The Circle of Trust

USA Today has a look at Meet the Fockers, the sequel to Meet the Parents, which feature not only Robert DeNiro, Ben Stiller, Teri Polo, and Blythe Danner returning, but Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand as the parents of the situation-challenged male nurse groom played by Stiller (honestly, he may get paid a lot, but Ben Stiller is caught in the ghetto of playing characters who horrible things happen to). It seems that Streisand's character is a sex therapist, which grosses Gothamist out ever since her last therapy sessions in The Prince of Tides, but if Jinx the cat and Owen Wilson return, we're there.

And fresh from the spin machine, director Jay Roach tells USA Today, "Dustin and Barbra should have been a comedy team. They have great comic timing. They could have done vaudeville or I Love Lucy or even Tracy-Hepburn stuff." Right. Gothamist is sure practically the same was said of Turner & Hooch and Sylvester Stallone & Estelle Getty in Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot. Defamer noted how Hoffman and Streisand's road to Fockerness had some bumps. If you want some great Barbra Streisand comedy, see What's Up Doc, which is preposterously good.

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By Jen Chung in Arts & Entertainment on May 25, 2004 11:35 AM

Comments [rss]

karatechimp

And I meant 'What's Up Doc?' is my Dad's favorite film, not the documentary.

Hoffman's Robert Evans imitation can be seen in 'Wag the Dog'.

karatechimp

Jen, you should rent the doc 'Easy Rider's Raging Bulls'. Production Designer and former wife of Bogdonovich, Polly Platt tells a pretty good story about Steisand in 'What's Up Doc."

It's a great film. Actually my dad's favorite film. We just re-watched it as a family on Thanksgiving.

ziegfeld

It will be interesting to see if they let Hoffman improv...he can be VERY funny. Have you seen his imitation of Robert Evans at the end of "Kid Stays in the Picture"?

Liz

Also in the cast of "What's Up Doc?" -- Kenneth Mars (the Nazi playwright in the original movie of "The Producers") and Austin Pendleton. Seriously, it's very very funny, and sexy, and makes fun of musicologists and has some excellent San Francisco scenes. It's always been one of my favorites: glad to see the Gothamist doyenne agrees.

Jen

Okay, if you're a romantic comedy fan, I highly recommend What's Up Doc. It's loosely based on Bringing Up Baby, and Peter Bogdanovich's direction did not butcher, but in fact, it's this lovely, wispy film. I've never seen Babs act that natural and sexy. She's radiant. And Madeline Kahn is in it. That's all you need to know.

regular (asian) joe

I'm a big fan of "Meet the Parents." However, with Barbra Streisand in this one, I very well may skip "Meet the Fockers." I was so excited when I learned about the sequel and was equally, if not more, disappointed when I learned that she was cast as Greg Focker's mother. What were they thinking?!

kowgurl

Wow, everyone's gonna have such a hard time deciding who gives the better acting performance--Babs' manicure or Ben Stiller....

Brian Van

"Hey guys, wanna rent a Barbara Streisand movie? It was recommended on a website as 'preposterously good'. It's supposed to be really funny."

"Uhhh, guys..."

"Guys, say something..."