View source for Meet the Parents

{{short description|2000 film by Jay Roach}}
{{about|the 2000 film}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Meet the Parents
| image          = Meet_the_parents_ver2.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Jay Roach]]
| producer       = {{Plainlist|
* Nancy Tenenbaum
* Jay Roach
* [[Jane Rosenthal]]
* [[Robert De Niro]]
}}
| screenplay     = {{Plainlist|
* [[Jim Herzfeld]]
* [[John Hamburg]]
}}
| story          = {{Plainlist|
* [[Greg Glienna]]
* Mary Ruth Clarke
}}
| based_on       = {{based on|''[[Meet the Parents (1992 film)|Meet the Parents]]''|Greg Glienna|Mary Ruth Clarke}}
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Robert De Niro]]
* [[Ben Stiller]]
* [[Blythe Danner]]
* [[Teri Polo]]
* [[James Rebhorn]]
* [[Jon Abrahams]]
* [[Owen Wilson]]
}}
| music          = [[Randy Newman]]
| cinematography = [[Peter James (cinematographer)|Peter James]]
| editing        = {{Plainlist|
* [[Jon Poll]]
* Greg Hayden
}}
| studio         = {{Plainlist|
* [[TriBeCa Productions]]
* Nancy Tenenbaum Productions
}}
| distributor    = {{Plainlist|
* [[Universal Pictures]] (United States and Canada)
* [[DreamWorks Pictures]] (International)
}}
| released       = {{film date|2000|10|6}}
| runtime        = 108 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $55 million
| gross          = $330.4 million
}}
'''''Meet the Parents''''' is a 2000 American [[comedy]] film written by [[Jim Herzfeld]] and [[John Hamburg]] and directed by [[Jay Roach]]. It chronicles a series of unfortunate events that befall a good-hearted but hapless nurse ([[Ben Stiller]] as Greg Focker) while visiting his girlfriend's parents ([[Robert De Niro]] and [[Blythe Danner]] as Jack and Dina Byrnes). In addition, [[Teri Polo]] stars as Pam Byrnes (Greg's girlfriend) while [[Owen Wilson]] stars as Kevin Rawley (Pam's ex-boyfriend).

The film is a remake of a 1992 [[Meet the Parents (1992 film)|film of the same name]] directed by [[Greg Glienna]] and produced by Jim Vincent. Glienna – who also played the original film's protagonist – and Mary Ruth Clarke cowrote the screenplay. [[Universal Pictures]] purchased the rights to Glienna's film with the intent of creating a new version. Jim Herzfeld expanded the original script but development was halted for some time. Jay Roach read the expanded script and expressed his desire to direct it but Universal declined him. At that time, [[Steven Spielberg]] was interested in doing so while [[Jim Carrey]] was interested in playing the lead role.<ref>{{cite news|title=Carrey Has 'No Regrets' Over Meet The Parents|url=http://www.contactmusic.com/jim-carrey/news/carrey-has-no-regrets-over-meet-the-parents_1089627|newspaper=Contactmusic.com|date=16 December 2008|access-date=28 July 2015|archive-date=27 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150927160049/http://www.contactmusic.com/jim-carrey/news/carrey-has-no-regrets-over-meet-the-parents_1089627|url-status=live}}</ref> The studio only offered the film to Roach once Spielberg and Carrey left the project.

Released in the United States and Canada on October 6, 2000 and distributed by Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures internationally through [[United International Pictures]], the film earned back its initial budget of $55 million in only 11 days. It went on to become one of the highest-grossing films of 2000, earning over $165 million in North America and over $330 million worldwide. It was well received by film critics and viewers alike, winning several awards and earning additional nominations. Ben Stiller won two comedy awards for his performance and the film was chosen as the Favorite Comedy Motion Picture at the 2001 [[People's Choice Awards]]. The success of the film inspired two sequels, namely ''[[Meet the Fockers]]'' and ''[[Little Fockers]]'' released in 2004 and 2010, respectively. It also inspired a reality television show titled ''[[Meet My Folks]]'' and a sitcom titled ''[[In-Laws]]'', both of which debuted on [[NBC]] in 2002.

==Plot==
 <!-- Per WP:FILMPLOT, plot summary should be between 400 to 700 words. -->
Greg Focker, a Jewish American nurse living in [[Chicago]], intends to propose to his girlfriend, daycare teacher Pam Byrnes. He chooses to get her father's blessing at her sister Debbie's wedding at their parents' house on [[Long Island]], and plans to propose to her in front of her family. This plan is put on hold when the airline company loses his luggage, which contains the [[engagement ring]].

At the Byrnes's, Greg meets Pam's father Jack, mother Dina, and beloved cat Jinx. Despite displaying a friendly demeanor towards Greg, Jack is immediately suspicious of him and is critical of his choice of career as a nurse. Greg gifts Jack an extremely rare flower, but he does not recognize it, although he's a 'retired florist'.

Greg becomes even more uncomfortable after he receives an impromptu [[Polygraph|lie detector]] test from Jack. Pam explains that Jack's profession as a florist is a cover, and he is actually a retired [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] operative who interrogated double agents.

Meeting the rest of Pam's family and friends, including Debbie's future in-laws, Greg still feels like an outsider. He also becomes insecure about his relationship with Pam when he learns she was previously engaged. Her ex-fiancé Kevin is amiable, handsome, wealthy, and still on friendly terms with her. He is also the Best Man in Debbie's wedding.

Despite efforts to impress her family, Greg's inadvertent actions make him an easy target for ridicule. Greg unintentionally gives Debbie a broken nose and a black eye during a pool volleyball game, floods the backyard with sewage, breaks an urn containing the ashes of Jack's mother, and sets the wedding altar on fire. Jack suspects Greg is a [[marijuana]] user after he endorses the marijuana interpretation of "[[Puff, the Magic Dragon]]". Jack's suspicion increases when he catches Pam's brother Denny retrieving a [[marijuana pipe]] from a jacket that he loaned Greg, which Denny hastily lies about being Greg's.

Greg loses Jinx, so temporarily replaces him with a near-identical stray, whose tail he spray-paints and who makes a mess of the house and destroys Debbie's wedding dress. Greg's deception is exposed when a neighbor finds the real Jinx, so the entire Byrnes family demand Greg leave Long Island.

Jack accuses Greg of lying about taking the [[Medical College Admission Test]] because his CIA contacts could not find any record of a Gregory Focker. Greg retaliates by revealing he has seen Jack engaging in secret meetings, receiving passports, and speaking in [[Thai language|Thai]]. He deduces that Jack has taken on a new CIA mission, only for Jack to angrily reveal that he was arranging a surprise honeymoon in [[Thailand]] for Debbie and her fiancé Bob.

A devastated Greg drives to the airport to return to Chicago, but is detained by airport security for refusing to again check his suitcase, which is too large to be a carry-on, and taking his anger out on a flight attendant. Back at the Byrnes's house, Pam shows her parents copies of Greg's MCAT transcript which his parents faxed her; the CIA found no record of Greg because his legal name is Gaylord, not Gregory.

Jack still believes that Greg is an unsuitable husband for Pam, but Dina lectures him over his consistent disapproval of any man Pam brings home. After hearing Pam make a heartfelt phone call to Greg, apologizing for not sticking up for him, Jack realizes she truly loves him.

Jack rushes to the airport and convinces security to release Greg. The two clear the air with each other, with Greg citing his fear of living up to Jack’s unattainable standards. After ensuring Greg’s loyalty and devotion to Pam, Jack finally accepts him, and asks him to be his son-in-law.

After returning to the Byrnes home, Greg proposes to Pam, as Jack and Dina listen in from their bedroom, agreeing that they should now meet Greg's parents. After Debbie's wedding, Jack views footage of Greg recorded by hidden cameras that he had placed around the house, in which Greg vents his frustrations with Jack, and also exposes Denny as a marijuana user.

