In 1992, director Greg Glienna made a very low-budget short film about a young man’s tragic introduction to his girlfriend’s parents. His film, which he not only directed but wrote and starred in, caught the eye of a producer and within a few years his small film had grown up beyond his wildest dreams.
By the time the growth of the film wasn’t so surprising to him anymore, the story had been expanded by two screenwriters, Jim Herzfeld (“Meet the Deedles”) and John Hamburg, and had already been accepted by director Jay Roach (“Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery”) as one of the “funniest things” he has ever read.
So almost a decade later, a bigger, better “Meet the Parents” was released, starring Academy Award-winner Robert De Niro (“Analyze This,” “Men of Honor”) and comedian Ben Stiller (“There’s Something About Mary,” “Mystery Men”) and directed by Roach.
On Friday, the transition from a low-budget, self-made movie to a genuine Hollywood film was complete; and the final product - which gives co-writing credit to Glienna - has turned out to be one of the most hilarious films of the year.
Following an ill-fated weekend with Greg Focker, male nurse, played by Stiller, this film not only possesses great slapstick humor and sarcasm, but its comedy is intelligent as well.
Filling the role of dad Jack Byrnes is De Niro, playing both a formidable, almost big-brother force as well as a loving father. Great performances are always expected from De Niro, so it was no surprise to see him impress - even in a comedic role such as this. De Niro and Stiller truly work well together.
Rounding out the rest of the primary cast are Teri Polo (“Aspen Extreme”), who plays Pam Byrnes, Focker’s love interest and wanna-be fiancée, and Blythe Danner (“Forces of Nature”), who plays the role of mother Dina Byrnes flawlessly.
As for comedy, there is a lot of it - and it’s not all meaningless. The story makes the audience laugh at Stiller’s character while feeling sorry for him - and he really pulls it off. He makes the character appear smart and slick in some scenes and just plain pathetic in others.
Opposite Stiller’s character throughout the entire film is daddy De Niro, constantly giving menacing looks and pointing fingers, always threatening to bring Focker down, always looking for something to use against the suitor whom he believes his firstborn daughter is too good for.
After Focker finds out his girlfriend’s father is an ex-CIA psychological profiler, he seems to make more of a fool of himself than before - as if overflowing a septic tank and flooding the lawn with sewage where a wedding was scheduled to take place wasn’t enough. Focker makes it easy for the family to hate him with his every move.
This movie has a lot of twists for being a comedy, so it’s hard to call it that. The story is simple, yet creative and engaging. It is truly difficult to put this film in a category with any other. But, if it had to be done, the only movies that compare are small independent films like “Bottle Rocket,” which was co-written by Owen Wilson, the same actor who plays Pam’s ex and Focker’s “competition” in “Meet the Parents.”
