Remakes and sequels almost always tend to bring out the best in filmmaking when it comes to pure mediocrity. There’s little originality and a strong feeling of “been there, done that”. Occasionally we get one that’s obviously had blood, sweat and tears poured into its creation as it rises above the flotsam of this category. Unfortunately, Meet the Fockers is not one of those types of sequels.
This sequel to the funny, but hardly classic, Meet the Parents finds the strangely named Gaylord Focker (Ben Stiller in his “nebbish” mode…he only has two modes…this and “asshole”) and his fiancé Pam Byrnes (Teri Polo…who remains mostly scenery) gearing up for a weekend when Pam’s parents (returning Robert DeNiro and Blythe Danner) meet Gay’s parents (Dustin Hoffman and Barbara Streisand). Toss in a return of Jinx the cat as well as a small yippy dog named Moses and a Byrnes’ grandchild named Jack Jr. whom grandpa is personally training for life and you’ve got the formula for hilarity.
Not.
The film is amusing at best and a mediocre retread of previously clichéd material at worst. It’s conservative versus liberal, W.A.S.P. versus Jews, Ben versus Bob all over again. And its yawn inducing. The film seems to exist for two reasons. First is the “look who we got to play his parents”. While Hoffman and Streisand may seem like inspired choices, they both look out of place (and I won’t get into the fact that they’re two Jewish actors playing what amount to Jewish stereotypes). Second are the inevitable double entendres and sex jokes that derive from the family surname. If there’s a saving grace, it’s that we’re well into the film before we hear of relatives named Dom Focker. The film goes to silly and predictable lengths as Greg and Pam try to hide the true nature of his parents from her parents while other bizarre bits come into play as if they’re repeating the plot of the first film at least in progression.
It’s worth a look-see if you found the first film funny…but I’ll admit this…this film has helped me decide where the original fits into my personal collection which I’m in the midst of pruning for various reasons. Anyone interested in a used copy of Meet the Parents? Stiller’s just been moved out of my circle of trust when it comes to funny comedies.
There’s no denying that Martin Scorsese is the greatest American filmmaker currently alive and still consistently making movies. Even his “weak” films remain interesting and great things to at least watch. His latest, The Aviator, is easily his best work since Goodfellas and easily reminds us why Scorsese is who he is.
The Aviator chronicles the life of Howard Hughes from the late 1920s and the making of Hell’s Angels until the mid 1940s and the first flight of what’s now more commonly known as “The Spruce Goose”. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Hughes, a man obsessed with so many things…but the one that seems most consistent is his obsession with flying. Of course, as obsessed with aviation as Hughes was, he was also obsessed with many other things that would eventually lead to a life of being a hermit locked away within his own delusions and paranoias. While the film doesn’t enter this later phase of Hughes’ life, it does get all the ducks in place.
There are barely any false notes in this film. The acting is wonderful (particularly Cate Blanchett as Katherine Hepburn) and the look of the film is impeccable. Alec Baldwin and Alan Alda are essentially cast as the villains of the piece (playing the head of Pan Am and a corrupt Senator respectively) and they are the weakest links as far as characters are concerned (although you’ll also wonder why Ian Holm keeps showing up as a meteorologist in scenes that don’t really call for him to still be there), but they at least remain entertaining in their dimensionless ness. If there is major quibble at all, it’s the use of “name” actors in roles so minor that you have to wonder why they’re even in the film (I’m particularly thinking of Willem Dafoe and Brent Spiner). The film is also a bit on the long side, but you won’t really notice it.
Could tackling this subject of an American icon finally get Scorsese the Oscar he so justly deserves and has been robbed of many times? We’ll find out soon enough.
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is an odd film, but I guess that’s what we’ve come to expect from director Wes Anderson. This time out, we’re following the adventures of a famous oceanographer who’s a bit down on his luck. After his best friend is eaten by a rare shark no one other than Steve has seen, Zissou embarks on a trip to find it again and kill it in revenge. At the same time, Steve meets a young man named Ned Plympton who may or may not be his son.
The film starts interesting and then gets a bit weird and vague in the middle before finally getting to its point in time for a great ending. By the time we get there, we realize the film has little to do with oceanography (although all of the cool CGI creatures are neat to look at) and everything to do with the concept of family and how life is affected by those we call family (for Steve it’s his crew).
Bill Murray heads an amazing cast that also includes Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum and Angelica Huston. If you liked Rushmore or The Royal Tennebaums, you’ll probably also like this film.
Well…that’s all for the movie watching during our trip to
Be seeing you.
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