==Cast==
{{cast list|
*[[Robert De Niro]] as Jack Byrnes, a retired [[CIA]] agent and a [[Vietnam War]] [[Vietnam War veteran|veteran]] who is overprotective of his family, slightly paranoid, and takes an instant dislike towards Greg
*[[Ben Stiller]] as Gaylord "Greg" Focker, a nurse and Pam's boyfriend, who seeks to impress her parents
*[[Blythe Danner]] as Dina Byrnes, Jack's wife and Pam's mother 
*[[Teri Polo]] as Pam Byrnes, a 2nd-grade teacher, who is Greg's girlfriend and Jack and Dina's older daughter
*[[James Rebhorn]] as Larry Banks, Bob's father and a close friend of Jack, who is a plastic surgeon
*[[Jon Abrahams]] as Denny Byrnes, brother of Pam and Debbie, and Jack and Dina's youngest son
*[[Owen Wilson]] as Kevin Rawley, the wealthy stock investor/carpenter ex-fiancé of Pam
*[[Phyllis George]] as Linda Banks, Larry's wife and Bob's mother
*[[Kali Rocha]] as Flight Attendant
*[[Nicole DeHuff]] as Debbie Byrnes, the younger sister of Pam, Jack and Dina's younger daughter and Bob's fiancée
*[[Tom McCarthy (director)|Thomas McCarthy]] as Bob Banks, Larry and Linda's son, a doctor and Debbie's fiancé
*Mark Hammer as Patient in the Hospital
}}

==Themes==
{{quote box|width=30%|align=right|quote="But I was trying to have in a kind of forties-farce way, the opportunity to create realistic characters, but heighten the comedic situations and predicaments a bit so that they're still very funny and there is still some very broad humor, but you would connect to the characters and completely identify with Ben Stiller's anxiety about not only meeting Robert De Niro's character and all, but the kind of characters from his past that come with him."|source=Jay Roach<ref name="DVDTALK">Kleinman, Geoffrey. [https://www.dvdtalk.com/interviews/jay_roach_direc.html Jay Roach – Director of Meet The Parents] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106192952/https://www.dvdtalk.com/interviews/jay_roach_direc.html |date=2018-11-06 }}, DVDtalk. Accessed April 1, 2010.</ref>}}
Greg Focker is a middle-class Jewish nurse whose social and cultural position is juxtaposed against the Byrnes family of upper-middle class [[White Anglo-Saxon Protestant]]s.<ref>Wilmington, Michael. [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-nov-06-ca-47724-story.html 'Meet the Parents' Finds Success by Marrying Classic Themes to Modern Tastes], ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', November 6, 2000. Accessed March 30, 2010.</ref><ref name="Bower 99">{{harvnb|Bower|2004|p=99}}</ref> With respect to Greg as a Jew and a nurse when compared to the Byrnes and Banks families, a distinct cultural gap is created and subsequently widened. The cultural differences are often highlighted, and Greg repeatedly made aware of them. This serves to achieve comedic effect through character development and has also been commented upon as being indicative of thematic portrayal of Jewish characters' roles in modern film as well as being a prime example of how male nurses are portrayed in media.<ref name="Brook 240, 241">{{harvnb|Brook|2006|pp=240, 241}}</ref><ref name="Bower 97-99">{{harvnb|Bower|2004|pp=97–99}}</ref><ref name="SUMMERS">{{harvnb|Summers|Summers|2009|pp=172, 173}}</ref> Speaking about character development in ''Meet the Parents'', director Jay Roach stated that he wanted an opportunity to "do character-driven comedy"<ref name="DVDTALK"/> and "to create realistic characters, but heighten the comedic situations and predicaments."<ref name="DVDTALK"/>

Vincent Brook observes mainstream Hollywood cinema's tendency since the 1990s of incorporating Jewish [[liminality]] and "popularizing the Jew."<ref name="Brook 240, 241"/> He explains the "manly Jewish triumph"<ref name="Brook 240, 241"/> of characters like [[Jeff Goldblum]]'s David Levinson in ''[[Independence Day (1996 film)|Independence Day]]'' and labels it as a "certain answer to America's yearnings for a new Jewish hero."<ref name="Brook 240, 241"/> This stands in direct contrast to the [[wikt:schlemiel|schlemiel]] or "the Jewish fool"<ref name="Brook 240, 241"/> which was seen to have been revitalized in the mid-1990s after faltering since the 1960s. The schlemiel, Brook explains, is an anti-hero in whose humiliation the audience finds supreme pleasure. Within that context, Brook describes Greg Focker's character as "the quintessential example of the [[Postmodernism|postmodern]] schlemiel."<ref name="Brook 240, 241"/> The repeated embarrassing encounters that Greg faces with his girlfriend's all-American family is compared to the example of [[Jason Biggs]]'s character [[Jim Levenstein]] of the [[American Pie (film series)|''American Pie'' film series]] where Levenstein is often the comedic centerpiece due to his repeated sexual embarrassments.<ref>{{harvnb|Brook|2006|p=241}}</ref>

[[File:Meet the Parents grace.JPG|thumb|300px|left|At the insistence of his Christian host, the Jewish Greg agrees to say a prayer to bless the food at the dinner table. Unskilled at this custom, he improvises and recites a part of ''[[Godspell]]''. This scene served to show a wide social and cultural gap between Greg and the Christian Byrnes family.]]
Anne Bower writes about Jewish characters at mealtime as part of the broader movement she believes started in the 1960s where filmmakers started producing work that explored the "Jewish self-definition."<ref name="Bower 99"/> She postulates that the dinner table becomes an arena where Jewish characters are often and most pointedly put into "conflicts with their ethnic and sexual selves."<ref name="Bower 99"/> She describes the example of Greg sitting down for dinner with the Byrnes family and being asked to bless the food. In this scene, Greg attempts to recite a prayer by improvising and, in doing so, launches into a recital of the song "[[Day by Day (Godspell song)|Day by Day]]" from Act I of ''[[Godspell]]''. Bower notes this scene as "particularly important for establishing the cultural distance"<ref name="Bower 99"/> between the Jewish Greg and the Christian Byrnes. She noted that the social gap is further widened next morning when Greg is the last person to arrive at the breakfast table; he shows up wearing pajamas while everyone else is fully clothed. Here Greg is shown eating a [[bagel]], which Bower argues as being a clear signifier of [[Jewishness]].<ref name="Bower 99"/>

Based on common misconceptions and stereotypes about [[men in nursing]], Greg's profession is repeatedly brought up by Jack in a negative context and the character of Greg Focker has come to be one of the best known film portrayals of a male nurse.<ref name="SUMMERS"/> Even though men dominated the profession in earlier times,<ref>{{harvnb|O'Lynn|Tranbarger|2007|p=6}}</ref> there has been a feminization of the nursing profession over the course of the last century which has caused men in nursing to often be portrayed as misfits by the media.<ref>{{harvnb|O'Lynn|Tranbarger|2007|p=172}}</ref> A common stereotype is that of a man who accepts a career in nursing as an unfortunate secondary career choice, either failing to become a physician or still trying to become one. Such stereotyping is due to a presumption that a man would prefer to be a physician but is unable to become one due to lack of intelligence or non-masculine attributes. Jack is often seen openly criticizing Greg's career choice per his perception of nursing being an effeminate profession. In their book ''Men in Nursing: History, Challenges, and Opportunities'' authors Chad O'Lynn and Russell Tranbarger present this as an example of a negative portrayal.<ref>{{harvnb|O'Lynn|Tranbarger|2007|p=257}}</ref> Commenting on the same issue but disagreeing, Barbara Cherry in her book ''Contemporary Nursing: Issues, Trends, & Management'' called the portrayal of Greg as a nurse "one of the most positive film portrayals of men who are nurses"<ref name="CHERRY">{{harvnb|Cherry|2005|p=34}}</ref> and commented that Greg "humorously addresses and rises above the worst of all stereotypes that are endured by men in this profession."<ref name="CHERRY"/> Sandy and Harry Summers in the book ''Saving Lives: Why the Media's Portrayal of Nurses Puts Us All at Risk'' postulate that Greg's character, although intelligent and firm in his defense of his profession, "might have done more to rebut the stereotypes"<ref name="SUMMERS"/> while also reporting that "some men in nursing"<ref name="SUMMERS"/> expressed their opinions that it would have been better to not present the stereotypes at all.<ref name="SUMMERS"/>

