Meet the Fockers
Universal Pictures | Release Date: December 22, 2004 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
41
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 34 Critic Reviews
Positive:
4
Mixed:
24
Negative:
6
Watch Now
Stream On
Stream On
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
70
Los Angeles TimesCarina Chocano
One of those relatively rare comedies that's at once puerile, charming and very funny throughout. Read full review
67
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
The old-pro twosome of Streisand and Hoffman make such sexy and inviting ethnics (as a certain kind of movie likes to think of a certain kind of Jewish character) that they blithely prevail over the been-there-done-that gags. Read full review
63
PremiereAaron Hillis
De Niro is constantly upstaged by the showstopping, sunburnt duo of Streisand and Hoffman, but even their material is so recycled (more Focker puns, etc.) that it doesn’t matter who steals the most chuckles. Read full review
63
USA TodayClaudia Puig
It's a silly good time, and that's something these days. Read full review
60
Dallas ObserverRobert Wilonsky
It's left to Barbra Streisand and Dustin Hoffman as Greg's parents to warm up the picture, and they light it on fire. Indeed, they're having such a swell time as Roz and Bernie Focker that they seem to be in an entirely different movie--a funnier one, a sexier one and a smarter one. Read full review
60
The New York TimesManohla Dargis
Ms. Streisand hasn't been called on to deliver an immortal or even interesting performance, but she is a pip to watch. Read full review
60
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
The movie gets off to a weak start, but the jokes get progressively more bent. Read full review
60
Village VoiceDennis Lim
For a Ben Stiller rom-com, there's remarkably little pain and humiliation. Which, for the most part, is not a good thing. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeTy Burr
What a waste. Read full review
50
SalonStephanie Zacharek
If there's any reason to bother with Meet the Fockers, it's to see Hoffman and Streisand. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The movie is pleasant enough, but never quite reaches critical mass as a comedy. Read full review
50
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
The problem lies in the screenplay which latches on to the few clever and/or funny elements in the film and runs them into the ground via repetition. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterSheri Linden
Feels jammed into a sitcom-shaped bid for laughs. Read full review
50
VarietyTodd McCarthy
Te laughs "Fockers" generates are the type you feel embarrassed about almost immediately afterward. Read full review
50
SlateDavid Edelstein
From the start the jokes are on a different level than the last one: coarse, aggressive, and poorly timed by director Jay Roach. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
Remember Pam? Lost in the Himalayas of big egos and overacting, she's the invisible character here. If they create a special Oscar for the most thankless part in an ensemble comedy, Teri Polo is a shoe-in. Read full review
50
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
Too much of this lame comedy feels like it was written to satisfy a contract, with gags (like the business with the perpetually horny dog or the toddler who knows sign language) that are way beneath the talents of this cast. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
A sluggish sequel. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
The picture doesn't come close to approaching the near-classic quality of the earlier film. Read full review
50
New York PostLou Lumenick
It says a lot about the sequel that the funniest moment belongs to none of the big stars, but to Owen Wilson. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneAllison Benedikt
Though it's hard not to play it, the expectations game is a dangerous one, especially for sequels. And Roach's original, just like his overexposed star, set us up good. Read full review
42
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
How the mighty (De Niro and Hoffman) have fallen? More like how the mighty have pile-driven themselves into the solid mass of rock at the core of the Earth. . . . Read full review
40
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Danner, whose Dina actually resembles a human being, would be its saving grace if her gracefully controlled performance weren't lost in a sea of braying caricatures. Read full review
40
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
Does Meet the Fockers make you laugh? Sure it does, from time to time. Just lower your expectations to the altitude of the gag that's showcased in the trailer, the one in which Jinx the cat flushes a little dog named Moses down a toilet.
40
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
The abundance of talent gathered for Meet the Fockers is sadly shortchanged by the unimaginative script and directorial laissez faire. It’s more like the audience has been snookered rather than Fockered. Read full review
40
EmpireOlly Richards
A few laughs are salvaged due to the sheer quality of the talent present. Read full review
40
L.A. WeeklyDavid Chute
Feels like a big-budget "Dharma & Greg" episode with toilet jokes. Read full review
40
Film ThreatPete Vonder Haar
Director Jay Roach continues his regrettable "Austin Powers" habit of beating the same shtick to death until nothing of comedy value remains. Read full review
38
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
Meet the Fockers? Avoid them would be a better suggestion. Read full review
30
Washington PostStephen Hunter
The cast is too good for the script and the script is too good for the director and the director is too good for the horny dog jokes. Read full review
25
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
De Niro and Hoffman almost give comic life to this brainless, vulgar farce. Read full review
25
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
Many regular moviegoers will be appalled by its gleeful crudity and saddened by the spectacle of three icon stars mugging through a farce that's not that many notches above "Jackass: The Movie." Read full review
20
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
Meet The Fockers has assembled a historic, once-in-a-lifetime cast, then stranded them in the laziest, most mercenary kind of sequel imaginable. It's like the 1927 Yankees taking on the Special Olympics softball team. Read full review
10
Washington PostDesson Thomson
Don't even rent the DVD, it'll only encourage them. Read full review
More From This Movie

41 Critic Reviews

7.4 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 77 Project Hail Mary
2 75 Send Help
3 73 Hoppers
4 71 The Sheep Detectives
5 68 Crime 101
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL