December 30, 2004
Tried and true: 'Fockers' sophomoric humor works
By Chris Honoré
Tidings Reviewer
Audiences laugh out loud during "Meet the Fockers." Actually, there are moments when they howl. And there is no question, this movie, a sequel to "Meet the Parents," builds on its antecedent, ratcheting up the tension as the very tightly contained (can we say repressed?) Byrnes, Jack and Dina (Robert DeNiro and Blythe Danner), meet the very laid back Fockers, Bernie and Roz (Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand).
It's a perfect paradigm for the culture wars: the very conservative red states go to visit the blue states, the soon to be in-laws who are living in a "show me the love" hamlet in Florida. The betrothed Greg and Pam are caught in the middle, wanting above all to make the weekend work. In other words, they try very hard to be purple.
However, Jack and Bernie, especially, are oil and water. Their perspectives are entrenched and they peer suspiciously at each other across a chasm of differences, and as hard as Pam and Greg try, it's a struggle to find common ground as one catastrophe after another takes place, each pregnant with humor.
Of course, the writers of "Meet the Fockers" believe fervently that what American audiences will laugh at, consistently, is humor that involves their toilet behavior and their sexual behavior. Take the characters into the bathroom and into the bedroom and each trip will generate laughs.
That's the assumption. And this movie spends a lot to time in each location, or discussing said locations. Shrinks and anthropologists have built careers studying what we as a culture laugh at, the off-color jokes we tell, the stories we share. Consider how much mileage the country got out of the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal. Surely that was a subject that invited, at least on its face, silent discretion.
Hollywood writers have mined our insecurities, our closeted mores, and played to our prurient interests for decades, while always pushing the envelope. Could you seriously name a movie "Meet the Fockers" fifteen years ago?
"Meet the Fockers" is by no means subtle, nuanced, or delicate in its touch. It's blatant, often heavy-handed, deals in outrageous stereotypes, and goes for the tried and true laugh. But no matter. More often than not, it scores, in a base, crude, enjoyable kind of way.
Incredibles
Bob used to be one of the world's greatest superheroes, but fifteen years later Bob and his wife, another formerly famous superhero, have retreated to the suburbs to live normal lives with their three kids. Itching to get back into action, Bob gets his chance when a mysterious communication summons him to a remote island. Voice talents of Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson, Jason Lee, Brad Bird.
PG for action violence, 115 min. +5 minute short subject
National Treasure
Ben Franklin Gates tries to fulfill a promise made by an ancestor in the Andrew Jackson administration. The oath was to locate and protect an ancient treasure that legend says is mapped on the back of the original Declaration of Independence.
Directed by Jon Turtletaub ("Phenomenon", "While You were Sleeping")
Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha, Harvey Keitel, Sean Bean
PG for action, violence and some scary images, 131 min.
Ocean's Twelve
Danny and his gang head to Amsterdam, Rome and Paris for new heists, where they contend with Terry's revenge, Europol, and a mysterious French rival. George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Julia Roberts, Andy Garcia
PG-13 for language, 125 min.
Polar Express
A boy who still believes in Santa Claus despite the skepticism of his peers, is rewarded for his loyalty when a train pulls up in front of his house on Christmas Eve to take him to the North Pole. Written and directed by Robert Zemickis ("Castaway", "Forrest Gump", "Back to the Future"). Based on the popular children's book by Chris Van Allsburg. Tom Hanks (digitized animation). G/100 min.
Sideways
A struggling, 40ish novelist is frustrated over his stalled career and the fact that his struggling actor buddy is about to get married. With their emotional baggage in tow, the two set off for a week of debauchery in the Napa Valley wine country before the wedding. Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen, Sandra Oh
R for language, some strong sexual content and nudity, 125 min.
Finding Neverland
Five Golden Globe nominations for a tale of fantasy inspired by the life of Jame Barrie, the author of "Peter Pan." Set in London in 1904, the film following Barrie's creative journey to bring the character of Peter Pan to life, from his first inspiration for the story up until the play's premiere. Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, Julie Christie.
PG for mild thematic elements and brief language. 101 min.
Spanglish
Culture collide as a beautiful native Mexican woman, the mother of an equally stunning 12-year-old girl, becomes the housekeeper for an affluent Los Angeles family.
Written and directed by James Brooks. Starring Adam Sandler, Tea Leoni, Paz Vega, Cloris Leachman.
PG-13 for some sexual content and brief language. 128 min.
Closer
Five Golden Globe nominations for this uncompromisingly honest look at modern relationships. This is a story of four people - their chance meetings, instant attractions and brutal betrayals. Julia Roberts, Jude Law, Natalie Portman, Clive Owen.
R for sequences of graphic sexual dialogue, nudity/sexuality and language. 98 min.
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
Intelligent, charming, unlucky siblings Violet, Klaus and Sunny are left orphaned after a house fire. They're sent to live with Count Olaf, a distant relative who has dastardly designs on the family fortune. Based on the first of three books in the Lemony Snicket series. Jim Carrey, Meryl Streep, Jude Law
PG for thematic elements, scary situations and brief language. 112 min.
Flight of the Phoenix
A plane crashes in a sandstorm, and a group of people struggle desperately to survive. Their only hope is using the wreckage of the plane to cobble together a craft to carry them to safety.
Dennis Quaid, Giovani Ribisi.
PG-13 for some action, language and violence. 113 min.
Aviator
6 Golden Globe Nominations including Best Drama, Director, Screenplay, Actor, Supporting Actress, Score
A biographical chronicle charting the early years (1920's - 1940's) of tycoon Howard Hughes, the eccentric billionaire industrialist and Hollywood mogul famous for romancing some of the world's most beautiful women.
Directed by Martin Scorsese ("Goodfellas," "Raging Bull," "Gangs of New York")
Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Alec Baldwin, Alan Alda, John C. Reilly, Kate Beckinsale, Jude Law, Gwen Stefani
PG-13 for thematic elements, sexual content, nudity, language and a crash sequence, 170 min.
Meet the Fockers
In "Meet the Parents", Greg Focker came to know his soon to be in-laws. Now it's his parents turn. But the hyper-relaxed Fockers and the tightly wound Byrneses are woefully mismatched.
Ben Stiller, Robert DeNiro, Barbra Streisand, Dustin Hoffman, Blythe Danner, Teri Polo
PG-13 for crude and sexual humor, language and a brief drug reference, 115 min.
Fat Albert
The misadventures of a group of boys growing up today in a Philadelphia neighborhood, based on characters created by Bill Cosby.
Omar Grandberry, Marques Houston, Kenan Thompson
PG for momentary language, 93min.
Darkness
A family moves into a charming old house in the remote Spanish countryside. Day by day, a strange force - something ancient and wicked - begins pulling the family apart.
Anna Paquin, Lena Olin, Giancarly Giannini
PG13 for disturbing images, intense terror sequences, thematic elements, and language, 102 min.
Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
With a plan to exact revenge on a mythical shark that killed his partner, oceanographer Steve Zissou rallies a crew that includes his estranged wife, a journalist, and a man who may or may not be his son. Quirky fun.
Directed by Wes Anderson ("Royal Tenenbaums," "Rushmore," "Bottle Rocket")
Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, Anjelica Huston, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum
R for language, some drug use, violence and partial nudity, 118 min.