Cubussoli Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Invaderbank The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Cheryl A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Paul J. Nemecek In comedic films, the plot is often a secondary consideration. Like an unplanned vacation, the destination is not what's important--it's the journey itself that matters. Meet the Parents is a predictable plot based on an overused cliché, and I give it two thumbs up. What counts here is not the plot, it's the humor and the performances that make it worth the ride.Jay Roach is the director who inflicted Austin Powers on humanity. Fortunately, he is able to dial it down a notch here and give us humor that is a little more subtle--not much, but every bit helps. Ben Stiller plays the unfortunately named Greg Focker, who is on his way to meet the parents of the woman he loves. His character here is almost a reprise of his character in There's Something About Mary. Greg is desperate to make a good impression on his girlfriend's parents and his general anxiety turns into full-blown terror when he meets Pam's father, Jack Byrnes. Jack (played by Robert DeNiro) is a rather humorless man who deep down believes that no man could be good enough for his little girl.Greg has been led to believe that Jack is a retired florist, but he soon discovers that Jack has an entirely different, and much darker, past. DeNiro is perfectly cast as the foreboding father figure, and DeNiro plays the part superbly. Greg soon discovers that even the most benign chatter is a kind of test, and he feels--quite rightly--that he is failing miserably.Virtually every character in this story lies to another character at one time or another. Much of the humor revolves around little lies that necessitate either full confessions or even bigger lies. The characters choose bigger lies almost every time. ("Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive"). The biggest laughs come as we watch Greg trying to extricate himself from one of his self-spun webs or as we watch Jack setting another trap.The tone of the film reminded me of Father of the Bride. Like that film, the predictability of the plot doesn't really matter. We know from the beginning how it will ultimately end. Films like this rise or fall on the strength of the writing and the power of the performances. While there are thoroughly adequate supporting performances here, the real dynamic comes in the chemistry between Stiller and DeNiro. This is not great art or profound social commentary. But the audience roared as they watched these characters play out situations that were close enough to real to make them feel the embarrassment and frustration of the central characters. If you don't get a chance to see it at the theater, save it for a video rental. For extra fun, invite your future in-laws and see if they think it's funny.

The Couchpotatoes Haha this is one of those comedies that you will always remember. Full of classic lines that my wife and I constantly use on daily bases, like "if it has teat then you can milk it, puff the magical dragon, the circle of trust and so on..." Meet The Parents is full of those phrases that makes me laugh every time I think about it. And that's what defines a good comedy to me. If I watch a comedy I want to laugh and with this one it's what you get. Some people might not like it but then to me they just don't have a sense of humor and that's just a pity for them. You have to like Ben Stiller though because it's basically him that is the great comedian of the movie. If you don't like him you probably not going to like the movie either. Like I don't like the movies with Adam Sandler. I think that guy is not funny and so his comedies are painful to watch for me. In Meet The Parents the whole story is basically about the relation between Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro. Robert De Niro that plays his role brilliantly as well by the way. The other actors are good as well but it's not them that carry the movie. To me it's already a classic movie when I think about the best comedies I ever saw.

Python Hyena Meet the Parents (2000): Dir: Jay Roach / Cast: Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Teri Polo, Blythe Danner, Owen Wilson: Comedy about every man's fear as his dating life grinds to a halt. It is about making the right impression but one of the film's problems is that it doesn't really address both parents. It regards Ben Stiller meeting Robert De Niro. Stiller plays a male nurse who proposes to Teri Polo who plays a kindergarten teacher. They plan to spend the weekend at her parents house, which is surveillance. Simple yet inviting setup predicable with numerous tasteless jokes. Interesting conclusion between De Niro and Stiller where an interesting truce is met. Directed by Jay Roach who is famous for the Austen Powers films, the original being superior to this one but obviously not the sequels. Stiller brings out the embarrassment of being viewed as a male nurse but that is the least of his problems when his future father-in-law interrogates him. We can see where this is going but De Niro counters the formula with a hilarious performance. Polo serves as a method of introduction only, and Danner is underused as De Niro's wife, which hinders the affect of the title. It certainly ties into every man's trauma when it comes time to furthering his relationship connection but perhaps if the material met with a better screenwriter then the parents might be worth meeting. Score: 6 / 10