==Production==

===Background===
{{main|Meet the Parents (1992 film)}}
The film is a [[remake]] of a 1992 [[independent film]] of the same name.<ref name="STUMPED">[http://stumpedmagazine.com/Articles/the-boys-who-met.html The Boys Who Met the Parents] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716160630/http://stumpedmagazine.com/Articles/the-boys-who-met.html |date=2011-07-16 }}, ''Stumped''. Accessed March 26, 2010.</ref><ref name="DVDFUTURE">Shaffer, R.L. [http://www.dvdfuture.com/review.php?id=714 Meet the Parents: Bonus Edition (2000)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101022084448/http://www.dvdfuture.com/review.php?id=714 |date=2010-10-22 }}, dvdfuture.com. Accessed December 20, 2009.</ref><ref name="CITYPAPER">Adams, Sam. [http://www.citypaper.net/movies/m/meettheparents.shtml Meet the Parents] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101023131639/http://citypaper.net/movies/m/meettheparents.shtml |date=2010-10-23 }}, ''[[Philadelphia City Paper]]''. Accessed August 20, 2009.</ref><ref name="Press 2004 170">{{harvnb|Press|2004|p=170}}</ref> Greg Glienna and Mary Ruth Clarke wrote the original story and screenplay. Glienna also directed and starred in the 76-minute film which was filmed on [[16 mm film]] in 1991 and released the following year.<ref>Ayscough, Suzan. [https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117901425.html?categoryid=31&cs=1 Meet the Parents] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208200208/http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117901425.html?categoryid=31&cs=1 |date=2008-12-08 }}, ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'', August 13, 1992. Accessed May 28, 2008.</ref><ref name="WIND">Wooten, Amy. [http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=11599 Greg Glienna: Meet the Comic] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200321200628/http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=11599 |date=2020-03-21 }}, ''[[Windy City Times]]'', May 31, 2008. Accessed May 28, 2008.</ref><ref name="COMEDYNEWSWIRE">Brown, R. Chris. [https://web.archive.org/web/20110708180302/http://www.comedynewswire.com/labels/Emo%20Phillips.html Emo Philips Talks with R. Chris Brown]. Comedy Newswire, March 23, 2009. Accessed August 20, 2009.</ref><ref name="WP">[[Desson Howe|Howe, Desson]]. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/entertainment/movies/reviews/meettheparentshowe.htm A High Mirth Rate] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171208124757/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/entertainment/movies/reviews/meettheparentshowe.htm |date=2017-12-08 }}, ''[[The Washington Post]]'', October 6, 2000. Accessed February 3, 2010.</ref> The 1992 film also marked one of only several film roles played by comedian [[Emo Philips]] which he also helped produce.<ref name="DVDFUTURE"/><ref name="CITYPAPER"/><ref name="COMEDYNEWSWIRE"/><ref>[https://archive.today/20120907192656/http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS200964+08-Jul-2009+PRN20090708 Local Film Producer Brings America's #1 Film School To Detroit], ''[[Reuters]]'', July 8, 2009. Accessed August 20, 2009.</ref> Film producer [[Elliot Grove]], founder of [[Raindance Film Festival]] and the [[British Independent Film Awards]], listed the original ''Meet the Parents'' on his personal Top Ten list of favorite films where he called it "much funnier and tighter than the Hollywood version".<ref>[http://www.raindance.co.uk/site/index.php?id=252,2156,0,0,1,0 Elliot's Top Ten] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160406034700/http://www.raindance.co.uk/site/index.php?id=252,2156,0,0,1,0 |date=2016-04-06 }}, [[Raindance Film Festival|raindance.co.uk]]. Accessed August 20, 2009.</ref> The 1992 film was a featured entry in the 1995 Raindance Film Festival.

Producer Nancy Tenenbaum acquired the rights to the 1992 film.<ref name="LAT1"/> After she sent a copy of the original film to several people of interest, filmmaker [[Steven Soderbergh]] replied that he was interested and that he wanted to direct a remake. He brought it to the attention of Universal Studios who initially declined but subsequently optioned the rights to the film in 1995.<ref name="STUMPED"/><ref name="Press 2004 170"/> Soderbergh took on the project but then dropped it when he got involved with ''[[Out of Sight (1998 film)|Out of Sight]]''.<ref name="STUMPED"/><ref>{{harvnb|Kaufman|2002|p=92}}</ref>

===Writing===
{{quote box|width=30%|align=right|quote="...I think the film is fantastic, and I can't imagine a screenwriter being any happier with a film unless he directs it himself. Which, in this case, would've been a disaster since Jay is a brilliant director..."|source=Jim Herzfeld<ref name="B&N"/>}}
Universal approached screenwriter [[Jim Herzfeld]] to expand the screenplay.<ref name="LAT1">[[Kenneth Turan|Turan, Kenneth]]. [http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/reviews/cl-movie001005-7,0,4306790.story Meet the Parents] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071027061654/http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/reviews/cl-movie001005-7,0,4306790.story |date=2007-10-27 }}, ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', October 6, 2000. Accessed February 3, 2010.</ref><ref name="UTOPIA"/> Herzfeld expanded the modest script, completing the first draft as early as 1996. He initially presented it to Roach who had, up to that point, directed the first two ''[[Austin Powers (film series)|Austin Powers]]'' films. Roach admits to have liked the script from the beginning<ref name="EW2"/> and was very much willing to make the film even though he thought "it needed more work."<ref name="B&N"/> Universal initially declined to have relatively inexperienced Roach take on the project. The studio was skeptical of Roach's ability to direct a "less-cartoony, character-driven script" compared to a comedy like ''Austin Powers''.<ref name="B&N"/> Universal's reluctance to give the project to Roach was also due to new interest from [[Steven Spielberg]] who wanted to direct and produce the film with [[Jim Carrey]] playing the role of Greg Focker.<ref name="B&N"/><ref name="UTOPIA"/><ref name="EW2"/><ref name="EW3"/><ref name="KING">[http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0812/15/lkl.01.html Interview with Fran Drescher; Jim Carrey Discusses Movies, Comedy and Relationships] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200321200626/http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0812/15/lkl.01.html |date=2020-03-21 }}, [[CNN]], December 15, 2008. Accessed March 29, 2010.</ref> However, Spielberg and Carrey never took the project past the planning stages.<ref name="B&N"/> The script was then returned to Roach who had by now taken on his next project of ''[[Mystery, Alaska]]'' but was still interested in making ''Meet the Parents''.

The drafts of the script were written by Herzfeld and, once De Niro and Stiller were confirmed as stars, John Hamburg was brought on board "to help fit the script to their verbal styles."<ref name="LAT1"/> Due to changes in directorial and acting line-ups after the early drafts of the script were written, Hamburg kept adjusting and re-writing the script well after production had already begun.<ref name="EW2"/><ref name="EW3"/>

===Casting===
[[File:Robert De Niro TFF 2011 Shankbone.JPG|thumb|upright|Robert De Niro was cast upon the suggestion of Universal Studios due to critical acclaim of his recent comedy work.]]
Upon the suggestion of Universal Studios, Roach cast De Niro in the role of Jack Byrnes due to critical acclaim of his recent comedy work in films such as ''[[Analyze This]]'' and in the [[live-action/animated film]] ''[[The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle (film)|The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle]]''.<ref name="B&N"/> His character is Pam's father and a retired [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] operative who is overly protective of his family and has a hard time warming up to his daughters' love interests. The script was not written with De Niro in mind as Jack Byrnes; the first draft of the script was completed in 1996, three years before De Niro appeared in ''Analyze This''.<ref name="UTOPIA">Gunn, Elston. [http://www.screenwritersutopia.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=10 Ten Questions with MEET THE PARENTS screenwriter Jim Herzfeld] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090731175220/http://www.screenwritersutopia.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=10 |date=2009-07-31 }}, screenwritersutopia.com, March 11, 2004. Accessed October 9, 2008.</ref> However, shortly after De Niro finished filming ''The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle'', Universal suggested to Roach that he should cast him for the role to which Roach agrees that he had "no reservations whatsoever."<ref name="B&N">[http://video.barnesandnoble.com/search/interview.asp?CTR=753952 Jay Roach talks about his hit film Meet the Parents and spewing sewage on Robert De Niro] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301214110/http://video.barnesandnoble.com/search/interview.asp?CTR=753952 |date=2012-03-01 }}, [[Barnes & Noble]], March 5, 2001. Accessed October 9, 2008.</ref> In an interview with ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'', De Niro stated that he was in active pursuit of comedic roles since ''Analyze This''.<ref name="EW3"/> Admitting that he had initial reservations about starring in the film, he said that he felt "pushed into it" due to insistence by [[Jane Rosenthal]]—De Niro's partner in [[TriBeCa Productions]] who also acted as one of the producers.<ref name="EW3">Daly, Steve. [https://ew.com/article/2000/10/13/meet-parents-laws-disorder/ In-Laws & Disorder], ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'', October 13, 2000. Accessed February 3, 2010.</ref> Screenwriter Jim Herzfeld and director Jay Roach both confirmed that, after committing to the project and reviewing the script, De Niro was actually the person who came up with the idea for the famous [[polygraph]] test scene.<ref name="UTOPIA"/><ref name="EW3"/> Asked about working with him given the serious nature of his previous roles, Ben Stiller said that "it was a little bit intimidating working with De Niro" but that he "has a great sense of humor and I think that's the biggest surprise about him."<ref>Carillo, Jenny. [http://www.urbancinefile.com.au/home/view.asp?a=4378&s=Interviews Stiller, Ben: Meet the Parents] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106202936/http://www.urbancinefile.com.au/home/view.asp?a=4378&s=Interviews |date=2018-11-06 }}, ''Urban Cinefile'', December 21, 2000. Accessed April 1, 2010.</ref>

[[File:Benstillernyc2.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Ben Stiller was cast partly because the director was impressed with his improvisational abilities.]]
Explaining how Ben Stiller came to be cast in the role of Greg, Roach states: "I saw ''Meet the Parents'' as an anxiety dream, and in my view nobody plays that kind of material better than Ben."<ref name="B&N"/> Additionally, Roach was impressed with Stiller's creative and [[Ad libitum|ad lib]] abilities stating that "he has lots of great ideas and he's very skilled at loose improvisation."<ref name="B&N"/> His character is a [[nurse]] who loves his girlfriend and tries desperately to impress her parents by any means which includes telling harmless little lies which are then covered up with bigger lies and elaborate cover-up schemes. The film's script was initially written with [[Jim Carrey]] in the role of Greg and contained much more physical comedy, something that Stiller did not think would be successful with himself playing the role.<ref name="EW2">[https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,87379,00.html Meet the Parents] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130521163149/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,87379,00.html |date=2013-05-21 }}, ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'', August 11, 2000. Accessed February 3, 2010.</ref><ref name="EW3"/> This resulted in deletion of some scenes but also in introduction of at least one unscripted scene that was completely improvised by Stiller.<ref name="B&N"/><ref name="EW2"/> Roach cast Stiller only after it became clear that Carrey would not be taking on the role.<ref name="B&N"/>

