Meet the Fockers is a 2004 comedy film and a sequel to Meet the Parents starring Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, and Teri Polo. Both are directed by Jay Roach, previously known as the director of Austin Powers films. In addition to De Niro, Stiller, and Polo, Meet the Fockers stars Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand, and Blythe Danner.
After being given permission to marry Pam, the daughter of a retired CIA agent, Gaylord "Greg" Focker travels to Miami, with his fiancée, her nephew "Little Jack," her parents and their cat to meet his quirky parents, Roz and Bernie Focker. Roz is a sex therapist for the elderly, while Greg's dad is a prosecutor who stopped practicing to be a stay-at-home dad when Greg was born. On the other hand, Pam’s parents Jack and Dina are traditionally conservative, which produces many of the movie's set ups and comedic situations. This movie shows an evolution in Jack’s relationship with his family. In the first movie, Meet the Parents, Jack is always in control of his family, whereas this time he goes too far with his suspicious nature and covert operations to expose what he believes is Greg's secret past.
[edit] Characters
- Jack Tiberius Byrnes (Robert De Niro): Pam's father and Dina's husband. Even though he is retired, he uses his CIA connections to track down information on Greg and others he thinks will reveal that Greg is a liar. The anal retentive Jack is also the inventor of a Motion Sensor Nanny-Cam, and the "Manary Gland" (a portmanteau of "man" and "mammary gland"), an invention that lets Jack "breastfeed" his grandson. His coverup job is a retired florist/horticulturist. Even though he has given permission for the two to marry, Jack still has a distrust of Greg and goes so far as trying to prove it by taking desperate measures such as injecting him with truth serum.
- Gaylord "Greg" Myron Focker (Ben Stiller): The protagonist of the movie. A nurse living in Chicago with fiancée Pam, the daughter of a retired CIA agent. Gets into trouble and mischief. In his childhood, he had his foreskin shaved, had a crush on his babysitter Isabel Villalobos (to whom he eventually lost his virginity), and often finished in mediocre fashion in competitive events which was displayed in the "Wall of Gaylord" his father built. His father calls him Gay or Gaylord, which is a recurring joke within the film. He graduated from Williams College which is shown on the Wall of Gaylord.
- Bernard "Bernie" Focker (Dustin Hoffman): The father of Greg. He was an attorney for a brief period of time, but became a homemaker after the birth of his son. Bernie lives on "Focker Isle" in Miami, with his wife Roz. He claims to be a practitioner of capoeira, the Brazilian martial art of dance-fighting. His fondness for chimichangas is a recurring joke within the film.
- Rosalind "Roz" Focker (Barbra Streisand): The mother of Greg Focker, who is a sex therapist for senior citizens and often embarrasses Greg by going on about her knowledge of sex.
- Pamela Martha Byrnes/Pamela Martha Focker (Teri Polo): Greg's fiancée. She is a second grade teacher in Chicago and lives with Greg. Before starting a relationship with Greg, she was engaged briefly to Kevin, with whom she is still friends.
- Dina Byrnes (Blythe Danner): The wife of Jack Byrnes, and mother of Pam, Debbie and Danny. She balances the relationship with Jack as the soft spot, and the sympathetic voice of reason to her husband. In the movie, it can be seen that she is somewhat jealous of Roz and Bernie's sex addiction.
- Little Jack (Spencer and Bradley Pickren): Jack's approximately one-year-old grandson by his other daughter, Debbie. Jack is grooming him to be a genius using unconventional child rearing methods. He communicates through baby sign language and the expletive asshole, which he accidentally picked up from Greg.
- Isabel Villalobos (Alanna Ubach): Sexy former housekeeper and babysitter of the Fockers and current owner of a catering business. She had a brief fling with Greg when he was nineteen years old which resulted in Greg losing his virginity to her. This affair led Jack to suspect that Greg may be the father of her child.
- Jorge Villalobos (Ray Santiago): The fifteen-year-old son of Isabel, he is a mechanical prodigy with a reputation for being able to fix anything. Jorge is also a liar, but his most definable attribute is his uncanny resemblance to Greg and his antics, which leads Jack to believe that Greg is Jorge's father. Another recurring joke in the film is that either Greg or Jorge look like a "young, Jewish/Hispanic Marlon Brando." It turns out that his father is former minor league baseball player Rusty Bridges, also played by Stiller. His Spanish name was redirected by Jack into its English translation: "George House-of-the-Wolves."
- Moses (Terem): The Fockers' pet dog, a Chihuahua/Yorkie mix.[1] He has the sublime ability and urge to mate with anything that moves.
- Mr. LJ Jinx: The Byrnes' pet Himalayan cat. He is able to use the toilet and has extensive aquatic training. He once flushed Moses down the toilet in the Byrnes' trailer, but they are later seen eating wedding cake together in peace at the end of the film.
Owen Wilson reprises his role, Kevin Rawley, from the previous film, but this time as an ordained inter-faith minister.
[edit] Box office performance
The film was a commercial success and is the highest grossing live action comedy in history. According to Box Office Mojo, it grossed $46,120,980 on its opening weekend (3,518 theaters, averaging $13,110 per theater). At the end of the film's 149 days release, it grossed a total of $279,261,160 at the domestic market, and $237,381,779 overseas, for a total worldwide gross of $516,642,939. The film's budget was $80,000,000.[2]
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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