Film Review 3: Meet the Fockers

Alright alright, the choice of movie has to go "downhill" someday right? Well, everyone needs a crappy movie once in a while, especially when you're in need for some mindless entertainment.

Mindless it indeed was, although not as lousy as I thought it would be. It certainly does have its moments, albeit in sporadic fashion. Some memorable gags aside (think foreskin and fondue), the film sometimes overly rely on playing around with the incredulous family name for several cheap jokes. The movie stars Ben Stiller as his usual loser-being-caught-in-ridiculous-situations self, and a strong veteran cast that includes Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand. The cast does an "alright" job, though I'm sure they are capable of much better performances. Have this sneaky feeling that they are merely going through the motions after pocketing their respective paychecks.

One character who completely stole the thunder and grabbed all the attention from the others is none other than the impossibly cute and talented "Little Jack" as De Niro's grandson, played by real-life twins, Spencer and Bradley Pricken. The 2-3 year old toddlers' performances are nothing short of incredible... you just have to watch it for yourself! The fact that he alone was probably responsible for 30% of the laughs says a lot about how "adequate" the rest of the cast were.

Disclaimer: I've not watched Meet the Parents before, so perhaps my judgement was affected? Decide for yourselves!

Who should watch: Stressed up folks who require easy laughs using minimal brainpower.

Who shouldn't watch: People who think De Niro really belongs to the mob. They should continue to think so.

Rating: 6.7