Meet the Parents

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Meet the Parents

PG-13

2000

1h 48m

Comedy

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Popcornmeter

85%

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147 Reviews

79%

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250,000+ Ratings

Everything that can possibly go wrong for groom-to-be Greg Focker does. The problems begin with Greg's disastrous first meeting with his girlfriend's family -- most notably her intimidating father Jack Byrnes, and it's all downhill from there.

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Critics Consensus

Despite sometimes sitcom-like execution, Meet the Parents is a hilarious look at familial relationships that works mostly because the chemistry between its two leads is so effective.

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Wendy Ide

The Times (UK)

02/09/2024

It’s just that it’s the kind of comedy that’s as likely to have you gnawing your fist in an agony of embarrassment as it is to make you laugh.

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Bob Thomas

Associated Press

07/17/2019

Meet the Parents isn't as funny as There's Something About Mary, nor as outrageous. But it confirms that Ben Stiller is the best of today's young practitioners of frustration comedy.

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Lisa Alspector

Chicago Reader

04/09/2012

Scenes that should have been uproarious are weaker than many of the movie's smaller moments, whose everyday humor isn't specific to the plot or characters.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

08/03/2023

3/4

Meet the Parents may not demand repeat viewings—a number of the jokes are based in shock humor, therefore don’t last beyond their first exposure—but that first time, it’s an incredibly funny studio comedy.

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Michael Kleinschrodt

Times-Picayune

05/30/2019

3/4

Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller seem evenly matched, making effective foils.

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Gabriel M

@Anonymous12 2d

Good start to the franchise

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Christian M

Jan 30

This film is the perfect example of passive, confident comedy. It doesn’t attack; it settles in, letting humor emerge naturally from the characters and situations. Ben Stiller is magnetic—funny, human, and always compelling—paired perfectly with Teri Polo, creating a balanced, natural duo. De Niro works within the film but isn’t the draw. The screenplay shines with everyday, physical humor, carefully avoiding parody, while drama and romance remain subtle and credible. By the end, it leaves a warm, satisfying impression: intelligent, charming, and full of personality—a genuinely great comedy that invites optimism for the sequel.

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Thyaagu C

@Thyaagu Jan 30

A comedy of escalating disasters.

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Ro V.

@RoKnows Jan 26

I love this movie. The subtle and not-so-subtle moments of embarrassment for Greg bring many laughs. DeNiro and Jinx are LOL funny. Watching multiple times, you pick up on funny lines you missed the first time. Enjoyable through and through and through.

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GotRizz237

Oct 1

Really hilarious movie. Really great comedy!

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C H

Sep 20

The ending was great, as was the beginning, and it only really suffered from a middling second act. There was a point in the movie where I wasn’t even really rooting for Greg anymore and saw Kevin as just a better option and guy, but the movie actually convinced me to realize what Greg was experiencing and why he did what he did. I thought Stiller’s performance was also a standout, although mainly in the final act when the humor especially hits. At some point the movie did fall into a sort of “everything that can go wrong will go wrong” trope that I felt never really hits the way it’s meant to, but otherwise this movie was very good. All in all, while it hit and old and tried trope especially of the 1990s/2000s, it did it well.

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Jay Roach

Director

Robert De Niro

Jack Byrnes

Ben Stiller

Greg Focker

Blythe Danner

Dina Byrnes

Teri Polo

Pam Byrnes

James Rebhorn

Larry Banks

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Synopsis

Everything that can possibly go wrong for groom-to-be Greg Focker does. The problems begin with Greg's disastrous first meeting with his girlfriend's family -- most notably her intimidating father Jack Byrnes, and it's all downhill from there.

Director: Jay Roach
Producer: Robert De Niro, Jay Roach, Jane Rosenthal, Nancy Tenenbaum
Screenwriter: John Hamburg, Jim Herzfeld, Greg Glienna, Mary Ruth Clarke
Distributor: Universal Pictures, DreamWorks SKG
Production Co: Nancy Tenenbaum Productions, Universal Pictures, Tribeca Productions, DreamWorks Pictures
Rating: PG-13 (Language|Drug References|Sexual Content)
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 6, 2000, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 7, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $166.2M
Runtime: 1h 48m
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby Digital, DTS, Surround, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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