Meet the Parents

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Meet the Parents

PG-13

2000

1h 48m

Comedy

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Popcornmeter

85%

Tomatometer

147 Reviews

79%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

Everything that can possibly go wrong for groom-to-be Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) does. The problems begin with Greg's disastrous first meeting with his girlfriend's family -- most notably her intimidating father Jack Byrnes (Robert De Niro) and it's all downhill from there.

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Critics Consensus

Despite sometimes sitcom-like execution, Meet the Parents is a hilarious look at familial relationships that works mostly because the chemistry between its two leads is so effective.

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Wendy Ide

The Times (UK)

It’s just that it’s the kind of comedy that’s as likely to have you gnawing your fist in an agony of embarrassment as it is to make you laugh.

Feb 9, 2024

Full Review

Bob Thomas

Associated Press

Meet the Parents isn't as funny as There's Something About Mary, nor as outrageous. But it confirms that Ben Stiller is the best of today's young practitioners of frustration comedy.

Jul 17, 2019

Full Review

Lisa Alspector

Chicago Reader

Scenes that should have been uproarious are weaker than many of the movie's smaller moments, whose everyday humor isn't specific to the plot or characters.

Apr 9, 2012

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Meet the Parents may not demand repeat viewings—a number of the jokes are based in shock humor, therefore don’t last beyond their first exposure—but that first time, it’s an incredibly funny studio comedy.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 3, 2023

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Michael Kleinschrodt

Times-Picayune

Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller seem evenly matched, making effective foils.

Rated: 3/4

May 30, 2019

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...large swaths of the proceedings feel as though they'd be more at home within a garden-variety sitcom.

Rated: 2/4

Dec 20, 2010

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GotRizz237

Really hilarious movie. Really great comedy!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/01/25

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C H

The ending was great, as was the beginning, and it only really suffered from a middling second act. There was a point in the movie where I wasn’t even really rooting for Greg anymore and saw Kevin as just a better option and guy, but the movie actually convinced me to realize what Greg was experiencing and why he did what he did. I thought Stiller’s performance was also a standout, although mainly in the final act when the humor especially hits. At some point the movie did fall into a sort of “everything that can go wrong will go wrong” trope that I felt never really hits the way it’s meant to, but otherwise this movie was very good. All in all, while it hit and old and tried trope especially of the 1990s/2000s, it did it well.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

09/20/25

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Janet D

This was probably really funny back in 2000, but it hasn't aged well. The humor is overdone to the point of almost being slapstick.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

09/15/25

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Alycia M.

Not my kind of comedy. If they all told the truth a tiny bit more and were proud of who they are as a person…

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

08/21/25

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tommy J

A great movie that led to more fun movies. I have nipples Gerg, can you milk me?

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/16/25

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Ed R

Very forced humor with an A-List cast of stars.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

07/16/25

Full Review

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Jay Roach

Director

Robert De Niro

Jack Byrnes

Ben Stiller

Greg Focker

Blythe Danner

Dina Byrnes

Teri Polo

Pam Byrnes

James Rebhorn

Larry Banks

Meet the Parents: Official Clip - Greg Says Grace

2:21

Meet the Parents: Official Clip - Greg Has to Wait

1:11

Meet the Parents: Official Clip - Milking Cats

2:58

Meet the Parents: Official Clip - Kevin the Ex

2:44

Meet the Parents: Official Clip - Racing Home

2:51

Meet the Parents: Official Clip - Will You Be My Son-In-Law?

2:38

Meet the Parents: Official Clip - Up In Flames

2:34

Meet the Parents: Official Clip - Lie Detector Test

2:39

Meet the Parents: Official Clip - The Circle of Trust

1:56

Meet the Parents: Official Clip - It's Only a Game, Focker!

2:03

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Synopsis

Everything that can possibly go wrong for groom-to-be Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) does. The problems begin with Greg's disastrous first meeting with his girlfriend's family -- most notably her intimidating father Jack Byrnes (Robert De Niro) and it's all downhill from there.

Director: Jay Roach
Producer: Robert De Niro, Jay Roach, Jane Rosenthal, Nancy Tenenbaum
Screenwriter: John Hamburg, Jim Herzfeld, Greg Glienna, Mary Ruth Clarke
Distributor: DreamWorks SKG, Universal Pictures
Production Co: Nancy Tenenbaum Productions, Universal Pictures, Tribeca Productions, DreamWorks Pictures
Rating: PG-13 (Language|Drug References|Sexual Content)
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 6, 2000, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 7, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $166.2M
Runtime: 1h 48m
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby Digital, DTS, Surround, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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