Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysAPA Heritage MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)

Meet the Parents

  • 20002000
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 1h 48m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
330K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,476
56
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller in Meet the Parents (2000)
Watch {VideoTitle}
Play trailer2:42
2 Videos
83 Photos
  • Comedy
  • Romance

Male nurse Greg Focker meets his girlfriend's parents before proposing, but her suspicious father is every date's worst nightmare.Male nurse Greg Focker meets his girlfriend's parents before proposing, but her suspicious father is every date's worst nightmare.Male nurse Greg Focker meets his girlfriend's parents before proposing, but her suspicious father is every date's worst nightmare.

IMDb RATING
7.0/10
330K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,476
56
  • Director
    • Jay Roach
  • Writers
    • Greg Glienna(story)
    • Mary Ruth Clarke(story)
    • Jim Herzfeld(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Ben Stiller
    • Robert De Niro
    • Teri Polo
Top credits
  • Director
    • Jay Roach
  • Writers
    • Greg Glienna(story)
    • Mary Ruth Clarke(story)
    • Jim Herzfeld(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Ben Stiller
    • Robert De Niro
    • Teri Polo
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 546User reviews
    • 131Critic reviews
    • 73Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 7 wins & 15 nominations total

    Videos2

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:42
    Official Trailer
    25 Movies That Almost Starred Robert De Niro
    Video 3:08
    25 Movies That Almost Starred Robert De Niro

    Photos83

    Robert De Niro, Blythe Danner, Teri Polo, and Ben Stiller in Meet the Parents (2000)
    Greg meets Jack
    Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller in Meet the Parents (2000)
    Teri Polo in Meet the Parents (2000)
    Robert De Niro in Meet the Parents (2000)
    Robert De Niro in Meet the Parents (2000)
    Robert De Niro, Blythe Danner, Teri Polo, and Ben Stiller in Meet the Parents (2000)
    Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller in Meet the Parents (2000)
    Ben Stiller in Meet the Parents (2000)
    Ben Stiller in Meet the Parents (2000)
    Teri Polo and Ben Stiller in Meet the Parents (2000)
    Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller in Meet the Parents (2000)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Ben Stiller
    Ben Stiller
    • Greg Fockeras Greg Focker
    Robert De Niro
    Robert De Niro
    • Jack Byrnesas Jack Byrnes
    Teri Polo
    Teri Polo
    • Pam Byrnesas Pam Byrnes
    Blythe Danner
    Blythe Danner
    • Dina Byrnesas Dina Byrnes
    Nicole DeHuff
    Nicole DeHuff
    • Deborah Byrnesas Deborah Byrnes
    Jon Abrahams
    Jon Abrahams
    • Denny Byrnesas Denny Byrnes
    Owen Wilson
    Owen Wilson
    • Kevin Rawleyas Kevin Rawley
    James Rebhorn
    James Rebhorn
    • Dr. Larry Banksas Dr. Larry Banks
    Tom McCarthy
    Tom McCarthy
    • Dr. Bob Banksas Dr. Bob Banks
    • (as Thomas McCarthy)
    Phyllis George
    Phyllis George
    • Linda Banksas Linda Banks
    Kali Rocha
    Kali Rocha
    • Atlantic American Flight Attendantas Atlantic American Flight Attendant
    Bernie Sheredy
    Bernie Sheredy
    • Norm the Interrogatoras Norm the Interrogator
    Judah Friedlander
    Judah Friedlander
    • Pharmacy Clerkas Pharmacy Clerk
    Peter Bartlett
    Peter Bartlett
    • Animal Shelter Workeras Animal Shelter Worker
    John Elsen
    John Elsen
    • Chicago Airport Securityas Chicago Airport Security
    Mark Hammer
    • Greg's Hospital Patientas Greg's Hospital Patient
    Amy Hohn
    Amy Hohn
    • Ticket Agentas Ticket Agent
    William Severs
    • Father O'Boyleas Father O'Boyle
    • Director
      • Jay Roach
    • Writers
      • Greg Glienna(story) (1992 screenplay)
      • Mary Ruth Clarke(story) (1992 screenplay)
      • Jim Herzfeld(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Meet the Fockers
    6.3
    Meet the Fockers
    Little Fockers
    5.5
    Little Fockers
    There's Something About Mary
    7.1
    There's Something About Mary
    Meet the Parents
    6.6
    Meet the Parents
    Dumb and Dumber
    7.3
    Dumb and Dumber
    Wedding Crashers
    7.0
    Wedding Crashers
    Along Came Polly
    6.0
    Along Came Polly
    Bruce Almighty
    6.7
    Bruce Almighty
    Liar Liar
    6.9
    Liar Liar
    Yes Man
    6.8
    Yes Man
    Meet the Parents: Deleted Scenes
    7.1
    Meet the Parents: Deleted Scenes
    Zoolander
    6.5
    Zoolander

