Meet The Fockers By DJ Chris Plant

Having given permission to male nurse Greg Focker (Stiller) to wed his daughter (Polo), ex-CIA man Jack Byrnes (De Niro) and his wife (Danner) travel to Detroit to meet the parents, who this time around are Mr. and Mrs. Focker (Hoffman and Streisand), who are as different from them as can be. Jack is an uptight control freak and a CIA retiree, while Dina is a canonical wife. In contrast, Roz is a senior citizen sex therapist, while Bernie is Mr. Mom. Roz and Bernie, two grown-up hippies, are horny, free spirits who like to let it all hang out and think discussion of everyone's first time is a terrific dinner time topic with people they've just met.

In short, the Fockers and the Byrnes are like oil and water, which can never mix until the movie's ending when everybody learns to be happy and touchy-feely, just like the Fockers. I'm sad to report that Meet the Fockers is a resolutely average sequel, several subbasements below the first film in both comic inspiration and energy. Sure, there are some good laughs, mainly about names - including little Focker, Pamela Martha Focker and Dom Focker.

Meet The Parents was hilarious. Meet The Fockers is a tedious disappointment (if I'm being honest). Admittedly, the concept of having Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Blythe Danner and Barbra Streisand on-screen at the same time in a comedy sounds terrific, but its execution falters - badly. Director Jay Roach and writers Jim Herzfeld and John Hamburg have no idea how to mine their good fortune, relying on sit-com silliness, raunchy sexual banter and bathroom humour. I would rate Meet The Fockers at 5/10 (maybe 6/10 to be generous).

www.djchrisplant.co.uk

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