Meet the Fockers (2004)

Director:

Jay Roach

Writers (WGA):

Greg Glienna (characters) &
Mary Ruth Clarke (characters) ...

Release Date:

22 December 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

And you thought your parents were embarrassing.

Plot:

All hell breaks loose when the Byrnes family meets the Focker family for the first time.

Plot Keywords:

Frat Pack | Porn Name | Pun In Title | Cat | Dog

Awards:

2 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Robert De Niro	...	Jack Byrnes
Ben Stiller	...	Greg Focker
Dustin Hoffman	...	Bernie Focker
Barbra Streisand	...	Rozalin Focker
Blythe Danner	...	Dina Byrnes
Teri Polo	...	Pam Byrnes
Owen Wilson	...	Kevin Rawley
Spencer Pickren	...	Little Jack 'L.J.' Byrnes
Bradley Pickren	...	Little Jack 'L.J.' Byrnes
Alanna Ubach	...	Isabel Villalobos
Ray Santiago	...	Jorge Villalobos
Tim Blake Nelson	...	Officer LeFlore
Shelley Berman	...	Judge Ira
Kali Rocha	...	Flight Attendant
Dorie Barton	...	Airline Clerk

Also Known As:

Meet the Fokkers (USA) (working title)
Meet the Parents 2 (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual humor, language and a brief drug reference.

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Malaysia:U (cut) | Malaysia:18SX | Venezuela:PG-13 | Taiwan:R-12 | South Korea:15 | UK:12A (original rating) | Indonesia:Dewasa | Germany:6 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Zurich) | UK:12 (video rating) (2005) | Iceland:L | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG | Chile:14 | Finland:K-11 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:12A | Netherlands:12 | Norway:7 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

The horn on the Byrnes' RV plays the tune of "Puff the Magic Dragon", about which Greg and Jack had a conversation in Meet the Parents (2000).

Goofs:

Continuity: After Jack gets the massage from Roz, he heads to his camper. After straightening out his back he starts buttoning his shirt as he walks. In the next shot, his shirt is completely buttoned and neatly tucked in his pants. The was no time for him to do all this in the time he was walking.

Quotes:

Jack Byrnes: [about Focker Isle] We have to get out of this place. It is EVIL.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Robert De Niro/Destiny's Child (#30.8)" (2004)

Soundtrack:

Going Up the Country

Worth Watching For One Reason: Dustin Hoffman

I enjoyed the sequel "Meet the Fockers" more than the original "Meet the Parents" for one reason: the performance of Dustin Hoffman. Overall, it was a fine ensemble cast and good scripting of the jokes and situations surrounding the irrepressible ex-CIA agent and family patriarch Jack Byrnes (Robert DeNiro). But Hoffman's character Bernie Focker, an attorney who retired to become a full-time dad to his son Greg (Ben Stiller), grounds this comedy in solid human values that raise the film beyond the level of nutty comedy.

I admired how Hoffman's character revealed genuine pain following the nasty remarks of Jack Byrnes. For example, the shrine of framed memorabilia of his son's accomplishments was ridiculed by Jack. One could empathize with Bernie's pain which he registered at the criticism. Indeed throughout the film, the most memorable scenes were those with Hoffman's character on the defense, but also taking the offensive against Jack.

The film also included some wildly funny moments, such as the teenager born out of wedlock to Greg's babysitter, a young lad with humongous eyebrows who was a dead-ringer for Ben Stiller's character and Jack's outrageous motor home rigged with listening devices, which provided him with his command center for spying on the Fockers. Much credit should go to director Jay Roach for outstanding comic rhythms, timing, and pacing.

In the end, this was thoroughly enjoyable movie, which had the surprising effect of providing a good window into family values unusual for Hollywood film comedies.