In 2000, Meet the Parents introduced us to Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) and his girlfriend Pam Byrnes (Teri Polo) in the shaky days before their engagement. Greg was humiliated by her very traditional family and her former fiancé (Owen Wilson), and interrogated by her father (Robert De Niro), a former CIA agent now posing as a florist.
In 2004, Meet the Fockers had Greg, Pam, and her parents (DeNiro and Blythe Danner) visiting South Florida to stay with Greg’s non-traditional parents, Bernie (Dustin Hoffman) and Rozalin (Barbra Streisand). Although engaged, their relationship was tested to stand the strain of mixing two vastly different families into a unified circle of trust.
Should There Be Little Fockers?
The concept behind Little Fockers would concern the offspring of Greg and Pam, and presumably how their polar opposite parents respond to their childrearing techniques. This third installment of the highly successful franchise seems like a great idea as long as the filmmakers stay with what works and adjust to what doesn’t.
Although Meet the Parents fits into the fun date movie, romantic comedy genre as their romance progressed during the film, Meet the Fockers featured the already established romantic couple coping with family issues as they got closer to setting a wedding date.
The second film leaned away from romantic comedy, focusing almost exclusively on the humorous elements of the two mismatched families. One of the subplots of Meet the Fockers revolved around the passionless union of Pam’s parents, making Rozalin’s sex therapy suggestions for reviving their marriage the closest thing to romance in this delightfully funny movie.
Continuing the Focker Franchise
For the tentatively titled Little Fockers (currently scheduled for 2011 release) to continue the successful franchise, a few things need to happen:
- The comedy again needs to be the focus. Any romance, drama, tips on childrearing, or goodwill messages need to be pushed to the background in order to let the comedy shine. That’s what audiences will be expecting.
- The original cast needs to return. Casting different actors in sequels is a recipe for disaster – take the sequels to Dirty Dancing and The Mask for instance. In addition, as much of the original crew as possible needs to be onboard. The same director (Jay Roach), writers, and producers will help in terms of continuity and in staying true to the characters, chemistry, themes, and style.
- The comedy itself needs to stay consistent. Part of the charm of this franchise lies in its edgy humor that borders on being almost too crude, almost too sexual, and almost too mean-spirited, but never quite crosses the line.
- Finally, the movie needs to stay on schedule without any delays. Waiting seven years for the sequel already pushes audiences to the limits of their patience.
For more information about Meet the Fockers, visit the official website.
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