The consideration to play the character of Pam Byrnes, Greg's girlfriend who acts as a mediator between Greg and the Byrnes family, especially her father, Jack, was initially given to British actress [[Naomi Watts]]. She ultimately lost the role to Teri Polo because the filmmakers "didn't think [Watts] was sexy enough".<ref name="EW4">Cruz, Gilbert. [https://ew.com/article/2006/12/08/spotlight-naomi-watts/ Spotlight: Naomi Watts], ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'', December 8, 2006. Accessed February 3, 2010.</ref><ref name="DAILYRECORD">Synnot, Siobhan. [http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/tm_headline=a-movie--marriage-and-baby---mega-watts&method=full&objectid=18987382&siteid=66633-name_page.html A Movie, Marriage and Baby...Mega Watts] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609170704/http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/tm_headline%3Da-movie--marriage-and-baby---mega-watts%26method%3Dfull%26objectid%3D18987382%26siteid%3D66633-name_page.html |date=2011-06-09 }}, ''[[Daily Record (Scotland)|Daily Record]]'', April 30, 2007. Accessed February 3, 2010.</ref>

Other characters in the film were played by [[Blythe Danner]] (as Dina Byrnes, Jack's wife and Pam's mother), [[Owen Wilson]] (as Kevin Rawley, Pam's ex-fiancée), [[Nicole DeHuff]] (as Debbie Byrnes, Pam's sister), [[Jon Abrahams]] (as Denny Byrnes, the youngest child of Jack and Dina Byrnes), [[Tom McCarthy (director)|Thomas McCarthy]] (as Bob Banks, Debbie's fiancé), and [[James Rebhorn]] (as Larry Banks, Bob Banks' father and a close friend of Jack's).<ref name="NYT2">[https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/214070/Meet-the-Parents/cast Meet the Parents (2000) – Acting Credits] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102090544/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/214070/Meet-the-Parents/cast |date=2012-11-02 }}, ''[[The New York Times]]''. Accessed March 26, 2010.</ref> [[Phyllis George]], who is a former [[Miss Texas]] and [[Miss America]] pageant winner and has appeared on numerous television programs as a guest and a host, made her acting debut as Linda Banks, Larry's wife and Bob's mother.<ref>{{harvnb|Laufenberg|2005|p=253}}</ref>

The role of Jinx the cat was played by two five-year-old [[Himalayan (cat)|Himalayan]] cats named Bailey and Misha (sometimes written as Meesha<ref>{{harvnb|Sandler|2007|p=307}}</ref>), though according to trainer Dawn Barkan, "about 85%" of Jinx's scenes were done by Misha.<ref>{{cite AV media |date=2004 |title=Meet the Parents Bonus Edition - "Silly Cat Tricks" |type=DVD |publisher=Universal Studios |isbn=1-4170-1119-X}}</ref> The [[American Humane Association]] oversaw the filming of all scenes where the cats were used and ensured the animals' obedience and well-being by keeping two trainers and a veterinarian on set at all times.<ref>[http://www.ahafilm.info/movies/moviereviews.phtml?fid=116 Movie Review – Meet the Parents] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002200950/http://www.ahafilm.info/movies/moviereviews.phtml?fid=116 |date=2011-10-02 }}, [[American Humane Association]]. Accessed August 14, 2009.</ref>

==Rating==
Greg Glienna did not come up with the surname Focker; Greg's character in the original film did not have a last name. The name was written into the script after Jim Carrey came up with the idea for the Focker surname during a creative session held before he abandoned the project.<ref name="STUMPED"/><ref name="WIND"/><ref name="KING"/> Once ''Meet the Parents'' was submitted for rating evaluation, the [[Motion Picture Association of America]] (MPAA) questioned the surname Focker as possibly an expletive and, due to the repetitiveness of the surname throughout the film, it was in danger of being rated R according to the [[Motion Picture Association of America film rating system]]. The filmmakers were asked if they had made up the name or if they can prove that such a name exists. The studio submitted to the MPAA a list of real people with the surname Focker which ensured that the film retained a PG-13 rating.<ref>Snider, Mike and Soriano, César. [https://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2004-12-27-fockers-pronounced_x.htm Good-time 'Fockers' is a pronounced success] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120725034740/http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2004-12-27-fockers-pronounced_x.htm |date=2012-07-25 }}, ''[[USA Today]]'', December 27, 2004. Accessed March 29, 2010.</ref>

==Release==

===Theatrical run===
''Meet the Parents'' had its theatrical release in the United States and Canada on October 6, 2000. Distributed domestically by Universal Studios, it had an advertising budget of [[USD|$]]33.9 million.<ref>{{harvnb|Wasko|2003|p=196}}</ref> It quickly proved to be a financial success, taking in $28.6 million during its opening weekend and averaging $10,950 per theater in a total of 2,614 theaters.<ref name="MOJO-WEEKEND">[https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=meettheparents.htm Weekend Box Office] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190119200547/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=meettheparents.htm |date=2019-01-19 }}, [[Box Office Mojo]]. Accessed February 3, 2010.</ref> It finished as the [[List of 2000 box office number-one films in the United States|top-grossing film]] for the weekend of October 6–8, beating the second-placed ''[[Remember the Titans]]'' by a margin of over $9 million and bringing in more than four times the gross of ''[[Get Carter (2000 film)|Get Carter]]'', the next highest-grossing film released that weekend.<ref>[https://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?view=&yr=2000&wknd=40&p=.htm October 6–8, 2000 Weekend] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701234853/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?view=&yr=2000&wknd=40&p=.htm |date=2017-07-01 }}, [[Box Office Mojo]]. Accessed April 1, 2010.</ref> Its opening-weekend gross was the highest ever for any film released in the month of October, surpassing ''[[Antz]]'', as well as marking the highest opening weekend gross for a film starring Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller, beating ''[[Analyze This]]'' and ''[[The Cable Guy]]''.<ref name="TopsBoxOffice">{{cite magazine|last=Reese|first=Lori|title=''Meet the Parents'' tops the box office|url=https://ew.com/article/2000/10/08/meet-parents-tops-box-office/|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=September 22, 2022|date=October 8, 2000}}</ref><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/963333.stm De Niro's parental charms] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181105220922/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/963333.stm |date=2018-11-05 }}, ''[[BBC News]]'', October 9, 2000. Accessed October 9, 2008.</ref> The film's October opening weekend record was later surpassed by ''[[Red Dragon (2002 film)|Red Dragon]]'' in 2002.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Screen International]]|url=https://www.screendaily.com/red-dragon-breaks-oct-opening-record-with-375m/4010727.article|title=Red Dragon breaks Oct opening record with $37.5m}}</ref> Its gross for the second week of release dropped by 26% down to $21.1 million, which still kept it at number one at the US box office beating ''Remember the Titans'' by a margin of over $8 million.<ref name="MOJO WEEK2">[https://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?view=&yr=2000&wknd=41&p=.htm October 13–15, 2000 Weekend] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701233536/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?view=&yr=2000&wknd=41&p=.htm |date=2017-07-01 }}, [[Box Office Mojo]]. Accessed April 1, 2010.</ref> By the end of the second week of release, it had already grossed over $58 million, surpassing its production budget of $55 million.<ref name="MOJO WEEK2"/>
It spent its first four weeks of theatrical release as the highest-grossing film at the U.S. box office, making it the first film to do so since ''[[The Sixth Sense]]'' in 1999.<ref name="MOJO-WEEKEND"/><ref>''[[Associated Press]]''. [http://archives.cnn.com/2000/SHOWBIZ/Movies/10/29/box.office.ap.ap/index.html 'Blair Witch' sequel has disappointing box-office debut] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208192556/http://archives.cnn.com/2000/SHOWBIZ/Movies/10/29/box.office.ap.ap/index.html |date=2008-12-08 }}, ''[[CNN]]'', October 29, 2000. Accessed May 26, 2008.</ref> It was displaced from number one during the weekend of November 3–5 by the newly released ''[[Charlie's Angels (2000 film)|Charlie's Angels]]'' while still managing to stay ahead of ''[[The Legend of Bagger Vance]]'', another new release that debuted at number three.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Reese|first=Lori|title=''Charlie's Angels'' tops the box office|url=https://ew.com/article/2000/11/05/charlies-angels-tops-box-office/|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=October 8, 2022|date=November 5, 2000}}</ref><ref>[https://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?view=&yr=2000&wknd=44&p=.htm November 3–5, 2000 Weekend] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170702000826/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?view=&yr=2000&wknd=44&p=.htm |date=2017-07-02 }}, [[Box Office Mojo]]. Accessed April 1, 2010.</ref> It remained in the top 10 grossing films until its eleventh week.<ref name="MOJO-WEEKEND"/>

