Little Fockers (C- or 1.5/4 stars)
'Little Fockers' (directed by Paul Weitz) is the 3rd installment of the Meet the Parents/Focker franchise, & unfortunately, I'm feelin' the franchise fatigue. The film starts by re-introducing us to the principle characters: Gaylord 'Greg' Focker (Ben Stiller), his wife, Pam (Teri Polo, barely in the film), his mother-in-law (Blythe Danner, horrid), & his cantankerous father-in-law, Jack Byrnes (Robert DeNiro). Also back is Pam's old flame & family friend, Kevin (Owen Wilson), Greg's dad, Bernie (Dustin Hoffman, only in a couple of scenes), & his mom, Roz (Barbra Streisand, having to endure some incredibly unfunny dialogue). New characters also include a school academy teacher (Laura Dern, a pleasant surprise), and a drug company representative, Andi Garcia (Jessica Alba, looking amazing), who is trying to get male-nurse Greg to be interested in a new erectile dysfunction drug called Sustengo.
The main plotline of this film focuses on Jack's patriarch decision that Greg should become the 'Godfocker' once he's gone (Jack is experiencing mini-heart attacks & is fearful of how long he'll be around). Greg - strapped for $$, and moonlighting for a said drug company - is shocked & honored by Jack's proposal. But in order for him to attain & hold the title, Jack must deem him worthy; which requires covert spying & google checks on everything and everyone Greg encounters (he suspects that Greg is cheating on his daughter with the Jessica Alba character). Greg's capabilities of being man of the house come into question. Jack becomes enraged by the possible infidelity. Miscommunications commence. War breaks out btwn. the 2 grown men. A birthday party for the Focker kids goes wrong. Stock jokes/gags/humor flow from those situations. And we're left laughing intermittently; though, not nearly enough.
I have little to say about 'Little Fockers'. Really ... it is what it is. Meaning: an unthreatening holiday comedy that has become lazy & lame in the wake of the films before it. The crowd I saw it with laughed at all the appropriate parts. But you can tell that it satiated the holiday crowd without wholly satisfying them. The acting is a moot point. Stiller, Polo, Wilson, et al, do their usual thing. I actually thought Jessica Alba was very funny. She continually surprises me; showing that there may be more to her than the pretty face & knock-out body. Her knack for comedy overrode the horrid 'humor' in the script. Another surprise was that Blythe Danner (newly botoxed) is particularly awful in this. It's as if she forgot how to act. And what of DeNiro? Well, he's okay. His naturally grim face is humorous enough. He gets the most laughs of anyone in the cast. But I'm saddened that he's gone down this path (raking in the $$ for a tried goofball franchise).
You know, I didn't hate 'Little Fockers'. It makes for a cheerful, if disappointing 95 min. at the theater. As mentioned, I chuckled a few times (Dustin Hoffman needed to be in the plot more; then man is just naturally funny). The best part of the movie is when Stiller injects a needle DeNiro's penis to prevent him from getting dyspeptic (after taking a Sustengo pill). But we already saw that in the trailers/commercials. The use of the term 'Focker' has lost almost all of its bite. And the disapproving "I'm watching you" look that DeNiro gives Ben Stiller has lost its sting, too. Everything is just old, now. There was no character depth or development in this film from the previous ones. And even my 15 yr. old sister (who enjoyed the movie, overall) thought that it was too crude for younger kids. Meh.
The main plotline of this film focuses on Jack's patriarch decision that Greg should become the 'Godfocker' once he's gone (Jack is experiencing mini-heart attacks & is fearful of how long he'll be around). Greg - strapped for $$, and moonlighting for a said drug company - is shocked & honored by Jack's proposal. But in order for him to attain & hold the title, Jack must deem him worthy; which requires covert spying & google checks on everything and everyone Greg encounters (he suspects that Greg is cheating on his daughter with the Jessica Alba character). Greg's capabilities of being man of the house come into question. Jack becomes enraged by the possible infidelity. Miscommunications commence. War breaks out btwn. the 2 grown men. A birthday party for the Focker kids goes wrong. Stock jokes/gags/humor flow from those situations. And we're left laughing intermittently; though, not nearly enough.
I have little to say about 'Little Fockers'. Really ... it is what it is. Meaning: an unthreatening holiday comedy that has become lazy & lame in the wake of the films before it. The crowd I saw it with laughed at all the appropriate parts. But you can tell that it satiated the holiday crowd without wholly satisfying them. The acting is a moot point. Stiller, Polo, Wilson, et al, do their usual thing. I actually thought Jessica Alba was very funny. She continually surprises me; showing that there may be more to her than the pretty face & knock-out body. Her knack for comedy overrode the horrid 'humor' in the script. Another surprise was that Blythe Danner (newly botoxed) is particularly awful in this. It's as if she forgot how to act. And what of DeNiro? Well, he's okay. His naturally grim face is humorous enough. He gets the most laughs of anyone in the cast. But I'm saddened that he's gone down this path (raking in the $$ for a tried goofball franchise).
You know, I didn't hate 'Little Fockers'. It makes for a cheerful, if disappointing 95 min. at the theater. As mentioned, I chuckled a few times (Dustin Hoffman needed to be in the plot more; then man is just naturally funny). The best part of the movie is when Stiller injects a needle DeNiro's penis to prevent him from getting dyspeptic (after taking a Sustengo pill). But we already saw that in the trailers/commercials. The use of the term 'Focker' has lost almost all of its bite. And the disapproving "I'm watching you" look that DeNiro gives Ben Stiller has lost its sting, too. Everything is just old, now. There was no character depth or development in this film from the previous ones. And even my 15 yr. old sister (who enjoyed the movie, overall) thought that it was too crude for younger kids. Meh.