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Poweranimals
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Okay, I'm doing a movie review, and I need some helpful critiquing on how to perfect it. Thanks for any help you can provide. Thanks
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Before you even buy your ticket for Meet the Fockers, you know you are in for a lot of “focker” puns. That’s OK - that’s why you paid for your ticket in the first place and you do get your money’s worth.
The makers and stars behind the 2000 comedy hit Meet the Parents have reunited for the follow-up, along with newbies Barbra Streisand as Mother Focker and Dustin Hoffman as Pops. In the first movie, Gaylord “Greg” Focker (Ben Stiller) met his future wife’s (Teri Polo) parents, Jack and Dina Byrnes (Robert De Niro and Blythe Danner) - now that the wedding date is set, it’s time for the two sets of parents to meet for the first time. They decide that spending a weekend together is the perfect way to do it.
The proper, tightly-wound Byrnes’s and the loose, free-wheeling Fockers have absolutely nothing in common, resulting in some truly funny sets ups and payoffs. Even funnier, if you have already seen Meet the Parents. A lot of the comedy hinges on you knowing what happened when Greg first met his future in-laws. (In an amazing twist of fate, Universal Home video has just released a special edition DVD of Meet the Parents; how’s that for timing?
While I do admit that Meet the Fockers is probably a superfluous film, at least it is a legitimate continuation of the story and not just a reworking of Meet the Parents. The writers don’t spoon-feed the audience of a rehash of the first movie, taking a lot of time to explain things that happened previously - as a fan of the first movie, I appreciate that. I’m ready to jump right into the sequel without the history lesson.
The comedy is funny, but not screamingly so - what makes Meet the Fockers is the ensemble of actors. The group of six have great chemistry together, and it’s a hoot to watch them all play off each other (De Niro and Hoffman are especially good, and it’s a treat to see Streisand doing comedy again).
Owen Wilson returns for a short cameo, and Tim Blake Nelson shines in a small bit as an over-zealous Highway Patrol cop. Bradley and Spenser Pickren share a role as “Little Jack”, the toddler son of Jack’s other daughter (who was married in Meet the Parents). Normally the addition of a small child would be cutesy or annoying, but Little Jack actually provides some of the biggest laughs. Even Jinxy the pampered Persian cat is back… and he’s got a bone to pick with the Fockers’ small pet pooch.
While Meet the Fockers may not become an instant classic, it’s a very fun movie (better than over half the comedies I've seen this year) and definitely worth a look for fans of Meet the Parents.
*****************************************************
Before you even buy your ticket for Meet the Fockers, you know you are in for a lot of “focker” puns. That’s OK - that’s why you paid for your ticket in the first place and you do get your money’s worth.
The makers and stars behind the 2000 comedy hit Meet the Parents have reunited for the follow-up, along with newbies Barbra Streisand as Mother Focker and Dustin Hoffman as Pops. In the first movie, Gaylord “Greg” Focker (Ben Stiller) met his future wife’s (Teri Polo) parents, Jack and Dina Byrnes (Robert De Niro and Blythe Danner) - now that the wedding date is set, it’s time for the two sets of parents to meet for the first time. They decide that spending a weekend together is the perfect way to do it.
The proper, tightly-wound Byrnes’s and the loose, free-wheeling Fockers have absolutely nothing in common, resulting in some truly funny sets ups and payoffs. Even funnier, if you have already seen Meet the Parents. A lot of the comedy hinges on you knowing what happened when Greg first met his future in-laws. (In an amazing twist of fate, Universal Home video has just released a special edition DVD of Meet the Parents; how’s that for timing?
While I do admit that Meet the Fockers is probably a superfluous film, at least it is a legitimate continuation of the story and not just a reworking of Meet the Parents. The writers don’t spoon-feed the audience of a rehash of the first movie, taking a lot of time to explain things that happened previously - as a fan of the first movie, I appreciate that. I’m ready to jump right into the sequel without the history lesson.
The comedy is funny, but not screamingly so - what makes Meet the Fockers is the ensemble of actors. The group of six have great chemistry together, and it’s a hoot to watch them all play off each other (De Niro and Hoffman are especially good, and it’s a treat to see Streisand doing comedy again).
Owen Wilson returns for a short cameo, and Tim Blake Nelson shines in a small bit as an over-zealous Highway Patrol cop. Bradley and Spenser Pickren share a role as “Little Jack”, the toddler son of Jack’s other daughter (who was married in Meet the Parents). Normally the addition of a small child would be cutesy or annoying, but Little Jack actually provides some of the biggest laughs. Even Jinxy the pampered Persian cat is back… and he’s got a bone to pick with the Fockers’ small pet pooch.
While Meet the Fockers may not become an instant classic, it’s a very fun movie (better than over half the comedies I've seen this year) and definitely worth a look for fans of Meet the Parents.