The film started its international release, distributed by [[United International Pictures]] (UIP), on December 8, 2000 in Austria, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland. In Germany, it was the number one film in its opening weekend with a four-day gross of $2.5 million from 356 screens. Its opening weekend screen average of $7,064 was the third-highest of 2000 in the country, behind ''[[Mission: Impossible 2]]'' and ''[[American Pie (film)|American Pie]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.screendaily.com/meet-the-parents-charms-german-box-office/404519.article|title=Meet The Parents charms German box office|last=Shackleton|first=Liz|magazine=[[Screen International]]|date=December 15, 2000|page=31}}</ref> In the [[United Kingdom]], it was released a week later on December 15, 2000.<ref>[http://www.screenrush.co.uk/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm=27777.html Meet the Parents] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100901033911/http://www.screenrush.co.uk/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm=27777.html |date=2010-09-01 }}, screenrush.co.uk. Accessed April 1, 2010.</ref><ref>[http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/m/Meet-The-Parents/index-86120.html Meet the Parents 2000] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204132403/http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/m/Meet-The-Parents/index-86120.html |date=2008-12-04 }}, [[Yahoo! Movies]]. Accessed April 1, 2010.</ref> There, it managed to earn over $21 million during its run.<ref name="MOJO INTL">[https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=intl&id=meettheparents.htm Meet the Parents – Foreign] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701233002/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=intl&id=meettheparents.htm |date=2017-07-01 }}, [[Box Office Mojo]]. Accessed April 1, 2010.</ref> In Australia, it was released on December 26, 2000,<ref>Urban, Andrew. [http://www.urbancinefile.com.au/home/view.asp?a=4370&s=Reviews Meet the Parents] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171214113322/http://www.urbancinefile.com.au/home/view.asp?a=4370&s=Reviews |date=2017-12-14 }}, ''Urban Cinefile''. Accessed April 1, 2010.</ref> where it grossed over $11 million during the theatrical run.<ref name="MOJO INTL"/> ''Meet the Parents'' grossed $166.2 million in the United States and Canada and a total of $330.4 million worldwide,<ref name="mojo">[https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=meettheparents.htm Meet the Parents (2000)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808165808/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=meettheparents.htm |date=2019-08-08 }}, ''[[Box Office Mojo]]''. Accessed May 26, 2008.</ref> making it the seventh-highest-grossing film of the year both in the United States and Canada<ref>[https://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=2000&p=.htm 2000 Domestic Grosses] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191003150105/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=2000&p=.htm |date=2019-10-03 }}, ''[[Box Office Mojo]]''. Accessed August 19, 2009</ref> and worldwide.<ref>[https://boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?view2=worldwide&yr=2000&p=.htm 2000 Worldwide Grosses] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605025050/https://boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?view2=worldwide&yr=2000&p=.htm |date=2011-06-05 }}, ''[[Box Office Mojo]]''. Accessed May 30, 2008.</ref>

===Home media===
The film was released on [[VHS]] and [[DVD-Video|DVD]] on March 6, 2001.<ref>[https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/214070/Meet-the-Parents/dvd Meet the Parents] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205020342/https://www.nytimes.com/column/dvd |date=2021-02-05 }}, ''[[The New York Times]]''. Accessed August 14, 2009.</ref> The DVD sales for it were successful, taking in over $200 million for 2001.<ref>Hernandez, Greg. [http://www.thefreelibrary.com/HOME+VIDEO+BOOMS+VHS+BLOCKBUSTERS,+DVD+SALES+FUEL+RISE.-a081876511 Home Video Booms VHS Blockbusters, DVD Sales Fuel Rise] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121013091156/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/HOME+VIDEO+BOOMS+VHS+BLOCKBUSTERS,+DVD+SALES+FUEL+RISE.-a081876511 |date=2012-10-13 }}, The Free Library, 2002. Accessed August 20, 2009.</ref> ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' magazine listed it as having the highest video sales for all weeks from March 31 up to and including April 21,<ref name="BILLBOARD 2001b">{{harvnb|Billboard|2001b|p=73}}</ref><ref name="BILLBOARD 2001c">{{harvnb|Billboard|2001c|p=95}}</ref><ref name="BILLBOARD 2001d">{{harvnb|Billboard|2001d|p=64}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Billboard|2001e|p=72}}</ref> being the top-selling DVD for the weeks of March 24 and March 31,<ref name="BILLBOARD 2001b"/><ref>{{harvnb|Billboard|2001a|p=60}}</ref> and being the top-rented video for the weeks of April 7 and April 14.<ref name="BILLBOARD 2001c"/><ref name="BILLBOARD 2001d"/> Within its first week of release, it made $4.3 million in DVD rentals, beating the previous record held by  ''[[What Lies Beneath]]''. Making $21.4 million, the film had the second-highest home video rentals at the time, after ''[[The Sixth Sense]]''.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Groves |first=Don |date=March 15, 2001 |title='Parents' meets record rental numbers |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |url=https://variety.com/2001/more/news/parents-meets-record-rental-numbers-1117795434/ |access-date=May 14, 2023}}</ref>

The DVD release provides only the [[Letterboxing (filming)|letterbox format]] of the film and is also 108 minutes in length. The [[Aspect ratio (image)|aspect ratio]] is 1.85:1 with an accommodation for an enhanced 16:9 playback. English-language audio tracks available with the film are a 5.1 [[Dolby Digital]] and [[DTS, Inc.|DTS]] with the main noticeable difference being only a slightly louder bass on one of the tracks.<ref name="Pratt 2004 783"/> A [[French-language]] audio track is also available only in 5.1 Dolby Digital Format. Additionally, English language subtitles are provided as well.<ref name="Pratt 2004 783"/>

The single-disc "Collector's Edition" contains two audio commentaries, one a light-hearted and humorous discussion between Roach, Stiller, De Niro, and producer Jane Rosenthal and the other a more formal technical commentary on the film-making aspects by the director and editor [[Jon Poll]]. The director discusses issues that include working with the cast, utilizing the best camera angles for comedic effect, discussing scenes that were improvised and scenes that were scripted, and commenting on issues surrounding shooting on location. The editor speaks about putting together the best functioning comedy from material that was filmed and discusses some deleted scenes that were excluded from the DVD release. In addition, the DVD features a twelve-minute [[outtake]] section, three minutes of [[deleted scene]]s, and Universal's ''Spotlight on Location'' featurette. ''Spotlight on Location'' is a standard 24-minute-long featurette about the making of the film which includes interviews with the cast members and contains behind-the-scenes footage.<ref name="Pratt 2004 783"/> It also contains two games called ''Take The Lie Detector Test'' and ''The Forecaster Game'' as well as [[Personal computer|PC]] material such as [[Wallpaper (computing)|wallpapers]] and [[screensaver]]s. There are also trailers for ''[[The Mummy Returns]]'' and ''[[Captain Corelli's Mandolin (film)|Captain Corelli's Mandolin]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last= |date=March 9, 2001 |title=Meet the Parents |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/03/09/meet-the-parents |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241107024405/https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/03/09/meet-the-parents |archive-date=November 7, 2024 |access-date=November 7, 2024 |website=IGN |df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="Pratt 2004 783"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive.thedigitalbits.com/reviews2/meettheparents.html|title=DVD Review - Meet the Parents: Collector's Edition}}</ref> The [[DVD region code|region 2]] edition of the DVD was released on October 22, 2001. A region 1 "Bonus Edition" was released on December 14, 2004, in both [[Widescreen]] (1.85:1) & [[Fullscreen (filmmaking)|Full Screen]] (1.33:1) formats. Both versions contain three additional featurettes: ''Silly Cat Tricks'', ''The Truth About Lying'' and a 12-minute-long ''Jay Roach: A Director's Profile''.<ref name="DVDFUTURE"/>

