Main Cast: Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand, Blythe Danner
Release Year: 2004
Country: US
Run Time: 115 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
After suffering the humiliation of being given the third degree by his girlfriend's father, one man now faces the even more embarrassing task of introducing his own mother and father in this star-studded sequel to the box-office smash Meet the Parents. After getting off on the wrong foot (to put it mildly) with his prospective in-laws, Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) has finally won the grudging approval of Jack and Dina Byrnes (Robert De Niro and Blythe Danner) to marry their daughter Pam (Teri Polo). But after clearing the first hurdle, now Greg has to face an even bigger challenge -- introducing the straight-laced Byrnes family to his folks, free-spirited sex therapist Roz (Barbra Streisand) and eccentrically open-minded Bernie, who blend with Pam's parents not quite as well as oil and water. Meet the Fockers was directed by Jay Roach, who handled the same chores for Meet the Parents. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
The rare sequel that is far funnier than the box-office smash upon which it is based, Meet the Fockers (2004) is flat-out hilarious. Credit must be given to director Jay Roach and his team of writers for recognizing that the largely one-joke Meet the Parents (2000) coasted too much on the power of its high-concept premise and that any subsequent story would need to be more character-driven and superbly cast. It's a testament to their understanding of comedy that Robert De Niro's Jack Byrnes character is as much the protagonist of Fockers as Ben Stiller's shlubby Gaylord, which gives the story a little more comic elbow room, opening it up for the introduction of Roz and Bernie Focker. They're stereotypes to be sure, but character clichés are where the laughs and the fun are in this franchise. What is Jack if not the boiler-plate Republican father? What is Greg/Gaylord if not the next-generation Milquetoast boyfriend, and both Dina (Blythe Danner) and Pam (Teri Polo) if not the shiksa goddesses of the entire Woody Allen catalogue? Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand seem to be having a genuine ball as gooey-liberal Florida retiree foils, their energy kicking the rest of the cast up a notch. Even De Niro, who has been sleepwalking through some of his latter-career roles, is more engaged, particularly in his scenes with Hoffman and the twin infant actors portraying his grandson, "Little Jack." Meet the Fockers (2004) goes awry in a third act that shoehorns a pointless chase sequence and a star cameo into the mix, but it's over painlessly quickly and strikes the only false chords in what is otherwise a hysterically funny follow-up. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
Teri Polo - Pamela Byrnes; Tim Blake Nelson - Officer Le Flore; Alanna Ubach - Isabel; Ray Santiago - Jorge Villalobos; Kali Rocha - Flight Atendant; Shelley Berman - Judge Ira; Owen Wilson - Kevin Rawley; Spencer Pickren - Little Jack; Bradley Pickren - Little Jack; Rock Deadrick - Wedding Band; Myra Turley - Admitting Nurse; Max Hoffman - Woody Focker; David Sutton - Wedding Band; Wayne Thomas York - Airport Security Guard; Kathleen Gati - Immigrant Woman; Jack Plotnick - Rent a Car Agent; Tiffany Turner - Girl on Bus; J.P. Manoux - Local Cop; Dorie Barton - Airline Clerk; Cedric Yarbrough - Prison Guard; B.J. Hansen - B.J.; Vahe Bejan - Immigrant Man; Angelo Tifee - Businessman; Kyle T. McNamee - Undercover Waiter; Benjamin Trueblood - Newborn Baby; Roberto Garcia - Waiter; Bruno Coon - Strolling Minstrel/Band Member; Linda O'Neil - Girl on Bus; Bernadette Perez - Girl on Bus
Credit
Andrew Neskoromny - Art Director, Larry Stuckey - Associate Producer, Francine Maisler - Casting, Jon Poll - Co-producer, Carol Ramsey - Costume Designer, Josh King - First Assistant Director, Jay Roach - Director, Jon Poll - Second Unit Director, Jon Poll - Editor, Lee Haxall - Editor, Nancy Tenenbaum - Executive Producer, Amy Sayres - Executive Producer, Randy Newman - Composer (Music Score), Rusty Smith - Production Designer, John Schwartzman - Cinematographer, Robert De Niro - Producer, Jane Rosenthal - Producer, Jay Roach - Producer, Richard Mays - Set Designer, Kevin Cross - Set Designer, Randall D. Wilkins - Set Designer, William V. Ryder - Set Designer, Kenneth McLaughlin - Sound/Sound Designer, Jim Herzfeld - Screen Story, Marc Hyman - Screen Story, Jon Poll - Screenwriter, John Hamburg - Screenwriter, Jim Herzfeld - Screenwriter, Michael Pinkey - Second Unit Camera, Chris Carpenter - Re-Recording Mixer, Andy Koyama - Re-Recording Mixer, George Anderson - Supervising Sound Editor, Sara Andrews-Ingrassia - Set Decorator, Mary Ruth Clarke - Character Design
After being given permission to marry Pam, the daughter of a retired CIA agent, Gaylord "Greg" Focker travels to Miami, with his fiancée, her nephew "Little Jack," her parents and their cat to meet his quirky parents, Roz and Bernie Focker. Roz is a sex therapist for the elderly, while Greg's dad is a prosecutor who stopped practicing to be a stay-at-home dad when Greg was born. On the other hand, Pam’s parents Jack and Dina are traditionally conservative, which produces many of the movie's set ups and comedic situations. This movie shows an evolution in Jack’s relationship with his family. In the first movie, Meet the Parents, Jack is always in control of his family, whereas this time he goes too far with his suspicious nature and covert operations to expose what he believes is Greg's secret past.
