Directed by: Paul Weitz
Screenwriter: John Hamburg, Larry Stuckey
Starring: Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Blythe Danner, Dustin Hoffman, Barbara Streisand, Harvey Keitel, Jessica Alba
Mins: 98 mins
Release date: 22nd December 2011
Back in 2000 when Meet The Parents first introduced itself to our watchful eyes we all laughed in synch. Robert De Niro, finally proving himself to as agile at comedy as he (or was some say) at dramatic roles. Ben Stiller, at that point, was seemingly the funniest man on Earth, rolling in the adulation of films like There’s Something About Mary and Mystery Men. A whole decade on and everything’s changed – De Niro’s comedy, almost phoned-in performances are tiresome and Stiller has long since been replaced by a younger (or rather funnier) pack of actors; Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Steve Carrell (maybe) & Seth Rogen (maybe).
With the above prologue in mind you can tell where this review is going.
Little Fockers tells the story of ex-CIA agent Jack Brynes (De Niro) and Gaylord “Greg” Focker (Stiller) fragile in-law relationship. Greg being married to Jack’s daughter. You know the score, we’ve been here twice before – Meet the Parents and Meet The Fookers. The former being an excellent comedy. The latter not so much.
In this particular episode we see Greg and his wife now have twins and with Jack worried about his health, after a minor heart attack, he enlists Greg as the heir to his throne as the king of the Bryne family…comedy ensues (kinda).
The immediate problem with this film is that all the jokes and possible twists/introduction were all played out in Meet the Fockers. Meet The Parents was a very simple formula; man meets woman’s parents – who’s dad happens to be a relentless psycho of a man hell-bent and breaking them up. It didn’t need any bells or whistles. It was naturally funny. The sequel, unsure of its self, was more slapstick. Introducing Greg’s family, the Fockers (Dustin Hoffman & Barbara Streisand), to the audience. The edgy and dark comedy of the original was replaced with basic fart jokes and Laurel & Hardy-esque humour. Effectively, the original and sequel used up all the jokes. This film struggles. It struggles big time. Not mustering a proper laugh until 20-30 minutes into the story.
The introduction of the two kids is pointless and adds nothing to the proceedings. It’s sad to see a legend like De Niro dancing on the grave of his career. After the debacle of Analyse This and Analyse That, this is a new career low.
We can only pray that he hooks up with Scorsese again for the first time since Goodfellas (1990) and Cape Fear (1991) to salvage his reputation from the shipwreck that is his past 19 years of films.
Little Fockers is disappointing. Let’s hope this is the last of this series.
2 out of 5
Review by Marcus Flemmings.
Constantcasting Blog 
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