Steve Pulaski Is there anything more nerve-wracking or heart-racing than meeting your significant others parents for the first time? This seems to be more of an obvious fear for the male in a heterosexual relationship than it is a woman's; the desire to make a presence that's simultaneously meaningful and respectful, but not too brazen, is a tricky dance to accomplish and the anxiety that accompanies such an event is usually too much to even begin to adequately articulate. One winds up overthinking everything to the point of either saying something they didn't mean to say or feeling like they have just made a complete fool of themselves in front of the person they love and her own family.I suppose I can rest easy knowing that writers Jim Herzfeld and John Hamburg have made a "worst case scenario" film about the subject, which effectively makes almost any evening spent with the parents of your significant other seem desirable and successful in comparison. Jay Roach's Meet the Parents is the kind of film that takes those fears and persistent worries and etches them into a film that ups the stakes so high that, after a while, it becomes difficult to laugh given how far the film has fallen from its own sense of realism. it takes a realistic and common fear and repeatedly throws so many incredulous situations towards it, turning it into a farce, that, by the end, it's not only hard to take the film seriously, but the characters as well.We meet Gregory Focker (Ben Stiller), a male nurse who has been in a relationship with Pam Byrnes (Teri Polo) and is working to execute the perfect marriage proposal as soon as he gets off work. Just before he's about to pop the big question, Pam gets a call from her sister that she is now engaged, right after her fiancée asked Pam's father for her hand in marriage. While Pam claims it isn't necessary to do such a thing, it's a sweet, traditionalist gesture. As a result, Greg keeps his plans under the wraps and agrees to go to Pam's family's home in Long Island for the wedding.Upon losing his luggage on the flight, Greg meets Pam's father Jack (Robert De Niro) and her mother Dina (Blythe Danner). Right off the bat, Jack is cold and offputting to Greg, emphasizing Greg's less-than-positive view of cats and his own career choice of being a nurse. This sets the tone for what will be the next few days - awkward, uncomfortable interactions that will revolve around Greg trying to please Jack, but, in the end, only resulting in frustration or anger on Jack's behalf. Things only get intensified when Greg winds up meeting Kevin (Owen Wilson), Pam's ex-fiancée who is helping organize her sister's wedding.Meet the Parents has a committed cast of greats, starting with De Niro and Stiller, the two obvious, and even making strong uses of Polo and Danner, who transcend supporting roles and have a few of their own moments to shine. Consider Polo's character consistently trying to tow the lines of loyalty to her father and express her love for Greg, while Danner's character's cheeriness is usually diminished by the sternness of her husband. The glaring effects of the male characters on the female characters is an interesting dichotomy, especially seeing as the female characters are the whole reason everyone is brought together.Other than that, and some surface relatability based on the basic premise of the film rather than the actual details, Meet the Parents is one long sitcom. The film houses a barrage of overblown sight gags, caricatures instead of characters, and a case of "maximum antics, minimum laughter," where the writers continue to dogpile awkward scenarios on the characters while forgetting to humanize the characters in order for the gags to actually work. This is less a film and more an assortment of asinine events that work to beat the audience down with slapstick and a great deal of comedy that is almost too desperate to be funny.Meet the Parents will get empathy points from many, but the points it receives from its obvious brand of comedy should be relatively minimal. There's an appalling lack of human interest here outside of the film's concept, which is a big problem when you have a film that has the ability to resonate very deeply with people. Many of us have been in Greg's situation and many of us have found ourselves to be the worst enemy at times, but these elements, while substantial and ripe for exploration, can even be taken in a haphazard manner.Starring: Ben Stiller, Teri Polo, Robert De Niro, Blythe Danner, and Owen Wilson. Directed by: Jay Roach.