==Soundtrack==
{{Main|Meet the Parents (soundtrack)}}
The original motion picture soundtrack for the film was released on September 26, 2000 on the [[DreamWorks Records]] record label.<ref name="GOLDWASSER">Goldwasser, Dan. [http://www.soundtrack.net/albums/database/?id=2520 Meet the Parents Soundtrack] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522202118/http://www.soundtrack.net/albums/database/?id=2520 |date=2013-05-22 }}, [[SoundtrackNet]], September 22, 2000. Accessed August 17, 2009.</ref> The soundtrack features 14 original compositions by [[Randy Newman]] as well as additional tracks by [[Bobby Womack]], [[Lee Dorsey]], and [[Dr. John]] and a hidden bonus track. Newman's original song "A Fool in Love" was nominated for an [[Academy Award for Best Original Song]]—Newman's 14th Oscar nomination<ref>[https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/Story?id=109459&page=1 Dylan, Björk, Sting Get First Oscar Nods] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106033253/https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=109459&page=1 |date=2018-11-06 }}, [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]], February 13, 2001. Accessed August 17, 2009.</ref>—at the [[73rd Academy Awards]] but it ultimately lost to [[Bob Dylan]]'s "[[Things Have Changed]]" for ''[[Wonder Boys (film)|Wonder Boys]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109917846/oscar-crowe-roberts-named-best-actor/ |title=Oscar: Crowe, Roberts named best actor, actress |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220921024332/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109917846/oscar-crowe-roberts-named-best-actor/ |date=March 26, 2001 |access-date=September 21, 2022 |archive-date=September 21, 2022 |page=6 |publisher=[[Detroit Free Press]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-status=live}} {{Open access}}</ref><ref name="FOOL">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1168128.stm Oscar nominees in full] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205020344/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1168128.stm |date=2021-02-05 }}, [[BBC News]], February 13, 2001. Accessed October 14, 2008.</ref> For the same song, Newman also won the 16th Annual [[ASCAP]] Film & Television Music Award in the Top Box Office Films category<ref name="ASCAP">[http://www.ascap.com/eventsawards/awards/filmtv/2001/box_office.html Top Box Office] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630212803/https://www.ascap.com/eventsawards/awards/filmtv/2001/box_office.html |date=2017-06-30 }}, [[ASCAP]].com. Accessed October 14, 2008.</ref> and was nominated at the [[5th Golden Satellite Awards]] in the Original Song category.<ref name="SATELLITE">[http://pressacademy.com/satawards/awards2001.shtml 2001 5th Annual SATELLITE Awards] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100104140110/http://www.pressacademy.com/satawards/awards2001.shtml |date=2010-01-04 }}, [[International Press Academy]]. Accessed February 11, 2010.</ref> Dan Goldwasser, in his review of the soundtrack for [[Soundtrack.Net]], gave credit to Newman and the soundtrack for doing "an excellent job keeping the humor level high."<ref name="GOLDWASSER"/>

==Reception==

===Critical reception===
{{quote box|width=30%|align=right|quote="Making a funny but not mean, smart but not smug, broad but not lazy ensemble comedy about contemporary people in a realistic setting is hard. For which ''Meet the Parents'' is to be commended — it's a bouncy, loose-limbed, families-do-the-darnedest-things sitcom that elicits ungrudging laughs without invoking water boys, pet detectives, or Klumps."|source=Lisa Schwarzbaum<ref name="EW">Schwarzbaum, Lisa. [https://ew.com/article/2000/10/06/movie-review-meet-parents/ Vetting Day Blues], ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'', October 6, 2000. Accessed May 30, 2008.</ref>}}

''Meet the Parents'' received a generally positive response from film critics, being commended on the subtlety of its humor<ref name="EW"/><ref name="Ebert">[[Roger Ebert|Ebert, Roger]]. [http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20001006/REVIEWS/10060303/1023 Meet The Parents] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922064426/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20001006%2FREVIEWS%2F10060303%2F1023 |date=2012-09-22 }}, ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'', October 6, 2000. Accessed May 26, 2008.</ref><ref name="NYT1">[[Elvis Mitchell|Mitchell, Elvis]]. [https://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/06/movies/film-review-so-you-re-the-lunkhead-who-wants-daddy-s-girl.html Film Review; So You're the Lunkhead Who Wants Daddy's Girl] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170731041932/http://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/06/movies/film-review-so-you-re-the-lunkhead-who-wants-daddy-s-girl.html |date=2017-07-31 }}, ''[[The New York Times]]'', October 6, 2000. Accessed February 3, 2010.</ref><ref name="SALON">Zacharek, Stephanie. [http://dir.salon.com/ent/movies/review/2000/10/06/meet_parents/ Meet the Parents] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715090717/http://dir.salon.com/ent/movies/review/2000/10/06/meet_parents/ |date=2011-07-15 }}, [[Salon.com]], October 6, 2000. Accessed February 3, 2010.</ref><ref name="SFGATE">Graham, Bob. [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2000/10/06/DD68386.DTL Meet the Parents and Say Hello to Disaster], ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'', October 6, 2000. Accessed February 3, 2010.</ref> as well as being named as "the funniest"<ref name="LAT1"/><ref name="WSJ">[[Joe Morgenstern|Morgenstern, Joe]]. [https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB970790601834459172?mod=googlewsj In 'Meet the Parents,' Everything Goes Wrong And It Plays Just Right] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170903212135/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB970790601834459172?mod=googlewsj |date=2017-09-03 }}, ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'', October 6, 2000. Accessed February 3, 2010.</ref> or "one of the funniest"<ref>[[Jonathan Ross|Ross, Jonathan]]. [https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-68007812 With some great jokes and laughs to spare, Meet The Parents is one of the funniest films of the year] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205020429/https://www.gale.com/databases/questia |date=2021-02-05 }}, ''[[Daily Mirror]]'', December 15, 2000. Accessed February 3, 2010.</ref><ref name="CNN1">[[Paul Clinton|Clinton, Paul]]. [http://archives.cnn.com/2000/SHOWBIZ/Movies/10/06/review.meet.parents/index.html Prepare to laugh in 'Meet the Parents'] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604042157/http://archives.cnn.com/2000/SHOWBIZ/Movies/10/06/review.meet.parents/index.html |date=2011-06-04 }}, [[CNN]], October 6, 2000. Accessed February 3, 2010.</ref><ref name="NULL">[[Christopher Null|Null, Christopher]]. [http://www.filmcritic.com/misc/emporium.nsf/reviews/Meet-the-Parents Meet the Parents] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090722111235/http://www.filmcritic.com/misc/emporium.nsf/reviews/Meet-the-Parents |date=2009-07-22 }}, Filmcritic.com. Accessed August 14, 2009.</ref><ref>Tuckman, Jeff. [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=ADHB&p_theme=adhb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0ECC894A95631FF0&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM Meet the Parents: Close encounter of worst kind] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608170842/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=ADHB&p_theme=adhb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0ECC894A95631FF0&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |date=2011-06-08 }}, ''[[Daily Herald (Arlington Heights)|Daily Herald]]'', March 9, 2001. Accessed February 3, 2010.</ref> films of the year by several critics. {{Rotten Tomatoes prose|85|6.9|148|Despite sometimes sitcom-like execution, ''Meet the Parents'' is a hilarious look at familial relationships that works mostly because the chemistry between its two leads is so effective.|ref=yes|access-date=February 18, 2022}} {{MC film|1=<!-- score -->73|2=<!-- reviews -->33|ref=yes|access-date=February 18, 2022}} Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average rating of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Home|url=https://www.cinemascore.com/|access-date=2021-09-05|website=Cinemascore|language=en-US}}</ref>

[[Kenneth Turan]], film critic for ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', called it "the funniest film of the year so far, possibly the most amusing mainstream live-action comedy since ''[[There's Something About Mary]]''."<ref name=LAT1 /> Critic [[Joe Morgenstern]] of ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' stated that the film "does almost everything right with a story about everything going wrong" and that it "works up a major comic delirium on the theme of [[Murphy's Law]]", concluding that "''Meet the Parents'' is the funniest movie of the year."<ref name=WSJ /> [[CNN]]'s [[Paul Clinton]] proclaimed "''Meet the Parents'' is one of the best comedies of this—or any other—year", calling it "wonderfully funny" and expressing his hope that "[[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|the Academy]] will also recognize this wonderful movie, something it rarely does when it comes to comedies."<ref name=CNN1 /> ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine's film critic [[Richard Schickel]] stated that it was "divinely invented and perfectly orchestrated". He complimented the screenplay by calling the screenwriters Jim Herzfeld and John Hamburg "a couple of skilled tool-and-die makers" as well as the cast because he believed that they "understand that palpable reality will always trump frenzied fantasy when it comes to getting laughs." Schickel concluded his review by proclaiming ''Meet the Parents'' a "superbly antic movie".<ref>[[Richard Schickel|Schickel, Richard]]. [http://205.188.238.109/time/arts/article/0,8599,56042,00.html Divine Foolishness] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110704104623/http://205.188.238.109/time/arts/article/0%2C8599%2C56042%2C00.html |date=2011-07-04 }}, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', September 27, 2000. Accessed March 25, 2010.</ref> Todd McCarthy of [[Variety (magazine)|''Variety'']] magazine called the film "flat-out hilarious"<ref>McCarthy, Todd. [https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117788162.html?categoryid=31&cs=1&p=0 Meet the Parents] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101022104317/http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117788162.html?categoryid=31&cs=1&p=0 |date=2010-10-22 }}, [[Variety (magazine)|''Variety'']], October 1, 2000. Accessed October 9, 2008.</ref> and Neil Smith of [[BBC]] proclaimed that "there's not a weak scene in this super-funny picture" while awarding it a rating of five stars out of five.<ref>Smith, Neil. [https://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2000/12/11/meet_the_parents_2000_review.shtml Meet the Parents (2000)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191023151646/http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2000/12/11/meet_the_parents_2000_review.shtml |date=2019-10-23 }}, [[BBC]], December 11, 2000. Accessed October 9, 2008.</ref> Film critic [[Roger Ebert]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' gave it three stars out of four comparing it to Roach's previous work on the ''[[Austin Powers (film series)|Austin Powers]]'' film series and offering his opinion that "[''Meet the Parents''] is funnier because it never tries too hard."<ref name=Ebert /> Critic [[Christopher Null]] of [[AMC (TV channel)|AMC]]'s Filmcritic.com claimed that "''Meet the Parents'' is one of the funniest comedies I've seen since ''[[Annie Hall]]''".<ref name="NULL" /> Lisa Schwarzbaum from ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' called the script "unforced" and concluded that it "goes down like a flute of Champagne, leaving an aftertaste of giggles."<ref name=EW />

