Meet The Parents (2000)
Universal Home Video
Cast: Robert DeNiro, Ben Stiller, Teri Polo, Blythe Danner, Owen Wilson
Extras: Commentary Tracks, Featurettes, Deleted Scenes, Outtakes, BD Live
Rating:

Meet The Parents (2000)
Universal Home Entertainment

In the realm of film criticism, movies must sometimes be judged in the same way as just about anything else in life, that is, did it accomplish what it set out to do? For example, did the comedy make you laugh? Did the drama make you cry? When viewed in this light, "Meet the Parents", now available on Blu-Ray Disc from Universal Home Entertainment, has to be considered one of the most successful films ever. It's clear from the beginning that "Meet the Parents" has a comedic agenda and the movie sticks to its guns until the very end. While there may be some variation from viewer to viewer as to how well the movie is received, I think that most people would agree that "Meet the Parents" is one of the smartest, and arguably cruelest comedies to come along in quite a while.

Ben Stiller stars in "Meet the Parents" as Greg Focker. Greg is a male nurse who lives in Chicago, and has been dating Pam (Teri Polo) for a little while. Greg is actually on the verge of proposing to Pam, when he learns that her family is very traditional and that it might be smart to first ask for her father's permission to propose. When Pam announces that they will be visiting her parents in order to attend her sister's wedding, Greg decides that he will seize this opportunity as a time to talk to Pam's dad. Poor Greg doesn't know what he's in for.

After some difficulties at the airport, Greg and Pam arrive at her parent's house, where Greg is introduced to Pam's Dad, Jack (Robert De Niro) and her mom, Dina (Blythe Danner). Jack immediately seems suspicious of Greg, but we assume that he is only being a protective father. While Greg does everything that he can to be the perfect gentleman and boyfriend, Murphy's Law soon sets in, and Greg is overwhelmed with disasters. Every situation that Greg gets into, ends with him doing something destructive or embarrassing. To make matters worse, Jack is actually a retired CIA agent and allows his immediate distrust of Greg turn into runaway paranoia. Is there any way that Greg can survive the weekend with Pam's parents and gain their permission to marry their precious daughter?

As stated above, "Meet the Parents" is very good at what it does. And what it does is make the viewer incredibly uncomfortable, while we watch Greg foul up everything. Director Jay Roach cranks up the intensity throughout the film, inserting scenes of genuine hilarity to help relieve the discomfort. Granted, "Meet the Parents" is very predictable. Every time an important event/item/person is brought up, we know that Greg is going to end up wrecking it somehow. The film succeeds by having Greg's misfortune typically go further than we could have ever imagined, without going over the top. Actually, considering that Roach helmed all three "Austin Powers" films, it's amazing how restrained "Meet the Parents" is. With the exception of one scene (in which De Niro searches through a suitcase), the majority of humor in the film relies on clever writing, well-time acting, and pratfalls. And obviously, another thing that makes "Meet the Parents" work is its societal relevance. At least once in everyone's life, they've been in a situation where they really wanted to look good and failed miserably. If you want to experience one of the wackiest parts of the film, begin the movie with the subtitles "ON", so that you can make out the insane lyrics, which are being sung over the Dreamworks logo.

The true power behind "Meet the Parents" are the actors. Ben Stiller has made a career out of playing the nervous, twitchy guy (he's like a more sophisticated Woody Allen), and all of the experience pays off here. The audience understands why Greg is so nervous around Jack and his jittery performance helps to amplify the neurotic power of the film. Robert De Niro continues to show that he can succeed in comedic roles. His performance is full of subtle facial gestures and vocal changes that give his character an unpredictable quality. (Check De Niro's facial expression at the 1:20:26 mark for one of the funniest moments in the film.) But, the real magic occurs when Stiller and De Niro play off of each other, pitting anxiety against hostility. But, for me the character who stole the show was Jinx the Cat, whose bathroom habits and mantle-piece portraits provide some of the funniest moments in the film. Another highlight is Owen Wilson as Pam's ex-boyfriend, and the man who can do no wrong.

Arriving here in a glorious 1080p high definition transfer, the movie truly sparkles on the Blu-Ray Disc. It is presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio with a transfer that is absolutely clean and clear. With solid definition and sharpness, the image looks much better than on the previous DVD version, making sure you will always enjoy the movie to its fullest. colors are naturally rendered and rich, while solid black levels help give the image visual depth.

The DTS 5.1 HD Master Audio track that comes on the release is also wonderfully balanced and offers a surprisingly effective use of surround effects. While the majority of the film is very laid back and restrained it does a great job filling in the presentation with good ambient effects.

The bonus materials found on the release are essentially a rehash of the materials found on the previous DVD release, including the two commentary tracks. The first features director Jay Roach and editor Jon Poll. This is a very informative and entertaining commentary as Roach speaks at length about the origins, production, and casting of "Meet the Parents". His comments are very scene specific and he gives a great deal of information about the untold story of each scene, with Poll offering his insights on how the film was cut together. In comparison, the second commentary, featuring Roach, Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, and producer Jane Rosenthal is very dull. Once again, Roach does most of the talking, but it's obvious that he doesn't want to and he attempts to gain responses from the other participants. Roach takes on the role of host, as he asks questions of Stiller and De Niro, but generally gets brief responses (with most of De Niro's replies amounting to "yes" or "no"). This may have something to do with how the commentary was recorded. It was a live session, with Roach and Stiller in Los Angeles and De Niro and Rosenthal in New York. Maybe the distance contributed to sucking the spontaneity out of the discussion.

The Universal standard "Spotlight on Location" is also featured on the disc, a 24-minute promo featurette that gives us a great deal of behind-the-scenes footage, as well as interviews with the cast and crew. As with the average "Spotlight on Location", there are a lot of interesting tidbits revealed here, but two much of the running time is made up of clips from the movie. Next, we have two deleted scenes, which can be viewed with or without commentary by Roach and editor Poll. While both of these scenes are interesting, many more deleted scenes are mentioned throughout the commentaries, so one can't help but wonder why they didn't make it onto the release. We are then treated to 12-minutes of outtakes, most of which feature De Niro losing his composure.

Other features include "De Niro Unplugged," "The Truth About Lying," "Silly Cat Tricks" and "Jay Roach: A Director's Profile."

"Meet The Parents" is a hilarious movie without digging into the misguided toilet humor that seems to go for "funny" these days. Instead it gives us serious belly laughs with smart situational comedy and great dialogues. There can be no doubt that you have to check this release out.