Little Fockers

Whodathunkit? Gay and Pam Cakes Focker have gone and had babies! For those who have no clue who the Fockers are and why it is so frightening that they have kids, then let me catch you up on this latest sequel to the 2000 hit “Meet the Parents,” starring Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Blythe Danner, Owen Wilson, and Teri Polo.

When we first met male nurse Greg Focker (Stiller), he was being introduced to his fiancée’s parents, Jack (DeNiro) and Deena (Danner) Byrnes. Jack is a former CIA operative, and anyone who dared to enter his family had to prove themselves worthy of being in the “circle of trust.” Jack never quite approved of his daughter Pam’s (Polo) choosing of Greg; he would rather she be with Kevin (Wilson) a handsome, rich playboy with eclectic taste in clothing and spirituality. Love won out, and in the 2004 sequel, “Meet the Fockers,” Pam meets Greg’s parents, Bernie and Rozalin (played by Dustin Hoffman and Barbara Streisand), and after more tests and trials, the couple is married.

In “Little Fockers,” Greg continues to bumble his way through life, especially as a father. His daughter refuses to speak to him, and his son is a chip off the old block. Greg is enjoying some success in his career, but financial woes related to renovating their new home and financing private school for their son (and, of course, pressure from Byrnes to be Jack’s heir apparent—“the God-Focker”), force Greg to seek ways to add extra income. He does so by being a representative for Sustengo, the latest drug for erectile dysfunction, after being cajoled and seduced by the company’s rep, Andi Garcia (Jessica Alba). Greg tries to handle his multiple responsibilities, but in true Focker-style, he has mishap after mishap.

This film is funny, yes, as most of Stiller’s films are humorous. It does try too hard, at times, to “make” the audience laugh. With a cast of characters as rich and deep as this film, the writers and directors should not have had to rely on poor language, sight gags, and pratfalls. They didn’t need a scene where little Henry (Greg’s son) is startled by seeing his dad give his grandfather a hypodermic needle injection into his “manhood,” after Jack had taken too much Sustengo.

The oversexualized dialogue, coarse language, and adult behavior are enough to caution the Christian viewer about seeing this film. While it only has a PG-13 rating, the film is full of mature themes that should make a parent question whether a child or teen should see this film.

Violence: Mild / Profanity: Heavy / Sex/Nudity: Heavy

Reviews of other films in this series:

• “Meet the Parents” (2000)
• “Meet the Fockers” (2004)

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.