Ben Stiller is one of the most gifted comedic actors of my generation (I’m 31). From Fox’s early attempts at airing the short-lived “The Ben Stiller Show” to There’s Something About Mary to his underrated performance as Mr. Furious in Mystery Men, Stiller demonstrates his always impeccable comedic timing. Through the years and his many films, he has also shown us that he’s not afraid of being the butt of all the jokes. His most recent fare, Meet the Parents, shares a lot of the same Stiller ang…t that There’s Something About Mary showed us earlier. In both of these films, if not all of them, Stiller is the nice guy hero who embarrasses and humiliates himself at every turn. Stiller’s comedic talents erupt from watching him deal with his constant state of discomfort – whatever and wherever it may be.

From the title of this film, its intentions should be universally clear. Few experiences are more dreaded or more ripe for disaster than a suitor’s introduction to his girlfriend’s parents. As many of us know, few things are as uncomfortable as that first meeting with your future in-laws and in Meet the Parents, Stiller and company play this situation out to it’s extreme. In Meet the Parents, Ben Stiller is paired with one of the greatest actors of all time in Robert De Niro, as well as the director of many great comedy films, Jay Roach; the man responsible for both Austin Powers flicks. The result is simply the funniest movie of the 2000 and one of the funniest films I personally have ever seen.

Stiller plays Greg Focker (his name is only the beginning of his problems), a male nurse who’s eager to marry WASP-ish, Cameron Diaz fill-in, Pam Byrnes (Teri Polo). When Greg learns from Pam that her sister is marrying a man who had asked the father’s permission for his daughter’s hand in marriage, Greg delays his proposal in order to follow the same protocol. Greg decides to go with Pam to her sister’s wedding and then he will be able to work on and win over the parents while he is there. Greg prepares himself and arrives for the family gathering determined to impress. As soon as Greg and Pam pull into the driveway, they are met by Pam’s father, Jack Byrnes (Robert De Niro), and his wife, Dina (Blythe Danner, Gwyneth Paltrow’s mom). Very soon after the initial meeting, Jack begins to eye his daughter’s suitor with suspicion. During his weekend stay at the Byrnes home, Greg immediately feels the heat from Jack who is clearly unimpressed with Greg’s profession - a MALE nurse; his choice in pets – Greg prefers “emotionally shallow” dogs over cats, who make you “work” for their affections; and his religion - Greg’s Jewish. Greg doesn’t help matters when he rides with Jack on a trip to the local drug store and makes an off-handed, casual remark about the double meaning of “Puff the Magic Dragon” as Jack plays his Peter, Paul & Mary CD – it only serves to arouse Jack’s suspicions. Later that evening, Greg foolishly attempts a rally by saying grace at the family dinner table. After fumbling through an absolutely hilarious attempt, Greg recites what we soon recognize as a verse from “Day by Day” from the musical “Godspell”. As the dinner, and the weekend from hell, continues, so do the problems. From Greg’s aversion to the Byrnes’ family cat, to a mishap with a crematory urn containing the ashes of Jack’s dearly departed mom, Greg digs himself into an ever-deeper hole.

When Greg stumbles upon a secret room of the house that is filled with cloak-and-dagger paraphernalia, Jack catches him and uses the opportunity to hook Greg to a lie detector. It turns out that Jack is a former CIA agent, not in the rare flower business like Greg was lead to believe. Now that Greg has unfortunately blundered into the family’s “circle of trust”, he immediately finds out that he has sacrificed his right to privacy about anything and before long, Jack is applying techniques learned in covert government operations to examine Greg.