However, Internet film critic [[James Berardinelli]], in spite of awarding it two-and-a-half stars out of four, gave the film a somewhat scathing review. On his website, Berardinelli wrote that "''Meet the Parents'' is put together like a TV sit-com," that Roach "strings together a series of hit-and-miss lowbrow gags with little care for whether any of the connecting material is coherent, interesting, or enjoyable (in most cases, it's none of those three)" and concluding that "even with Stiller and De Niro, ''Meet the Parents'' is an encounter that can be postponed until it's available on video."<ref>[[James Berardinelli|Berardinelli, James]]. [http://preview.reelviews.net/movies/m/meet_parents.html Meet the Parents] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205020353/https://preview.reelviews.net/movies/m/meet_parents.html |date=2021-02-05 }}, ReelViews.net. Accessed October 8, 2008.</ref> Jeff Vice of the ''[[Deseret News]]'', another detractor of the film, proclaimed ''Meet the Parents'' "only erratically funny" and accused Roach of taking "the cheap way out with a series of unfunny jokes."<ref>Vice, Jeff. [http://deseretnews.com/movies/view/1,1257,145000093,00.html Meet the Parents] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007042943/http://deseretnews.com/movies/view/1%2C1257%2C145000093%2C00.html |date=2008-10-07 }}, ''[[Deseret News]]'', October 6, 2000. Accessed October 8, 2008.</ref> Critic [[Peter Bradshaw]]'s review of it in ''[[The Guardian]]'' concludes that "It is somehow less than the sum of its parts. It strains to come to life, but never quite makes it."<ref>[[Peter Bradshaw|Bradshaw, Peter]]. [https://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2000/dec/15/culture.reviews Meet the Parents] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080829142335/http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2000/dec/15/culture.reviews |date=2008-08-29 }}, ''[[The Guardian]]'', December 15, 2000. Accessed February 3, 2010.</ref> After it was released on home media, DVD reviewer and ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine contributor Douglas Pratt in his book ''Doug Pratt's DVD: Movies, Television, Music, Art, Adult, and More!'' stated that "perhaps in the crowded theater the film is hysterical, but in the quieter venue of home video, it just seems sadistic, and as the humor evaporates, the holes in the plot become clearer."<ref name="Pratt 2004 783">{{harvnb|Pratt|2004|p=783}}</ref>

===Accolades===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Award
! Category
! Nominee(s)
! Result
|-
| [[73rd Academy Awards|Academy Awards]]<ref name="Oscars2001">{{cite web|url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2001 |title=The 73rd Academy Awards (2001) Nominees and Winners |work=Oscars.org |date=5 October 2014 |publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences}}</ref>
| [[Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song]]
| "A Fool in Love" <br> Music and Lyrics by [[Randy Newman]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="3"| [[American Comedy Awards#2001 awards|American Comedy Awards]]
| colspan="2"| Funniest Motion Picture
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2"| Funniest Actor in a Motion Picture (Leading Role)
| [[Robert De Niro]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Ben Stiller]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers|ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards]]
| Top Box Office Films
| Randy Newman
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="5"| [[7th Blockbuster Entertainment Awards|Blockbuster Entertainment Awards]]<ref>{{cite web |date=12 April 2001 | author = LANCE FIASCO |title='NSync Takes Home Three Blockbuster Entertainment Awards|url= http://idobi.com/news/nsync-takes-home-three-blockbuster-entertainment-awards/|website=idobi Network |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160911194939/https://idobi.com/news/nsync-takes-home-three-blockbuster-entertainment-awards/ | archive-date= 2016-09-11 |access-date=4 November 2016}}</ref>
| rowspan="2"| Favorite Actor – Comedy/Romance
| Robert De Niro
| {{nom}}
|-
| Ben Stiller
| {{nom}}
|-
| Favorite Supporting Actor – Comedy
| [[Owen Wilson]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| Favorite Supporting Actress – Comedy
| [[Blythe Danner]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| Favorite Female – Newcomer
| [[Teri Polo]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| Bogey Awards
| colspan="2"| Bogey Award
| {{won}}
|-
| [[58th Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe Awards]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/film/meet-parents |title=Meet the Parents – Golden Globes |website=[[HFPA]] |access-date=July 5, 2021 |ref={{harvid|HFPA|2001}}}}</ref>
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy|Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy]]
| Robert De Niro
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Goldene Leinwand|Golden Screen Awards]]
| colspan="2"| Golden Screen
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Golden Trailer Awards#2001|Golden Trailer Awards]]
| colspan="2"| Best Comedy
| {{nom}}
|-
| Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lvfcs.org/sierra-award-winners.html |title=Previous Sierra Award Winners |website=lvfcs.org |access-date=May 15, 2021}}</ref>
| Best Original Song
| "Meet the Parents" <br> Music and Lyrics by Randy Newman
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="3"| [[2001 MTV Movie Awards|MTV Movie Awards]]
| [[MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance|Best Comedic Performance]]
| Ben Stiller
| {{won}}
|-
| [[MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo|Best On-Screen Team]]
| Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller
| {{nom}}
|-
| Best Line
| "Are You a Pothead, Focker?" – Robert De Niro
| {{won}}
|-
| [[27th People's Choice Awards|People's Choice Awards]]
| colspan="2"| Favorite Comedy Motion Picture
| {{won}}
|-
| [[5th Golden Satellite Awards|Satellite Awards]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pressacademy.com/satawards/awards2001.shtml |title=International Press Academy website – 2001 5th Annual SATELLITE Awards|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080201175700/http://www.pressacademy.com/satawards/awards2001.shtml|archive-date=1 February 2008}}</ref>
| [[Satellite Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song]]
| "A Fool in Love" <br> Music and Lyrics by Randy Newman
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[2001 Teen Choice Awards|Teen Choice Awards]]
| colspan="2"| [[Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie – Comedy|Choice Movie – Comedy]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor – Comedy|Choice Movie – Actor]]
| Ben Stiller
| {{nom}}
|}

===Others===
The film is recognized by [[American Film Institute]] in these lists:
* 2005: [[AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Movie Quotes]]:
** Jack Byrnes: "I have nipples, Greg. Could you milk me?" – Nominated<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/quotes400.pdf |title=AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Movie Quotes Nominees |access-date=2016-07-30 |archive-date=2016-06-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624052532/http://afi.com/Docs/100Years/quotes400.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Influence==
The success of the film was initially responsible for a 2002 [[NBC]] [[reality television]] show entitled ''[[Meet My Folks]]'' in which a young woman's love interest, vying for her family's approval, is interrogated by the woman's overprotective father with the help of a [[lie detector]] machine.<ref name="GALLO">Gallo, Phil. [https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117918247.html?categoryid=32&cs=1 Meet My Folks] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208200219/http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117918247.html?categoryid=32&cs=1 |date=2008-12-08 }}, ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'', July 21, 2002. Accessed May 27, 2008.</ref><ref name="FENWICK">Fenwick, Alexandra. [http://media.www.jhunewsletter.com/media/storage/paper932/news/2002/09/13/Focus/Meet-My.Folks.Brings.A.Fiances.Worst.Nightmare.To.Television-2248574.shtml Meet My Folks brings a fiance's worst nightmare to television] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210202455/http://media.www.jhunewsletter.com/media/storage/paper932/news/2002/09/13/Focus/Meet-My.Folks.Brings.A.Fiances.Worst.Nightmare.To.Television-2248574.shtml |date=2008-12-10 }}, ''[[The Johns Hopkins News-Letter]]'', September 13, 2002. Accessed October 10, 2008.</ref> In September 2002, NBC also aired a [[situation comedy]] entitled ''[[In-Laws]]''. During the development of it, NBC called it "a ''Meet the Parents'' project" which prompted an investigation by Universal into whether NBC was infringing on Universal's copyright.<ref name="EW-NBC">Lynette Rice and Dan Snierson. [https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,333382,00.html On the Air] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130521172810/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,333382,00.html |date=2013-05-21 }}, ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'', August 9, 2002. Accessed October 10, 2008.</ref> Universal did not pursue any action against NBC but neither show lasted more than one season. NBC and Universal would merge in 2004.

