Little Fockers - (December 22nd, 2010): PG-13
Distributor: Universal Studios (subsidiary of NBC Universal)
Opening Weekend Box-Office: #1 with $30,833,665
Domestic Box-Office Gross to-date: $45,083,800
Gross Revenue: $88,279,000
Budget: $100 million
Director: Paul Weitz
When I saw the first trailer for Little Fockers, I couldn’t believe that Universal was still spending the time and energy to explore the dynamic between a male nurse and his ex-CIA father-in-law, especially since I wasn’t thrilled by the first two installments in the franchise. We first met Greg’s potential in-laws in 2000’s Meet the Parents and then were introduced to his bizarre and off-beat parents in 2004’s Meet the Fockers; this time around, audiences would now see how Greg handles fatherhood with two young children. Little Fockers was originally planned for release in late July, but Universal hoped to benefit from the long holiday weekend and so pushed the release date back to December 22nd. With the trailer attached to everything from summer hits like Grown Ups or recent releases such as Morning Glory, buzz for the film had months to build; and let’s not forget the media attention that followed the rumors that Dustin Hoffman would not be returning as Greg’s eccentric father, Bernie Focker. Luckily, last-minute negotiations enabled Universal to bring back the entire cast, so even though I wasn’t particularly thrilled by this sequel, I was willing to give the star-studded comedy Little Fockers the benefit of the doubt.
Little Fockers starts off by introducing audiences to Henry and Samantha, the five-year-old twins of Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) and his wife Pam (Teri Polo). With the help of his in-laws Jack (Robert De Niro) and Dina (Blythe Danner), Greg is busy planning the twins’ 5th birthday party and preparing for the arrival of his own parents, Roz (Barbara Streisand) and Bernie (Dustin Hoffman). Unfortunately, Jack has been running into some health problems and wants to make sure that Greg will make an appropriate patriarch for the family, but his paranoia begins to set in when he discovers that Greg is working with young and sexy pharmaceutical rep Andi (Jessica Alba). Adding to the complications is the arrival of Pam’s ex-boyfriend, the wealthy and immensely successful Kevin (Owen Wilson). With so many hectic and comical family dynamics at play, Greg is tasked with proving his competence as both a family leader and a devoted father.
As I mentioned in the “Short and Sweet” review, Little Fockers actually ended up being way funnier than expected, mixing both cheap laughs with some truly clever situations. Though I felt that the first two installments in the franchise were relatively weak, the interaction between Greg and Jack has always been entertaining, and this time around, the bickering between father-in-law and son-in-law is surprisingly funny. Another positive includes the fact that Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand’s roles were downgraded to little more than extended cameos; I found both incredibly annoying and unfunny in Meet the Fockers, so I was glad that the writers decided to tone down the two characters. The biggest surprise was Jessica Alba, whose character started off as an incredibly misplaced addition to the cast, but later evolved into a nutty and enjoyable potential home wrecker for the Focker family. As likely the last film in the franchise, Little Fockers helps bring a humorous ending to the family legacy that was set into motion ten years ago.
However, a few laughs are not enough to save some of the big problems present in Little Fockers, the most apparent being the film’s lack of compelling story. By an large, Little Fockers felt like it was made out of necessity rather than innovation, with studio execs trying to squeeze a few more dollars out of a dying franchise rather than adding an original and compelling chapter to the overall story. We met one set of in-laws in the original, so it made sense that audiences would be introduced to the other side of the family in the sequel, but this time around, it just doesn’t seem necessary to explore the addition of young children into the mix; especially when you consider the fact that the kids themselves are only in the film for a handful of scenes. What starts out as a story about the kids quickly shifts solely to the dynamic of Jack obsessively accusing Greg of infidelity, and it’s both unnecessary and rather boring. Finally, some critics hailed Owen Wilson as the funniest part of the cast, but I couldn’t disagree more; his presence in this film was little more than a name drop, as his erratic character largely served as an unwelcome intrusion in the flow of the narrative. For every step that Little Fockers took forward with a funny joke or humorous situation, these numerous errors helped serve as massive leaps backwards.
Competing against True Grit and Gulliver’s Travels over the holiday weekend, Little Fockers was able to bring in a respectable 5-day total of $45 million for the top spot at the box office. Combining this strong domestic performance with international receipts, Little Fockers has already achieved a worldwide total of nearly $90 million, so even sub-par reviews don’t seem to be deterring audiences. Now, despite all the negative aspects, I still consider Little Fockers to be the funniest and best entry in the franchise, an opinion which considerably differs from a majority of critics, who largely panned the film. It’s up to you, Little Fockers appealed to my style of humor where the previous films failed, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll find it funny. There are still major flaws that prevent me from strongly compelling anyone to see this newest comedy.
Overall Recommendation: Low
