Common Sense Media Review
Crass comedy has lots of sex, profanity, drugs.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Meet the Parents
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 15 parent reviews
Parents say the movie is a mixed bag; some find it hilarious and enjoy the comedic moments, while others see it as frustrating and mean-spirited, primarily criticizing the portrayal of the main character and the over-the-top situations he faces. The film's adult content and language raise concerns among some parents, but others believe it’s appropriate for older children, especially given the context of its humor.
- funny moments
- frustrating characters
- adult content
- appropriate for older kids
- mixed reviews
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
Based on 39 kid reviews
Kids say the movie delivers plenty of laughs with a blend of sexual humor, swearing, and drug references, making it better suited for older children or teens. While it contains some mild inappropriate content, many reviewers found it to be an enjoyable comedy for families, albeit with caution on age appropriateness.
- funny
- mild content
- teen suitable
- family-friendly
- slight inappropriate
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
In MEET THE PARENTS, Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) loves Pam (Teri Polo) and wants to make a good impression on her father, Jack (Robert De Niro), who specializes in sweating the truth out of double agents in the CIA. Everything goes wrong. Jack's natural overprotectiveness meets with Greg's panicky clumsiness. The airline loses Greg's suitcase, so he has to borrow bizarre clothes -- enormous pants from Pam's brother, a tiny Speedo bathing suit from Pam's former fiancé. Greg is compared to Pam's sister's fiancé, a doctor, and to Pam's former boyfriend (Owen Wilson), now fabulously wealthy and still pining for her. Greg, who is Jewish, is asked to say grace at dinner and can only helplessly babble the lyrics from Godspell. And, in the movie's high point, Greg has to cope with the only situation more grueling than a terrifying in-law: airline bureaucracy.
Is It Any Good?
Depending on your sense of humor, this movie is either hilarious or agonizing or both. Written by the screenwriter of the awful Meet the Deedles (who will we meet next? The Fockers, of course) and from the director of Austin Powers, Meet the Parents is a sub-category of comedy that can only be termed "comedies of excruciation," in which we laugh at the hideously humiliating experiences of some poor sap. If this is your kind of humor, then this is your kind of movie.
There are many jokes about Greg's name (Focker, get it?) and his occupation (nurse, which isn't manly, get it?). Jokes center on a catheter, a "Mountie strap-on dildo," a cat who uses the toilet, a cat strung out on nicotine gum, a fire, and an overflowing septic tank. The scene in which Greg battles the airline rules is worth at least three stars on its own.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the kinds of laughs this comedy goes for. Is the humiliation of these characters funny? How does their dishonesty keep them from getting along? Why does Greg's stressed-out nature make him more susceptible to laughs at his expense? Does it bother you that Pam doesn't stand up to her father more? Is she contributing in some way to Greg's misery?
How does this movie mine humor out of exaggeration, in the situations and the relationships among the characters? How would the movie be different without that exaggeration? What are some examples of other movies in which exaggeration is employed for the sake of comedy?
How was pratfall violence used in this movie? What are some other examples of movies with lots of pratfall violence?
Movie Details
- In theaters : October 6, 2000
- On DVD or streaming : December 14, 2004
- Cast : Ben Stiller , Robert De Niro , Teri Polo
- Director : Jay Roach
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Universal Pictures
- Genre : Comedy
- Run time : 108 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : drug references, sexual references and situations, and language
- Last updated : February 13, 2026
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