Classic Movie Review: 'Meet the Parents' 25 Years Later

Meet the Parents

Directed by Jay Roach

Written by Jim Herzfeld, John Hamburg

Starring Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Tier Polo, Blythe Danner

Release Date October 6th, 2000

Published February 20th, 2025

2025 marks a quarter century since the release of the blockbuster comedy Meet the Parents, a film that showed audiences an entirely new comedic side to legendary tough guy actor Robert De Niro while solidifying the blockbuster stardom of Ben Stiller as a leading man. 25 years later, both De Niro and Stiller remain high profile and beloved stars with major projects still making waves. In 2025 Stiller has mostly moved behind the scenes where he’s got a hit Apple TV series, Severance. As for Mr. De Niro, he’s also gone to television with the new Netflix series, Zero Day. Thus, now seems a good time to reflect on the movie that changed both of their careers 25 years ago.

The 2000 comedy Meet the Parents was directed by Jay Roach and stars Ben Stiller as Gaylord "Greg" Focker, a nurse who is eager to propose to his girlfriend, Pam Byrnes, played by Teri Polo. However, before he can pop the question, he must first navigate the formidable obstacle of gaining the approval of Pam's father, Jack Byrnes (De Niro). Jack, a retired CIA operative, harbors a deep-seated suspicion of anyone outside the family circle, and begins using his CIA training to investigate his daughter’s new boyfriend.

Greg's weekend visit to the Byrnes family residence quickly descends into a chaotic series of awkward and disastrous events. Greg manages to lose the family cat, Jinx, he breaks the nose of his new girlfriend’s sister, played by Nicole DeHuff, when he goes too hard during a game of volleyball, and generally finds new and unique ways to humiliate himself. A particularly beloved and memorably awkward sequence has Greg claiming that he has milked a cat, a seemingly improv’d sequence that thrives on being deeply uncomfortable and laugh out loud funny.

The film's supporting cast includes Blythe Danner as Dina Byrnes, Jack's wife, and Owen Wilson as Kevin Rawley, Pam's ex-boyfriend, whose presence adds another layer of tension and awkwardness to Greg's visit. Jack loves Kevin and quite clearly would prefer that Pam get back together with Kevin rather than be with Greg. Kevin meanwhile, is the perfect guy, handsome, kind, and capable in ways Greg is not. Greg’s feelings of inferiority to Kevin play out in terrifically funny fashion as Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller have insanely great comedic chemistry.

Meet the Parents managed to pull off a trick that many similar comedies have failed at, making audiences cringe in sympathy with Greg’s many humiliations, while still laughing uproariously. Many comedies in the wake of Meet the Parents seemed to stop at just making the audience uncomfortable without finding a way to make the discomfort funny. It takes an actor of exceptional likability, like Ben Stiller, to be repeatedly made to look foolish and still keep our sympathy. Greg is a complete dork who earns a lot of his humiliation and yet, he remains someone we really like and identify with. It’s a tricky balance but Stiller pulls it off brilliantly.

As for Robert De Niro, he’s not a naturally funny guy, but when used correctly, he is a stalwart straight man who is capable of getting in the comedy muck while remaining above it. He’s brusque and stiff but with intention, when he softens, like in scenes with Jinx the cat, or late in the movie when he comes around on liking Greg, De Niro the actor seamlessly transitions the character from standoffish to sweetheart without losing any of his dignity or gravity. It takes an actor of De Niro’s talent to so easily change gears without resorting to schmaltz.

Meet the Parents has aged well. 25 years later, the movie is relatively timeless, with few elements dating it to the year 2000. The simple premise stated in the title, Meet the Parents, remains one that any audience can relate to and laugh with. Meanwhile, the direction by Jay Roach keeps things simple with sensible production design and smartly layered storytelling with strong setups and payoffs on big gags. Roach appears to have sensed the sparky chemistry of his two leads and crafted scenarios that allowed them the space to explore their very funny dynamic. Stiller and De Niro could not be more different and those differences are like lightning in a bottle when it comes to comedy.

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