# Meet the Fockers (spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 27, 2004, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meet-the-fockers-spoilers/281789 "2004-12-27T17:16:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meet-the-fockers-spoilers/281789/1 "2004-12-27T17:16:27Z")
My folks were in town for the holidays so we went to see “Meet the Fockers”. I’ll start by saying it wasn’t as funny as the first one. In the first one, you were really able to identify with Gaylord and his stress. There was tension about whether he’d fail enough so as to even get to marry the girl. I think that unease led to a lot of the laughs. In the new one, the laughs basically just come from an “odd couples” pairing. You know that Gaylord knows how to handle De Niro and that the marriage will still go through. They took the conservative “De Niros” and simply set them against a stereotypical “hippie family”, a stay-at-home new-age dad, and a “free love” mom. That said, that pairing was pretty funny. Hoffman and Streisand were believable in those roles. And most of the laughs were in the first 45 minutes when the two families were getting acquianted, for example, when Hoffman tells De Niro, “we have a rule in this house. . .if it’s yellow keep it mellow. If its brown, flush it down. . .oops forgot my own rule _(flushes)_.” The movie sagged a bit when De Niro started investigating whether the Spanish boy was Gaylord’s offspring with the DNA samples and the truth serum. Regardless, the movie is good for a few laughs. Not as good as the first one, but it doesn’t seem like there’s much else out there right now for some light humor. Overall, I didn’t love it but I don’t regret seeing it. ---
**Author:** ![slu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/74df32/32.png) [@slu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slu)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meet-the-fockers-spoilers/281789/2 "2004-12-27T17:44:58Z")
I tought it was not nearly as good as the first, and just barely tolerable. I agree with most of the OP, but things like that really bother me. It is almost like the writers sat down and were like, “We need characters for Greg’s parents, what is the most opposite from the Burns’ we can get? Hippes? Yeah, Hippies!” And don’t get me started on the baby. Anytime time a baby is added, you know you are in trouble. The swearing baby wasn’t funny at all. There were only two or three “jokes” in the whole movie: making fun of the name Focker, the stupid baby, and sex jokes. I loved Meet the Parents; I am sorry I saw Meet the Fockers. ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meet-the-fockers-spoilers/281789/3 "2004-12-27T18:10:26Z")
I’m sorry that I paid money to see “Meet the Parents” Don’t plan on seeing “Meet the Fockers”, but my wife will probably rent the DVD when it comes out. ---
**Author:** ![NotWithoutRage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NotWithoutRage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NotWithoutRage)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meet-the-fockers-spoilers/281789/4 "2004-12-27T18:22:24Z")
I found “Meet the Fockers” about ten times better than “Meet the Parents”, which was inane. Thank GOD for Barbra Streisand and Dustin Hoffman. Hilarious performances from both of them. ---
**Author:** ![partlycloudy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/partlycloudy/32/3114_2.png) [@partlycloudy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/partlycloudy)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meet-the-fockers-spoilers/281789/5 "2004-12-27T18:39:36Z")
I agree with **NotWithoutRage** - I laughed my ass off yesterday when I saw _Meet the Fockers_. It’s been a long time since I saw _Meet the Parents_, but I remember being unimpressed. Maybe I’ve changed since then… maybe I just have a crush on Dustin Hoffman… who knows? 😉 Everyone I saw it with agreed that it was better than the first one. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2005, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meet-the-fockers-spoilers/281789/6 "2005-01-11T03:20:17Z")
I’d give it a 6 out of 10. The plot was disjointed and they lose points for filming lengthy scenes of a toddler crying real tears. If the kid isn’t old enough to act, then the scene ought to be very, very brief lest the mama bear in me want to strangle the director. Later, Gaylord flips the birdie to the toddler. Not amusing. As for originality, the dog being flushed down the RV toilet was very reminescent of “About Mary.” And we’ve all seen humpy dog before. Find some new material, Ben. Overall, it was somewhat entertaining, but not Stiller’s best effort. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2005, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meet-the-fockers-spoilers/281789/7 "2005-01-11T03:47:08Z")
I thought the pairing of Dustin and Barbra was inspired. Those two should make more movies together. Also, it was nice to see Barbra just being in an ensemble, we didn’t get GODZILLA Barbra. Overall the movie was no worse (and just a little bit better in the performances) than your standard issue studio comedy. How-some-ever, we took the kids and frankly, the whole movie was just a notch too sexy for them. I would keep that in mind if anyone is thinking of taking the kids. ---
**Author:** ![down\_by\_law](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/65b543/32.png) [@down\_by\_law](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/down_by_law)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2005, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meet-the-fockers-spoilers/281789/8 "2005-01-11T03:54:24Z")
i found it completely unfunny and slightly creepy. here’s a rundown of jokes: 1. gay focker. they say that name a good 50 times. and every time, the idiots in the theater were rolling in the aisles. 2. baby swearing. again, like 5 times. not funny. 3. ummm, i think that sums it up. horrible, excreble movie. one of the worst i’ve ever seen. and i’ve seen some horrendous movies. ---
**Author:** ![LorieSmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a587f6/32.png) [@LorieSmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LorieSmurf)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2005, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meet-the-fockers-spoilers/281789/9 "2005-01-11T07:03:56Z")
Wow. I remember thinking Meet the Parents was hysterical. And isn’t Meet the Fockers number one, or something, for three weeks in a row? Maybe I need to go see it instead of waiting to rent it.