Greg’s outsider status is once again underscored when the wedding party for Pam’s sister visits the sprawling home of Kevin (Owen Wilson), the best man, a too-good-to-be-true stockbroker who also happens to be Pam’s ex-boyfriend. When Pam and Kevin renew their flirtation in a game of hilarious aquatic volleyball, Greg becomes a bit jealous and adds more tension to an already tense weekend with the families. The weekend progresses and leads up to Pam’s sister’s wedding at her parents home and a slapstick sequence of events unfolds that defy summation as Greg wrecks the family home, loses the family cat and jeopardizes the sister’s wedding. A final, desperate gesture to restore order with a counterfeit kitty is the last straw and Greg is humiliated and browbeaten to the point of simply leaving the situation and cutting the weekend short. What will happen with Pam’s sisters wedding? Will love conquer all and allow Greg to work things out with Pam AND her parents? Even in these dire circumstances? Watch Meet the Parents and find out for yourself.

Audio

Again, Universal provides viewers with a dual listening option. We have both Dolby Digital 5.1 as well as DTS 5.1 tracks available for Meet the Parents. To get it out of the way quickly into my review, I prefer the DTS option over Dolby Digital as it seems to provide a richer, more robust sound that its Dolby Digital counterpart. By now, there are enough DVDs out with this dual offering that you should know there is a noticeable difference between the competing technologies.

As is the case with most movies in the comedy genre, neither one of the tracks is maxed out or really pushes the limits of what it’s technically capable of. It’s not that the tracks sound bad – they don’t – both are excellent choices; however, with movies of this sort, the front and rear surrounds especially are pretty much dead during the majority of the flick and are only used as ambience-builders.

The movie is predominantly center-channel driven as dialogue hangs around your system front and center and never seems to veer off-course. Everyone is well understood and there are no hisses or pops in the audio transfer anywhere during the film. There are some directional cues in the film and when they do occur, they’re very subtle with the rear surrounds hardly ever being used. The soundtrack, as well as the score for the film, are really what drive the audio portion of this DVD as well as the surrounds. Very rich, full, and pronounced - the music and the score sound wonderful.

Surprisingly, we do get some decent LFE usage from Universal’s transfer on Meet the Parents. Not enough to blow you away and make you say WOW!, but enough to let you know that it’s there. The LFE usage also adds to the richness and fullness of the overall track to give it a very pronounced sound – especially for a film in the comedy genre.

A very typical comedy transfer from Universal. No demo-quality scenes or effects, just a very capable and polished transfer with few bells and whistles. I definitely give Universal some extra consideration for putting both Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS on the same DVD.

Video

For any theatrical releases in the past year, the bar has been raised. I am consistently seeing better and better DVD video transfers than I was 12-months ago, and the past few Universal releases I have reviewed (Bring It On and The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle) have had very nicely done transfers. Well, Meet the Parents is no exception. Universal gives Meet the Parents a wonderfully done 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer.

With an overall great looking print, we get a few blemishes in the form of a flakes and flecks that make their way on to the transfer – especially early during the film. I did notice some shimmer in a couple of areas, but it was a situation where I actually went back and re-watched the scene to make sure – not a distraction by any means. Grain also popped up in a few places and was always relegated to the background – never front and center. Most of the times I noticed it, it seemed to hang around the wallpaper on some of the indoor scenes. The grain was very minor and didn’t call attention to itself often. Fleshtones were very natural and pleasing, while overall, colors were well saturated and not overdone. The outdoor scenes were very warm and inviting, displaying the fall foliage beautifully. Detail throughout the film is very tight and really makes the picture look outstanding. Black levels are deep and dark and hold up well throughout the film offering up some good image depth and shadowing. No pixelation or artifacting was noticed anywhere during the film.

The only quality issue I will revisit is the issue of the multiple flakes and flecks. Small, white dots - usually only one at a time on the screen - seemed to pop up a bit too often for my tastes. With a new release such as this, it is surprising to see the problem occur so regularly. While the screen was not bombarded by multiple dots at once, or in any great succession, it is simply a problem Universal could have fixed with a bit more time and effort. Easy for me to say I know; however, I have reviewed other DVDs from Universal where this wasn’t an issue.

