It’s often said that sequels never compare to the original movie. While I often agree with this, I found myself able to enjoy Meet the Fockers just as much (if not more) than Meet the Parents, mostly due to the hilarious on-screen chemistry of Barbara Streisand and Dustin Hoffman. After seeing the Little Fockers, which is the third movie, I can say that the series has not yet lost its magic.
In the Little Fockers, Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) and his wife Pam (Teri Polo) are happily married and now have twin children, Samantha and Henry. When Jack Byrnes (Robert De Niro) suffers a heart attack, he realizes that Greg is the next in line to be the “captain” of the family in the event of his demise.
Meanwhile, Greg has recently begun working with an attractive pharmaceutical representative named Andy Garcia (Jessica Alba) to sell an erectile dysfunction drug intended for patients with heart disease. When Jack comes to visit Greg and Pam for the twins’ birthday, his former CIA agent’s brain begins ticking and he becomes a little bit suspicious of Greg’s relationship with Andy. When Pam’s ex-fiancé Kevin, who is played by Owen Wilson, returns, Jack even suggests that his daughter may be better off with him.
I must admit that I’ve never been much of a Ben Stiller fan, as I’ve yet to see him play even a remotely complex role. However, I think that he serves his purpose in the Meet the Parents movie series: an average “Joe,” who is a good husband and family guy who you can’t help but like, for the most part. I also don’t particularly like Owen Wilson, but always find him likeable in the quirky role of Kevin.
Robert De Niro, on the other hand, is one of the best things that the Meet the Parents movie series has to offer. He is clever, sarcastic and just downright funny. Despite how much De Niro has aged since Meet the Parents, his performance in the Little Fockers is still top-notch.
I give the Little Fockers 4.5 out of 5 stars. The half star reduction is only because I would have liked to see more of Barbara Streisand and Dustin Hoffman throughout the movie, as their roles were only minor in comparison to Meet the Fockers.
If you were a fan of Meet the Parents and Meet the Fockers, you will be sure to love the Little Fockers. The movie has the same qualities: likeable characters, jokes in all the right places and those “aw” moments. I left the movie theater saying, “It was just as good as the first two. I wonder if there will be a fourth one.” Various online sources have confirmed that there will be a fourth movie, and I must say that I can’t wait!
