Little Fockers [M]

Greg thought the worst was over when he won over Pam’s father, Jack, and got him to accept him and his family, but now Greg and Pam have twins and their marriage is not running as smoothly as Greg would hope. To top it off, the twins are turning five and both Pam and Greg are trying to organise their birthday party. And when Dina and Jack come to stay and Jack tries to instil a sense of family control in Greg, the relatively simple matter of organising a party turns into a complete nightmare. 

Just as cringe-worthy as its predecessors: Meet the Parents and Meet the Fockers, Little Fockers was a very enjoyable film, but I did feel that it tended to get a little silly. Some of the characters just seemed completely different and there was just something, I can’t quite put my finger on it, that was lacking. It just did not feel like the other two. The scenarios leant towards the silly side and it didn’t really instil that mixed feeling of intimidation and hilarity. 

Greg thought the worst was over when he won over Pam’s dad, Jack, and managed to get him to accept him and his outlandish family. But now that Greg and Pam are married with twins, the real battle is only beginning. With the twin’s fifth birthday fast approaching, Pam and Greg are trying to get their new house renovated and ready for the birthday party. As if this isn’t traumatic enough, Jack and Dina are coming to stay with them for the lead up to the party and Jack is harbouring suspicions that Greg is no longer sexually attracted to Pam. With Jack watching his every move, his own parents fighting and in separate countries, and Pam’s ex-lover Kevin helping out with the party caper, Greg’s idea of a simple married life is fast becoming his worst nightmare. 

As I mentioned before, this film was rather funny, but there was something about it that was not akin to its predecessors. For one thing, the story was a fairly vague and somewhat flimsy base for the film with no real solid plotline. Then the performances from all the actors seemed a little tired and reluctant. Even De Niro’s character, the intimidating and manipulating Jack Byrnes, seemed a little less intimidating. There was just something lacking in all the performances. I sort of got the feeling that they were trying to be the Byrnes and the Fockers, but weren’t really feeling it. 

Starring Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Blythe Daner, Dustin Hoffman, Owen Wilson, Barbra Streisand, Jessica Alba, Harvey Keitel and Teri Polo, Little Fockers was a fun and entertaining movie, I will still add it to the collection when it comes out on DVD, but ultimately, I felt that it was not as involved as the first two. Everything seemed reluctant and somewhat rushed.