In 2004, ''[[Meet the Fockers]]'' was released as a sequel to the film.<ref>[[Paul Clinton|Clinton, Paul]]. [http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/Movies/12/22/review.fockers/index.html Review: Formulaic 'Fockers' fitfully funny. Sequel has moments, but a comedown from original] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208214135/http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/Movies/12/22/review.fockers/index.html |date=2008-12-08 }}, ''[[CNN]]'', December 22, 2004. Accessed May 27, 2008.</ref><ref>[[Josh Tyrangiel|Tyrangiel, Josh]]. [https://web.archive.org/web/20121024091245/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101041213-880288,00.html?cnn=yes High Drama, Low Comedy], ''[[CNN]]'', December 6, 2004. Accessed May 27, 2008.</ref> Directed again by Jay Roach with a screenplay by Jim Herzfeld and [[John Hamburg]], it chronicles the events that take place when the Byrnes family meets Bernie and Roz Focker, Greg's parents, played by [[Dustin Hoffman]] and [[Barbra Streisand]]. The producers intended for them to be the opposite of the Byrneses' conservative, [[upper class]], WASPy demeanor; to that effect, producer [[Jane Rosenthal]] explains that "Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand were our dream team."<ref>Universal Studio. [http://emol.org/film/archives/meetthefockers/production.html "Meet the Fockers" Movie Production Notes] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080830070525/http://emol.org/film/archives/meetthefockers/production.html |date=2008-08-30 }}, ''Entertainment Magazine'', December 22, 2004. Accessed October 10, 2008.</ref> The sequel proved to be another financial success grossing $280 million domestically and $516 million worldwide,<ref>[https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=meetthefockers.htm Meet The Fockers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190707155532/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=meetthefockers.htm |date=2019-07-07 }}, [[Box Office Mojo]]. Accessed October 10, 2008.</ref> outperforming ''Meet the Parents'' by a large margin and finishing as the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2004.<ref>[https://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=2004&p=.htm 2004 Yearly Box Office Results] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921060217/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=2004&p=.htm |date=2013-09-21 }}, [[Box Office Mojo]]. Accessed October 10, 2008.</ref>

In February 2007, Universal Studios announced that they would be making a second sequel in the franchise, titled ''[[Little Fockers]]''.<ref name="Little1">Michael Fleming, Diane Garrett. [https://variety.com/2007/film/features/more-fockers-for-universal-2-1117960004/ More 'Fockers' for Universal. Tribeca deal paves way for third movie], ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'', February 22, 2007. Accessed May 26, 2008.</ref><ref name="Little2">[https://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=20417 Third Fockers Movie On The Horizon] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924104440/http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=20417 |date=2015-09-24 }}, ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]'', February 23, 2007. Accessed May 28, 2008.</ref><ref name="Little3">Martindale, Stone. [http://www.monstersandcritics.com/movies/news/article_1268859.php 'Little Fockers' given the go from Universal] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081209045556/http://www.monstersandcritics.com/movies/news/article_1268859.php |date=2008-12-09 }}, ''Monsters and Critics'', February 23, 2007. Accessed October 10, 2008.</ref> It was to be directed by Roach with the screenplay written by Larry Stuckey, Roach's former assistant.<ref name="Little1"/><ref name="Little3"/> The sequel brings back De Niro, Stiller, Polo, Danner, Hoffman, and Streisand.<ref name="Little1"/><ref name="Little3"/> Roach was later replaced as director of the third film by [[Paul Weitz (filmmaker)|Paul Weitz]]. ''Little Fockers'' was released in 2010 and grossed $148.4 million domestically and $310.7 million worldwide.

On July 18, 2005, a regularly scheduled [[American Airlines]] flight from [[Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport]] to [[San Juan, Puerto Rico]], had to be diverted back to [[Fort Lauderdale, Florida|Fort Lauderdale]] shortly after take-off due to a bomb threat. The pilot turned the plane around approximately 40 minutes into the flight after a flight attendant found a crumpled napkin that read "Bomb, bomb, bomb...meet the parents," a clear reference to the scene in which Greg repeatedly shouts the word "bomb" while being detained by airport security.<ref>[[Susan Candiotti|Candiotti, Susan]]. [http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/07/19/flight.note/index.html Suspicious note diverts flight] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924045713/http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/07/19/flight.note/index.html |date=2015-09-24 }}, [[CNN]], July 19, 2005. Accessed August 14, 2009.</ref><ref>Carey, Bridget. [http://www.airportbusiness.com/web/online/Airline-and-Airport-Security-News/Bomb-Threat-Diverts-American-Airlines-Flight-Back-to-Fla/5$2770 Bomb Threat Diverts American Airlines Flight Back to Fla] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927220814/http://www.airportbusiness.com/web/online/Airline-and-Airport-Security-News/Bomb-Threat-Diverts-American-Airlines-Flight-Back-to-Fla/5$2770 |date=2011-09-27 }}, [[Associated Press]]. Accessed August 14, 2009.</ref> The plane was met by a [[Bomb disposal|bomb squad]] of the local sheriff's office as well as the [[FBI]] whose agents questioned its 176 passengers about the note.

==See also==
* [[2000 in film]]
* [[Cinema of the United States]]
* [[List of American films of 2000]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book | last=Pratt | first=Douglas |title=Doug Pratt's DVD: Movies, Television, Music, Art, Adult, and More! |date=June 2004 |publisher=Harbor Electronic Publishing |isbn=1-932916-00-8 |page=783 |chapter=Meet the Parents (DreamWorks, 21133) }}
* {{cite book | last=Press | first=Skip |title=The Ultimate Writer's Guide to Hollywood |year=2004 |publisher=Barns & Noble Books |isbn=0-7607-6110-8 |page=170 |chapter=The Chill of Reality }}
* {{cite book | last=Laufenberg | first=Norbert |title=Entertainment Celebrities |year=2005 |publisher=Trafford Publishing |isbn=1-4120-5335-8 |page=253 |chapter=Chapter Seven G }}
* {{cite book | last=Sandler | first=Corey |title=Econoguide Walt Disney World Resort Universal Orlando, 5th Edition |year=2007 |publisher=Globe Pequot |isbn=978-0-7627-4169-4 |page=307 |chapter=Animal Planet Live! }}
* {{cite book |last=Kaufman |first=Anthony |title=Steven Soderbergh: Interviews |year=2002 |publisher=University Press of Mississippi |isbn=1-57806-428-7 |page=[https://archive.org/details/stevensoderbergh0000sode/page/92 92] |chapter=Patricia Thomson/1996 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/stevensoderbergh0000sode/page/92 }}
* {{cite magazine | author=Billboard | author-link= Billboard (magazine) | title=Top Videos |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=March 2001a | volume=113 | issue=12 |page=60 }}
* {{cite magazine | author=Billboard | author-link= Billboard (magazine) | title=Top Videos |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=March 2001b | volume=113 | issue=13 |page=73 }}
* {{cite magazine | author=Billboard | author-link= Billboard (magazine) | title=Top Videos |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=April 2001c | volume=113 | issue=14 |page=95 }}
* {{cite magazine | author=Billboard | author-link= Billboard (magazine) | title=Top Videos |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=April 2001d | volume=113 | issue=15 |page=64 }}
* {{cite magazine | author=Billboard | author-link= Billboard (magazine) | title=Top Videos |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=April 2001e | volume=113 | issue=16 |page=72 }}
* {{cite book | last=Brook | first=Vincent |title=You Should See Yourself: Jewish Identity in Postmodern American Culture | url=https://archive.org/details/youshouldseeyour00broo | url-access=limited |year=2006 |publisher=Rutgers University Press |isbn=978-0-8135-3844-0 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/youshouldseeyour00broo/page/n251 240]–241 |chapter=Jews on the Edge }}
* {{cite book | last=Bower | first=Anne |title=Reel Food: Essays on Food and Film | url=https://archive.org/details/reelfoodessayson00bowe | url-access=limited |year=2004 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=0-415-97110-1 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/reelfoodessayson00bowe/page/n107 97]–99 |chapter=The Dinner Table }}
* {{cite book | last1=O'Lynn | first1=Chad | last2=Tranbarger | first2=Russell |title=Men in Nursing: History, Challenges, and Opportunities | url=https://archive.org/details/mennursinghistor00phdc | url-access=limited |year=2007 |publisher=Springer Publishing |isbn=978-0-8261-0221-8 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/mennursinghistor00phdc/page/n28 6]–257 }}
* {{cite book | last=Cherry | first=Barbara |title=Contemporary Nursing: Issues, Trends, & Management |year=2005 |publisher=Elsevier |isbn=0-323-02968-X |page=34 |chapter=The Contemporary Image of Professional Nursing }}
* {{cite book | last=Wasko | first=Janet |title=How Hollywood Works | url=https://archive.org/details/howhollywoodwork0000wask | url-access=registration |year=2003 |publisher=SAGE |isbn=0-7619-6813-X |page=[https://archive.org/details/howhollywoodwork0000wask/page/196 196] |chapter=Advertising }}
* {{cite book |last1=Summers |first1=Sandy |last2=Summers |first2=Harry |title=Saving Lives: Why the Media's Portrayal of Nurses Puts Us All at Risk |year=2009 |publisher=Kaplan |isbn=978-1-4277-9845-9 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/savingliveswhyme0000summ/page/172 172–173] |chapter=Who Wants Yesterday's Girl? |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/savingliveswhyme0000summ/page/172 }}

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