Review of Meet the Parents

Introduction

“Meet the Parents” follows the fortunes of Ben Stiller who accompanies his girlfriend to her family home for her sister`s wedding, never having met any of the family before. Although he thinks her father (DeNiro) was a retired flower expert, he turns out to be an ex-CIA operative who has extremely high standards for prospective son-in-laws.

Stiller of course manages to start out on the wrong foot, and things go from bad to worse as he gets into one calamity after another...

Video

The video is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, and as you would expect from a major film made last year, is of very high quality throughout. The picture is crisp and stable, with no sign of dirt or grain evident.

The film is well made and features good sets, and what visual effects there are look good.

Audio

The soundtrack comes in a choice of Dolby Digital 5.1 or DTS 5.1. I watched the film with the DTS soundtrack but to be honest, it probably wouldn`t have made much difference which one I picked, as this film is mainly dialogue based and doesn`t have, or need, the powerful effects that DTS can deliver. It is however nice to have the choice!

The sound quality is very good, but there`s little use of the soundstage, and minimal music, so for the most part, the audio is focussed on the front channels.

The dialogue is clear and understandable throughout the movie.

Features

There are plenty of extras on offer - a "Spotlight On Location" featurette which includes never-before-seen behind-the-scenes footage; two audio commentaries, one featuring director Jay Roach and Editor Jon Poll, the other with cast members Robert DeNiro, Ben Stiller and with the director Jay Roach and producer Jane Rosenthal; deleted scenes (with commentary); outtakes; a lie detector test; a forecaster game; production notes; bios and the trailer.

DVD-ROM owners also get some games, screen savers and wallpaper.

Conclusion

Overall, Meet the Parents is an above-average comedy that offers little new and is only saved from mediocrity by DeNiro and Stiller. Whilst the film provides plenty of laughs, many of the gags are far too easy to see coming - not helped by the extremely annoying Universal intro montage that contains several clips from the film.

Video and sound are both high quality, and there`s a good range of extras on offer, however, this film is perhaps more suited to rental as it has limited replay value.