than the last one and it was a treat for my bored-as-syndrome! I loved the awkwardness and the new challenges, it made my experience a bit of a roller-coaster. This sequel really gets messier than the first, well, in the emotional department… More
28/01/2011 (DVD)
I laughed more at this than the last one and it was a treat for my bored-as-syndrome! I loved the awkwardness and the new challenges, it made my experience a bit of a roller-coaster. This sequel really gets messier than the first, well, in the emotional department and relationships are on the line. The first episode was just silly for me but this sequel definitely found my laughing gauge.
It's a little more interesting now with the other set of parents in the picture. The moment they met I already could feel the awkward vibes and it wast so intense that I hoped that no one produces an a and b conversation. What made it that much better for me was remembering what everyone was like in the last episode and what standards they accepted and then meeting the new characters in this episode who are nearly totally opposite.
To see legendary actors (Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman) and actress (Barbra Streisand) in one flick doing comedy... a must see for me. I know that there is a third episode so I'm going to rush into that for more silly, hilarious and stupid fun! I've met the parents, I've met the 'Fockers' and now I'm about to meet the little 'Fockers' for more disastrous situations!
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A fun family comedy, which when you have nothing else to watch, you can still get a pretty good laugh out of this rehash of the original. It has it's moments that you wish could have been in the first so that a sequel wasn't needed, which I thought was a good thing. However,… More
A fun family comedy, which when you have nothing else to watch, you can still get a pretty good laugh out of this rehash of the original. It has it's moments that you wish could have been in the first so that a sequel wasn't needed, which I thought was a good thing. However, as a sequel it could have been better!
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This is just the natural sequal...It had to be done. It's funny. And Dustin Hoffman is very good in this. Perfect for the part.
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An OK sequel to the decent original.
Does just enough to keep you laughing although the joke is wearing thin by this point. Ben Stiller plays the same character he plays in so many of his so-so films and its sad to see Robert De Niro wasted in the role of the suspicious,… More
An OK sequel to the decent original.
Does just enough to keep you laughing although the joke is wearing thin by this point. Ben Stiller plays the same character he plays in so many of his so-so films and its sad to see Robert De Niro wasted in the role of the suspicious, overprotective father.
Its worth a watch if its its on TV but other than that I wouldn't bother.
"Focker, out."
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money starting to look brown
update: I know have no idea what that means.
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"It's nice, all of us being here together, don't you think?"
Ben Stiller followed up the hit 2000 comedy Meet the Parents with a slightly lukewarm revisit of Gaylord Focker, this time with his own parents in tow. It's not as funny as the first movie, but… More
"It's nice, all of us being here together, don't you think?"
Ben Stiller followed up the hit 2000 comedy Meet the Parents with a slightly lukewarm revisit of Gaylord Focker, this time with his own parents in tow. It's not as funny as the first movie, but it's also not a complete blight on the quality of the first film.
The plot this time around revolves around the meeting of Greg's and Pam's parents, as the soon to be in-laws have yet to be introduced. As you could probably guess, Jack (a returning Robert De Niro) clashes with the free-spirited and unorthodox Bernie (Dustin Hoffman) and Roz (Barbra Streisand). Conflict and the occasional humorous situation results.
With such a great cast, It's a little disappointing that this feels like such a re-tread, and that so many of jokes are hit or miss. Greg once again finds himself straying outside of the circle of trust, there are more jokes about him being a nurse, a dog that likes to hump things, and a baby who curses. It's a bit of an understatement to say that Meet the Fockers starts off slowly. Still, there are some laughs to be had, and at the very least, watching this will get you caught up on events before the third (and much funnier looking) movie in the series rolls into theaters this winter.
Fans of the first movie or Ben Stiller should check this out, but you should also keep your expectations at a moderate level.
Read all 20 featured audience ratings
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