The Quadrangle

Issue date: 1/26/05 Section: Arts & Entertainment

It seems as though everyone during the holiday season has met the Fockers and enjoyed their company tremendously. Leaving audiences in stitches, Dustin Hoffman and Barbara Streisand were perfect to play the roles of the unique couple of Mr. and Mrs. Focker. As if it was effortless, Hoffman and Streisand portrayed the dynamic duo with a fantastic knack for becoming their characters wholeheartedly, even down to their small idiosyncrasies.
As we all know from Meet the Parents, Gaylord "Greg" Focker has not has the best luck meeting his fiancée Pam's parents. Nothing came easy to him as a series of unfortunate events occurred, including missing cats, swollen eyes, a violent game of volleyball, drug suspicions, and a septic tank mishap. It was just when things seemed to be settling down for this Focker that it was time for Jack Byrnes to meet his future in-laws.
Naturally the premise of the sequel is couple's parents meeting for the first time. Comical genius is then created when the opposite personalities come in close contact with one another. The stiff, rigid behavior of Jack Byrnes is seriously disrupted upon their weekend with the Fockers in Miami who have a more relaxed open relationship with one another. There conversations in public appear to be somewhat inappropriate for Jack's taste, leaving nothing to the imagination.
It was expected from the end of Meet the Parents that a sequel was to follow. With the obvious success of the first Ben Stiller and Robert DeNiro film, it was no wonder that it would leave audiences across America wanting more. These two films dramatically capture the anxiety and tension of the dreaded situation of meeting the parents. They make the stressful experience a bit more relieving, not to mention amusing.
This is an exceptional comedy. It has you laughing from beginning to end. There are no dull moments and you become embodied by the film. This hysterical flick leaves your abdominals feeling weak from laughing so hard. More comedies should be as funny as Meet the Fockers. Humor ranges from simplistic and goofy to a smart and sophisticated comedy. Some surprises are in store in this comical masterpiece, including appearances by some of your favorite supporting actors from Meet the Parents.
Like many, I found this movie to be everything I expected-witty, engaging, and absolutely fantastic. One would think that hearing the name Focker repeated would only be funny a certain number of times, but to me and many others, it couldn't be used enough. I think that that Dustin Hoffman and Barbara Streisand were definitely the key ingredients in this comedic recipe. It seems as if Robert DeNiro and Ben Stiller's performances took a back seat in comparison to their first film. The casting could not have been a better choice. All the actors meshed extremely well and there was certainly chemistry among them.
Since the summer of 2004, the public has been subjected to various forms of advertisements for the sequel, whether it was on the side of a bus or a commercial on television. All the hype was true. Meet the Fockers was one of the best comedies of the time and still has audiences wanting more. Perhaps some little Fockers are on the way...

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