Characters
Jack Tiberius Byrnes (Robert De Niro): Pam's father and Dina's husband. Even though he is retired, he uses his CIA connections to track down information on Greg and Hayley Adcock and others he thinks will reveal that Greg is a liar. The anal retentive Jack is also the inventor of a Motion Sensor Nanny-Cam, and the "Manary Gland" (a portmanteau of "man" and "mammary gland"), an invention that lets Jack "breastfeed" his grandson. His coverup job is a retired florist/horticulturist. Even though he has given permission for the two to marry, Jack still has a distrust of Greg and goes so far as trying to prove it by taking desperate measures such as injecting him with truth serum.
Gaylord "Greg" Myron Focker (Ben Stiller): The protagonist of the movie. A nurse living in Chicago with fiancée Pam, the daughter of a retired CIA agent. Gets into trouble and mischief. In his childhood, he had his foreskin shaved, had a crush on his babysitter Isabel Villalobos (to whom he eventually lost his virginity), and often finished in mediocre fashion in competitive events which was displayed in the "Wall of Gaylord" his father built. His father calls him Gay or Gaylord, which is a recurring joke within the film. He graduated from Williams College which is shown on the Wall of Gaylord. He actually is not gay, he just had a few homosexual encounters.
Bernard "Bernie" Focker (Dustin Hoffman): The father of Greg. He was an attorney for a brief period of time, but became a homemaker after the birth of his son. Bernie lives on "Focker Isle" in Miami, with his wife Roz. He claims to be a practitioner of capoeira, the Brazilian martial art of dance-fighting. His fondness for chimichangas is a recurring joke within the film.
Rosalind "Roz" Focker (Barbra Streisand): The mother of Greg Focker, who is a sex therapist for senior citizens and often embarrasses Greg by going on about her knowledge of sex.
Pamela Martha Byrnes/Pamela Martha Focker (Teri Polo): Greg's fiancée. She is a second grade teacher in Chicago and lives with Greg. Before starting a relationship with Greg, she was engaged briefly to Kevin, with whom she is still friends.
Dina Byrnes (Blythe Danner): The wife of Jack Byrnes, and mother of Pam, Debbie and Danny. She balances the relationship with Jack as the soft spot, and the sympathetic voice of reason to her husband. In the movie, it can be seen that she is somewhat jealous of Roz and Bernie's sex addiction.
Little Jack (Spencer and Bradley Pickren): Jack's approximately one-year-old grandson by his other daughter, Debbie. Jack is grooming him to be a genius using unconventional child rearing methods. He communicates through baby sign language and the expletive asshole, which he accidentally picked up from Greg.
Isabel Villalobos (Alanna Ubach): Sexy former housekeeper and babysitter of the Fockers and current owner of a catering business. She had a brief fling with Greg when he was nineteen years old which resulted in Greg losing his virginity to her. This affair led Jack to suspect that Greg may be the father of her child.
Jorge Villalobos (Ray Santiago): The fifteen-year-old son of Isabel, he is a mechanical prodigy with a reputation for being able to fix anything. Jorge is also a liar, but his most definable attribute is his uncanny resemblance to Greg and his antics, which leads Jack to believe that Greg is Jorge's father. Another recurring joke in the film is that either Greg or Jorge look like a "young, Jewish/Hispanic Marlon Brando." It turns out that his father is former minor league baseball player Rusty Bridges, also played by Stiller. His Spanish name was redirected by Jack into its English translation: "George House-of-the-Wolves."
Moses (Terem): The Fockers' pet dog, a Chihuahua/Yorkie mix.[1] He has the sublime ability and urge to mate with anything that moves.
Mr. LJ Jinx: The Byrnes' pet Himalayan cat. He is able to use the toilet and has extensive aquatic training. He once flushed Moses down the toilet in the Byrnes' trailer, but they are later seen eating wedding cake together in peace at the end of the film.
Owen Wilson reprises his role, Kevin Rawley, from the previous film, but this time as an ordained inter-faith minister.
Box office performance
The film was a commercial success and is the highest grossing live action comedy in history. According to Box Office Mojo, it grossed $46,120,980 on its opening weekend (3,518 theaters, averaging $13,110 per theater). At the end of the film's 149 days release, it grossed a total of $279,261,160 at the domestic market, and $237,381,779 overseas, for a total worldwide gross of $516,642,939. The film's budget was $80,000,000.[2]
