Nothing like the first meeting

Published: 
Barry C Chung
Listen to this article
Barry C Chung |
Published: 
Comment

Latest Articles

Sombre mood at Columbia University as protests continue amid Israel-Gaza war

Young Post’s sister branch, Posties, wins silver at global media awards

Faithful phrases: 9 idioms that will surely add a pious twist to your writing

Companion dogs comfort Hong Kong’s seniors through new programme

Taylor Swift’s storytelling shines in The Tortured Poets Department

The third instalment of the Meet the Parents franchise delivers the occasional gag, but ultimately fails to provide a fresh twist on the decade-long war between the Byrnes and the Fockers.

In Little Fockers, Jack Byrnes (Robert De Niro) is ready to hand over the reigns as head of the family. He anoints his son-in-law, Greg Focker (Ben Stiller), as the "Godfocker". But with the title comes added responsibility and scrutiny. Greg must convince Jack, and himself, that the choice was in good judgment, all the while trying to juggle being a father and a husband.

After watching more than one film in the Meet the Parents series, you begin to see a pattern. The relationship between Jack and Greg fails to ever go beyond its repetitive ups and downs. Greg constantly fails to impress Jack, most often due to a series of misunderstandings. By the end of the film, these are cleared up and Greg reclaims a spot in the "circle of trust". Little Fockers, like the first two instalments, follows the same formula.

Little Fockers falls to the same fate as most "threequel" comedies - it lacks originality. The running jokes are at times laugh-out-loud funny, but grow tired and old quickly. Some of the word play is clever, but you can't help but wonder how well the film would do if it weren't riding the Focker hype train.

YP rating: 2/5

Sign up for the YP Teachers Newsletter
Get updates for teachers sent directly to your inbox
By registering, you agree to our T&C and Privacy Policy
Comment