'Little Fockers' - Movie Review

"Little Fockers" marks the third installment in the "Meet the Parents" franchise. While the cast has continued to grow with every new entry the core of the movie has always been the same. Ben Stiller's meek and fidgety Greg Focker trying to win the approval of the stern and intimidating Jack Byrnes, as played by Robert DeNiro. That remains the case with this new film. Unfortunately the inclusion of children into the mix didn't inject any new energy into the proceedings the way that Greg's parents were able to do in "Meet the Fockers." The result feels like a strained attempted to cash in on the franchise one last time before it slips fully from the mind of audiences.

In "Little Fockers" male nurse Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) has moved up to essentially running the nursing department at the hospital he works at in Chicago. He and his wife Pam (Teri Polo) are raising their twin children Henry and Samantha in an apartment while their dream home is undergoing renovation. Greg long ago was able to get on good terms with his once confrontational father in law Jack Byrnes (Robert DeNiro,) but he now finds himself under scrutiny once again. Jack suffered a mild heart attack, which he doesn't want his family to know about, and has seen his other daughter abandoned by her husband. The combination of these two events means that Jack is once more very suspicious in general and realizing that with "Doctor Bob" no longer his son-in-law that his the weight of his family tree will now fall on Greg. Jack needs to know that Greg can lead the family, become as he calls it "the God-Focker," but at the same time he doubts Greg's abilities to be able to do that. When he and his wife Dina (Blythe Danner) go to visit the Fockers to celebrate the twins' birthday he puts Greg under the microscope one more time to see if he is truly worthy of being in the Byrnes family.

"Little Fockers" sees almost the entire cast of the first two films return, and in some cases they are used rather awkwardly. The most notable of these is Dustin Hoffman playing Greg's father. Hoffman had not been available for the initial shooting and was filmed later in some re-written scenes. As a result his character appears for one phone call at the beginning and then spends almost the entire film off camera in Spain learning to flamenco dance. Owen Wilson as a former boyfriend of Pam also returns in a surprisingly large role. The love he still has for Pam, which was hinted at in the earlier films, is up front and center somewhat excessively. There's also some new characters such as Harvey Keitel as the head contractor working on Greg's house, and Jessica Alba as a pharmaceutical rep who wants Greg to push a new erectile dysfunction drug. Both do well enough in their parts, with a face off between Keitel and DeNiro being quite fun given both actors' penchant for playing tough guys. Also of note is Laura Dern playing the head of a private school, there isn't much to the role but Dern is able to give great reactions that are good for some laughs. At the center Stiller and DeNiro are basically working the exact same shtick that they've been milking for two movies. They do it well enough but the idea that nothing about their relationship has really changed in so many years seems a bit weird. Without a doubt the best part of the film is Barbara Streisand returning as Greg's mother.

The big problem with "Little Fockers" is that nothing has changed. The original is a classic in the sub-genre of awkwardness and embarrassment humor. The first sequel dealt in pretty much the same jokes but was able to keep things fresh thanks to the new energy brought to the table by Steisand and Hoffman. This time there really isn't anything new going on. Sure there are the kids but they actually don't do much, they seem to be there mostly just to give rise to new issues for Greg. The sign language using infant from "Meet the Fockers" felt more fleshed out than either of these children. So with the kids doing little to elevate things and most of the existing supporting characters pushed to the background that just leaves Greg and Jack doing the same thing they've been doing since 2000. It feels like the film back-pedaled to the first film more than anything else, which wouldn't be so bad if the territory wasn't so well worn by now.

That's not to say that there's no fun to be had in "Little Fockers." There are a few moments of humor that do shine through as being fresh. Fans of the first two films will probably find enough to giggle at that it's worth a trip to the movie theater with friends. But for those who were only mildly amused by the earlier films this will not be a family reunion worth attending. The film leaves open a set up for a possible future installment but it does feel like this is probably the last hoorrah for the Fockers. It's probably best that way.

Final Score: 2.5 out of 5