Qualms aside, Universal continues to impress with great video quality. While the problems I encountered were minor, I was simply surprised at the number of times the same problem cropped up. Universal has done better, but they have done much worse. Overall, a very pleasing transfer for this great film.

Special Features

Once again, Universal does a great job of adding extras for its DVDs. Meet the Parents is absolutely loaded with great extras that really add to the already wonderful experience of the film. Starting out with easy-to-navigate, full motion video menus, you can uncover a plethora of extras – some good, some not so good. Either way, Universal has put some good extras on this one.

To start things off, we have 2 separate audio commentary tracks. The first one features director Jay Roach and editor Jon Poll. This is the more technical and dull of the two. Roach takes on the lead speaking role here as Poll pretty much follows Roach’s lead. There are some interesting tidbits and stories here, and the commentary IS informative; however there are more than a few dead spots and the track drags a bit more than I would have expected it to. It’s pretty much your typical “We shot here because…”, “On this particular day …”, “In this scene we were trying to …”. Let me re-iterate what I said earlier – it’s not that this track is dull, boring, or uninformative – it’s none of those things – however, you just get the feeling that you’ve been here before and that’s because you have. Roach is much more subdued and matter-of-fact on this track versus his previous Austin Powers commentaries or the other commentary track we have on this DVD. Good stuff to listen to AFTER you’ve checked out the second commentary.

The second commentary track has Roach teamed up with Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, and producer Jane Rosenthal. This is a much funnier track and is more reminiscent of Roach’s Austin Powers commentaries where he and Mike Meyers play off of each other so well. Here, Stiller and Roach go back and forth a good bit while De Niro is eerily silent and offers up very little in the way of ….. conversation. While there are some moments that fall flat, this commentary is much more of a treat than the first. Roach and cast are very loose, fun, and enjoyable here and let us in on some good tidbits and inside jokes as well. Some of the commentary from Roach is repeated from the first commentary, but that is to be expected and is totally acceptable. This track has some dead air in it also, but it never becomes overly awkward.

Next up is Universal’s always-available Spotlight on Location featurette that runs like a 25-minute promo for the film. There are some good interviews and information available in this featurette, but it’s nothing you haven’t seen already from other “Spotlight on Location” featurettes. Under the Deleted Scenessection, we get 2 scenes cut from the movie (“Surf & Turd” and “Crawlspace”) with optional commentary from Roach and Poll. No revelations on why the scenes were cut (remember the word “pacing”, it’s always pacing), but they are very funny (especially “Surf & Turd”) and fun to watch nonetheless. The Outtakes section is unusually large. As many releases cut down on outtakes, Universal provides us with 12-minutes or so of outtakes from Meet the Parents. While it’s not 12-minutes of gut busting humor, it is pretty cool to see De Niro laugh, flub lines, and cut-up on the set. Not the best outtake reel you’ll ever see, but funny nonetheless. (Nobody seems to ever do outtakes as well as Eddie Murphy and that’s a shame. I look forward to his outtakes as much as I do the films themselves.)

Next up are some multimedia-based extras. Cheesy stuff that’s not much fun to do once, and they definitely lose their luster after the initial play. We get the Lie Detector that has you answer some questions and then it rates you based on the answers you gave. Then there is The Forecaster which predicts how well you will do with your future in-laws. Don’t know if I’d bet the farm on either of the results you get from the games, but they’re worth a shot.

Next we see a Meet the Parents Special Offer. This is nothing more than a promotional tool for Universal Studios Theme Park in Orlando, Florida. It requires that you buy into a package and stay at a particular hotel, and in return, you will get to bypass lines at the park. The “No Line No Wait” offer is not a bad deal if you have a trip planned there, but I’m not sure it’s as much of a deal as they’d like you to think. I’m sure any travel agent worth their salt could hook you up with the same package as well.

