The Remake: Jay Roach (Austin Powers) directs this madcap comedy about Gaylord "Greg" Focker (Ben Stiller) meeting his girlfriend Pam's (Teri Polo) parents, where practically everything that possibly can go wrong does. Focker especially has to deal with Pam's overprotective, retired CIA officer Jack (Robert De Niro), who infamously hooks Focker up to a lie detector machine among other tricks designed to trip him up. The Original: The 2000 movie was in fact spawned from a 1992 film of the same name, written by Greg Glienna and Mary Ruth Clarke and also directed by and starring Glienna. In addition to the two movies sharing the same premise, the original also features a number of scenarios which were re-used for the Stiller film, such as Greg clogging a toilet and almost blinding one of Pam's family members by accident. What differentiates it the most from the remake is that the 1992 movie is much more clearly a send-up of the institution of marriage, whereas the more mainstream 2000 version unsurprisingly reinforces it for mass consumption. Which One Is Better?: Though both have their separate strong points, the sheer hilarity of seeing Stiller and De Niro facing off elevates it to levels the original couldn't possibly dream of, even though it's a much broader and more accessible effort.
Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes).
General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.
