The University Daily Kansan
Thursday, October 5, 2009
rsday, October 5, 2000
movies
Section B • Page 4
Meet the Parents? No thanks
Film from director of Austin Powers falls short with hilarity
Ben Stiller and Teri Palo star in Meet the Parents, a comedy about the trouble Greg Focker (Stilller) goes through when meeting his girlfriend's parents. Contributed photo.
Review
By Clare McLellan Kansan movie critic
The guy who made Austin Powers directed Meet the Parents, so it has to be funny right? Original at least?
Well, apparently not.
The movie, from director Jay Roach, has its moments. But essentially it fell flat in its comic attempts, relying on quite a bit of farce with worn-out jokes tossed in. What's missing here is the writing team behind Austin Powers and its equally entertaining sequel. It seems the director only can do so much.
The basic plot idea is not a terribly fresh theme — guy meets girl, falls in love, has to meet her parents who, of course, are highly protective of their precious little girl for whom no one is good enough. Then guy gets freaked out when faced with overzealous dad, does crazy things to try to impress him, and winds up even further behind in the rat race than before and an even bigger rat in the eyes of the father.
In this case, however, the father goes slightly beyond the average bizarre parent. He taught the family cat to use the toilet, owns a lie detector machine to torment his daughter's boyfriend and has cameras lurking in every seemingly harmless household decoration (part of a new babysitter protection scheme). So there's potential for some funny stuff inherent in these antics.
And you can't argue with such high-caliber actors as Robert DeNiro playing
Meet the Parents
Acting ●●●○○
Cinematography ●●○○○
Writing ●●○○○
Jack Byrnes (the dad) and Ben Stiller as Greg Focker (the boyfriend).
Blythe Danner does a perfect job as Dina Byrnes (the mom) and relative newcomer Teri Polo plays Pam (the girlfriend). They all turn in fine performances — for what they had to work with.
There were just too many times in this movie where you could hear pauses for laughter, but it just wasn't that great of a joke. Take Stiller's name — Focker, OK, Ha Ha. Change one "o" to a "u" and we have a cuss word. For most of us whose sense of humor has matured since fifth grade, this bit has been retired. The writers of this film opted to run it into the ground.
The cat using the toilet was amusing.
as was DeNiro's "anti-dog" speech and his refusal to accept anything about Greg. The end of the film offers the most laughs, with scenes allowing Stiller to showcase his gift for frustrated comedy. Stiller shines when placed under pressure and is allowed to rant.
Although DeNiro does a decent job with this role, one might wonder why he was chosen. DeNiro isn't historically a comedian, while he can handle almost any part, he seems a bit out of his element in this film.
He walks the line between being a tough guy and being a goober, and the resulting character is not distinct enough.
Its few moments of true humor aside, Meet the Parents doesn't come close to the hilarity director Roach proved capable of in Austin Powers. It had the potential, but it just fell short in the execution.
Throw those writers a bone here because they just didn't get it.
— Edited by Shawn Hutchinson
Almost Famous. Writer/Director Cameron Crowe brings the 1970s music scene to life with his semi-autobiographical story of a teen journalist who goes on the road with a rock band. At South Wind 12 Theatres, 3433 Iowa St.
The Art of War, Shaw (Wesley Snipes) is part of a top-secret team working for the United Nations, solving crises and helping to maintain world peace. At Plaza 6, 2339 Iowa St.
Belt. A tense action-thriller with a healthy dose of comedy. At South Wind 12.
Movie Line
Bring it On. In a contest to lead her school to victory in the national cheerleading championships for the sixth year in a row, Torrance Shipman (Kirsten Dunst), team captain of the Toros at Rancho Came High School in San Diego, must show her team to beat out their rival squad, the Clowers. At South Wind 12.
The Cell. A wild ride inside the mind of a serial killer. The Cell is a movie that leads viewers on a strange visual and psychological journey, At South Wind 12.
The Eyes of Tammy Faye. The first documentary about the rise and fall of television evangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker. At Liberty Hall, 642 Massachusetts St
- Duets, Gwyneth Paltrow stars in this flick,
  which is directed by her father, Bruce
  Paltrow. It dives头first into the bizarre
  musical world of karaoke. At South Wind
  12
Meet the Parents. Reviewed in this week's lawmaking. Opens tomorrow nationwide.
Nurse Betty. A fiery comedy from director Neil LaBute. A waitress in a small Kansas town lives vicariously through her favorite soap opera stars and fantasizes about a perfect life similar to those of the doctors and nurses on the TV show. At South Wind 12
**Nutty Professor II: The Klumps.** This seque to the remake of the original 1963 film features Eddie Murphy reprising his many roles as Dr. Sherman Klump, Buddy Love and a host of other Klump family members. At Plaza 6.
The Original Kings of Comedy. Feature-length documentary, filmed during the evenings of
Feb. 26 and 27, 2000 at the Charlotte Collegiate in Charlotte, N.C. At Plaza 6.
Remember the Titans. Reviewed this week in *Inlet*, at South Winds 12.
Scary Movie, Keenen Ivory Wayans directs this hysterical spoof of stasher films. At Plaza 6.
Saving Grace, British comedy about Grace, a recently widowed woman, who risks losing her wonderful estate and beautiful garden because of the huge debts her husband left when he died. At Plaza 6.
Space Cowboys. A 60year-old astronaut (Clint Eastwood) is sent on a mission to repair a broken satellite that threatens to cause a disaster on Earth if it falls from outer space. At Plaza 6.
The Tao of Steve, Dex (Donal Logue) is a loveable kindergarten teacher who has extraordinary success with women and a sexual appetite to match. Women go crazy for him, and men admire his finely-tuned romantic philosophy. The film, and Logue's role in it, got the Outstanding Performance Special Joy Prize at Sundance 2000. At Liberty Hall.
Urban Legends: Final Cut. During a contest to determine the best thesis film, student filmmakers at Alpine University are having an unusually hard time of it because someone is killing crew members. At South Wind 12.
The Watcher. The story follows an expolice detective who has relocated to Chicago in order to escape his past. Serial killer, David Allen Griffin (Keanu Reeves), has formed a special emotional attachment to the detective, luring him to Chicago in order to continue their deadly game of cat-and-mouse. At South Ward 12,
What Lies Beneath. This chilling romantic mystery from director Robert Zemeke casts Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer as a quiet couple living in the hills of Vermont. At South Wind 12.
Woman on Top, Isabella (Penelope Cruz) is a top-notch chef and glowing beauty who has motion sickness. Playing up all of these characteristics, the film explores two of Cruz's love affairs: one with a restaurant owner and the other with the television producer of a cooking program. At South Wind 12.
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