Rounding out the extras we have the film’s original theatrical trailer presented in Dolby Digital 5.1, static Production Notes, as well as Cast & Filmmakers biographies and filmographies. Universal also provides a useless Recommendations section that lets you scroll through some DVD covers of other Universal DVDs available for purchase. DVD-ROM materials include some games, wallpaper, and a screen saver. The last extra on the disc is entitled Universal Showcase and includes trailers for Universal’s The Mummy Returns and Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - also presented in Dolby Digital 5.1. Universal also provides a French audio track in Dolby Digital 5.1 as well as English subtitles.

Great extras from Universal to supplement an already great movie.

Parting Thoughts

Meet the Parents is a comedic nightmare that we can all relate to. It’s the scenario in which you imagine yourself saying or doing the dumbest, most humiliating and offensive things you can imagine. Directed by Jay Roach of Austin Powers fame and co-written by Jim Herzfeld (Tapeheads, TV’s “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show’”) and John Hamburg (Safe Men), the film is almost diabolical in its ability to make us laugh and squirm at the same time. For instance, the scene when Greg is hooked up to the polygraph and is hammered by Jack on aspects of his life and his relationship with Pam. Another instance of the squirm-inducing ability of the movie is the volleyball game in which Greg goes up for a slam and proceeds to smash it in the face of Pam’s sister, the bride-to-be, on the day before her wedding. Scenes that simply have to be seen to be believed.

Though Meet the Parents features a capable supporting cast, the laughs come almost exclusively from the tussle between Stiller and De Niro; and both deliver big time. While it’s not surprising that Stiller excels in the role of the bungling fiancé, De Niro is equally funny as the suspicious father. Completing the formula, Roach is masterful at piling one mishap on top of another. Certain sequences remind the viewer of the way the deadpan gags were deliciously drawn out in that other Ben Stiller flick you may have heard of - There’s Something About Mary. Plus, the film is played entirely straight by a top-notch cast - including Owen Wilson as Pam’s fabulously rich and still available former fiancé and veteran James Rebhorn (The Game, Snow Falling on Cedars, ID4) as the father of the groom-to-be. Stiller continues to polish his already accomplished and very buffoonish “everyman” routine while De Niro gives Jack Byrnes just the right amount of submerged menace. At times, his portrayal of Jack suggests Max Cady, of Cape Fear fame, in an Eddie Bauer wardrobe. De Niro really seems to have taken a shine to comedy of late (Analyze This and The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle), and although the actor’s intimidating presence and reputation seem to be just what the script called for, he is nevertheless the straight man to Stiller’s deadpan antics. As an extra, there’s something about the twinkle and smirk always lurking behind De Niro’s scowl that lets you know that he’s enjoying this all very much.

In quick conclusion, this is absolutely a movie that you should not miss at any costs. I rated this film so high not because it has any sort of social relevance or deserves a place on AFI’s Top 100 Comedies; I rated it so high simply because I LOVE THIS FILM. The 4.5 puts Meet the Parents at or near the top of my favorite comedies list. A film like American History X or Unforgiven gets a 4.5 for completely different reasons and are, overall, much more relevant and important films in the grand scheme of things. However, we all need a good laugh now and then, and I appreciate the way Roach and company pulled this one off. The score can summed up very easily – reviewer bias. I simply think this film is very funny and that’s that.

Plain and simple, Universal has loaded up Meet the Parents with some ripe extras, very good video and audio transfers, and the asking price is worth every penny and then some. Meet the Parents falls right in line with Father of the Bride as a movie that all soon-to-be-newlyweds, and their prospective in-laws, should watch together. What are you waiting for? BUY THIS DVD!

Special Features List

• Two Audio Commentaries
• Spotlight on Location
• Lie Detector
• The Forecaster
• Production Notes
• Cast & Filmmakers
• Deleted Scenes
• Outtakes
• Reccomendations
• Universal Showcase
• DVD-ROM
• Special Offer