| In Meet the Parents, Ben Stiller has the opportunity to marry the girl of his dreams, so he'll do anything (Universal; rated PG-13 for sexual innuendo, drug references, and language). That includes taking the third degree from his ex-CIA future father-in-law. Clearly, Robert De Niro is unimpressed with the suitor who comes to visit for a tormentuous weekend in this madcap, though often crude, comedy. This movie holds together because of two strong leads and a hyperactive pace in which one wild event piles on top of another. The prospective fiancé is endlessly humiliated and thrown into one uncomfortable scene after another. (Think ruined wedding dress, a fire, a filthy rich ex-boyfriend, lost luggage ...) Meanwhile, the father seems to love his pet cat more than the rest of the family. The father in this movie is more paranoid than the typical cinematic ogre-patriarch. Why the suitor is supposed to ask Dad for his daughter's hand is never really discussed. Most of the action comes off as strangely believable, especially since audiences are set up to sympathize with the Stiller character. As in a few of his earlier movies, a dozen romantic nightmares combine into one story. |
.jpg)
Comments
You must be a WORLD print, online, or iPad subscriber to post comments.