This movie doesn't hold up well at all
Watching it on TV right now and it's not very good.
shareI think what makes it so funny (vs other more current comedies) is...it takes a simple situation (the pressure of meeting your gf’s parents...and the discomfort of having to spend a weekend with her whole family), and just exaggerates it and makes fun of it. Most things that are funny are funny because they’re in some way relatable. When I watch MTP, I can so relate to Greg and I feel for him. I’ve been that guy and (in a funny way)...it sucks to be stuck in those uncomfortable situations!
And I like that Stiller plays the straight man. He’s never a goofy, slapstick idiot, overdoing it for cheap laughs, like Will Farrell or Adam Sandler. Their movies are so over-the-top contrived and dumb that I just can’t get into them at all. It always feels like I’m sitting through a 90-minute waste of time.
Meet the Parents goofs on relatable things, like the high-achieving ex that the family loved, who is still in their orbit. The discomfort of sitting down at a breakfast table in a strange home with a bunch of people you don’t know...judging you...and you having to bring your A game and be “on” all weekend, while being asked about your job, car, career choices, etc.
Even poking fun at the silly protocols at the airport is funny. Most people can relate to Greg in some way, having to navigate through a perfectly shitty and uncomfortable weekend. To me, it’s one of the only good comedies in the past 20+ years.
Agreed. Sometimes, it's the everyday annoying shit or social awkwardness that can be funny. If it's not happening to me.
shareYeah, it takes a 'relatable situation' and then makes it EXTREMELY unrelatable for 'comedy'. It's not a very good movie exactly because it takes 'Murphy's Law' too far.
Gaylord is also a real, cringry jerk, which doesn't help - if you want proof, just watch the end-credit scene where he talks to the camera - can you watch it without cringing?
Every character in this movie is either a horrible half-demon, a jerk, an annoying prick or a bold-faced liar. Think about it - Jack lied to his whole family about his Thai language skills. How much and what other secrets is he and has he kept from 'the ones he loves'? Boggles the mind he could do that.. I could not trust that guy after that. He should NOT be talking about any 'circle of trust' when he doesn't trust his family enough to tell them that, and the family should NOT trust him knowing he has lied to them for ALL THESE DECADES!
Yes, I said every character, even the cats are jerks.