Eugene weekly., January 13, 2005, Page 28, Image 28

Sugarpants
& Doting Dad
Blending the families
MEET THE FOCKERS: Directed by Jay Roach. Written by John
Hamburg and James Herzfeld, from a story by Marc Hyman. Produced by
Robert De Niro, Jay Roach, Jane Rosenthal. Executive produced by Amy
Sayres, Nancy Tennenbaum. Original music, Randy Newman.
Cinematography, John Schwartzman. Editors, Alan Baumgarten, Jon
Poll. Production design, Rusty Smith. Costumes, Carol Ramsey. Starring
Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand, Blythe
Danner and Teri Polo. With Owen Wilson, Alanna Ubach, Ray Santiago,
Tim Blake Nelson and Shelley Berman. Universal Pictures, 2004. PG-13.
114 minutes.
B
ased on the trailers, I had successfully avoided seeing
Meet the Fockers for several weeks. But now, in mid-
January, with no sign of the rest of the best of 2004
in sight, I succumbed, dragging myself into the theater on a
Monday afternoon and settling in to be bummed. I call this
condition: zero expectations.
But I find I have fallen in love with Dustin Hoffman’s per-
fected film persona of a lively but mellow hippie (I Heart
Huckabees), who’s delighted to discover aging doesn’t mean
not having fun. In a film with abundant onscreen talent such
as Meet the Fockers, Hoffman as Bernie Focker steals the
show right out from under the comic grasp of Robert De Niro,
Ben Stiller and Barbra Streisand. And he does it by being an
absolutely lovable dad and husband.
As Roz Focker, Streisand shares a warmth and earthiness
that hasn’t always been evident in her long career. She’s
relaxed and plainspoken, not trying to suck up all the good
air in the room. Still beautiful and sexy, Streisand exercises
her not so subtle flair for comedy here.
As Jack Byrnes, the former CIA spook who’s keeping his
eyes on potential bridegroom Greg Focker (Ben Stiller), De
a retired CIA man. Later, Judge Ira (played by comic
Niro is as reluctant as ever to crack a smile or give an inch.
Shelley Berman), sends his love to “Sugarpants,” aka Roz,
He’s outfitted a new mobile home with a secret control room
for saving his marriage. That impresses Jack.
so he can watch everything that goes on in the Fockers’ house-
Now playing at Cinemark and Cinema World, Meet the
hold during the get-the-parents together weekend. Jack’s wife,
Fockers deserves to be seen with zero expectations.
Dina (Blythe Danner), is beginning to chafe at his antics. He
ew
dotes on their older daughter’s son, little Jack, to an
unhealthy degree, and he mostly ignores Dina.
It’s all in the family, as
The Byrnes’s experience the Fockers differently.
gregarious Bernie
Dina likes Roz, and she enjoys Bernie’s hugs and
(Dustin Hoffman)
good humor. She has to verbally remind Jack to cool
smooches grim Jack
it when his pinched face discloses his obvious distaste
(Robert De Niro).
for the behavior of Greg, Roz and Bernie. Jack clings
to his belief that Greg will finally expose the skeletons
in the family closet. But Dina and Jack’s daughter,
Pam (Teri Polo), has a secret of her own, and many of
the predictable kinks in the movie turn on who knows
and who doesn’t.
Greg, who’s a nurse, finally gets fed up with being
bullied about by Jack. Caught in the middle between
the Byrnes and the Fockers, Greg has to front off an
unforgivably awkward scene, in which he tells the
assembled engagement party true tales best left untold.
It’s the worst scene in the film, actually — not funny,
just embarrassing.
While the plot is less important than the perform-
ances, it is gratifying in these post-election days to see
Floridians such as Bernie and Roz depicted as old liber-
als. Of course the Fockers should be living in a hip city
in a blue state on the West Coast, such as Eugene, where
they’d fit right in. Roz is a geriatric sex therapist, the
author of a book called Is Your Vagina Happy? while
Bernie’s a former attorney now into peaceful martial
arts and cooking. He was a stay-at-home dad with Greg,
and is still dotty about the son he calls by his middle
name, “Gaylord.”
Near the end of the picture, Greg, Bernie and Jack
are arrested by an uptight Officer Le Fore (Tim Blake
Nelson), who doesn’t give a fig if stuffed shirt Jack is
KTHH
6a – 9A The Morning Sedition: Mark Riley and Marc Maron serve a healthy dollop of absurdity on top
and a side order of subversion.
9A – 12P The Al Franken Show: This is the show that takes the fight against the conservatives to the
airwaves! Al and co-host Katherine Lanpher deliver daily irreverent commentary, comedy and interviews.
Noon-3pm UnFiltered: Co-hosted by The Daily Show co-creator Lizz Winstead, Chuck D, leader and
co-founder of legendary rap group Public Enemy, and Rachel Maddow, a rabblerousing broadcaster with a doctor-
ate in politics from the University of Oxford. This uncompromising program puts politics and culture through the
wringer, uncensored and unfiltered.
3P – 7P The Randi Rhodes Show: Randi’s legendary South Florida talk show (WIOD/Miami and
WJNO/West Palm) is the PMD anchor for AM 990. The program features commentary, inter-
views, call-ins and Randi’s trademark candor. Randi is one of the first female political talk
show hosts in the country.
There are two sides to every story, now Clear Channel Radio gives the Willamette Valley a voice
from both sides of the aisle.
20 JANUARY 13, 2005
AM
UNIVERSAL PICTURES, 2005.
BY LOIS WADSWORTH