    Storyline

    Edit
    Madly in love with charming schoolteacher Pam, Greg Focker, an unambitious Chicago nurse and chronic underachiever, wants to make a good impression on her father, Jack, more than anything. And, in the following 48 hours, against the backdrop of a hectic weekend at her parents' house, Greg will have to put his skills to good use and, hopefully, charm his way out of trouble. However, there is one tiny detail: Jack has a knack for uncovering the truth, and Greg has been quite economical with it. Under those circumstances, will he ever get Jack's approval? Above all, is love blind? —Nick Riganas
    • trailer narrated by hal douglas
    • male nurse
    • nurse
    • cat
    • wedding
    • 166 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • First comes love. Then comes the interrogation.
    • Genres
      • Comedy
      • Romance
    • Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
      • Rated PG-13 for sexual content, drug references and language
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The MPAA would not allow the name "Focker" unless the filmmakers could find an actual person with that surname.
    • Goofs
      Jack is a skilled former CIA agent who is a "human lie detector." His son, Denny, takes a marijuana pipe out of his coat pocket, the coat that Greg borrowed. He shows it to Jack and says "I found it in Greg's jacket pocket." Jack knows that Greg lost his luggage - and that he wasn't wearing that coat when he got there the day before (so he couldn't have had that coat with him). So why does Jack, a skilled "lie detector" and CIA agent, believe Denny when he says that the jacket is Greg's?
    • Quotes

      Dina Byrnes: I had no idea you could milk a cat!

      Greg Focker: Oh, you can milk just about anything with nipples.

      Jack Byrnes: [He reacts] I have nipples, Greg, could you milk me?

    • Crazy credits
      During the opening logos, the singers in the theme music are lyrically commenting "Look at the light coming out of the earth" during the Universal logo, and "Look at the boy sitting on the moon" during the Dreamworks logo.
    • Alternate versions
      In the version that airs on the ABC Family channel, the scene near the end in which Greg gets into an argument with the airline stewardess and his subsequent interrogation by an airline official removes all references to the fact that Greg mentioned the word "bomb" on the airplane.
    • Connections
      Edited into Meet the Parents: Deleted Scenes (2001)
    • Soundtracks
      Habanera
      (uncredited)

      from "Carmen"

      Written by Georges Bizet

    User reviews546

    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    Very funny - but the real strength of the film is being able to relate to the characters
    Our story begins when a male nurse named Greg Focker (Stiller) is about to propose to his girlfriend, Pam (Teri Polo); unfortunately, things come to worst and before Greg can say, "Will you marry me?" he finds out that Pam's father, Jack (Robert De Niro) approved of Pam's sister's fiancé because he asked Jack's permission to marry her first. Taken aback, Greg decides to wait until tomorrow, whence they are going to meet Pam's parents, and ask Jack for approval before proposing to Pam. Should be a piece of cake, right? Wrong. Pam's mother (Blythe Danner) is very nice, but herein lies the problem: Not only is it apparent from the start that Pam's plant-expert father is not really a plant-expert (as Greg learns after Jack doesn't seem to recognize a plant Greg gives to him--one of the rarest plants in the world), but it turns out Jack is really in the CIA and was a "human lie detector," as Pam herself puts it. In fact, Jack even gives Greg a lie detector test in one scene to see if he liked the dinner earlier in the evening. "Yes," Greg replies, to see the needle jumping. "Well, it was a little rare for my tastes, maybe." Greg, desperately seeking approval (and nervous as ever), seems to unintentionally cause mayhem in his possible parents-to-be's home. Nerves shot like a drug addict, Greg is the definition of a nervous wreck, and all his problems seem to escalate more and more until a funny-if-sappy comedic showdown.

    You know how sometimes you are really nervous, but try to hide the fact? You seem to keep your cool, until you do something, then all your nervousness explodes and you start knocking over things, saying stupid things--single-handedly DOING stupid things that you just never do? And then you look around and everyone is looking at you like you are some sort of freak? Well, that's how it is with Greg's character in "Meet the Parents"--he is so easy to identify with. Just like all of us, we want to keep our cool and impress people--but once we lose it, the coolness seems to slip farther and farther away from our grip until we are klutzes on feet. For Greg's character, small things turn bigger and bigger and bigger--from knocking over the remains of Jack's mother (and having a cat go to the bathroom on the remains), to setting the house on fire and busting the septic tank. Situations seem to escalate farther and farther out of control and they just keep getting worse and worse.

    In one scene, Greg tries to impress everyone while playing volleyball in a pool. His team is losing because of him. "Get up and hit the ball," Jack says to him. So the next time the ball comes around to Greg, he jumps up and smacks the ball with all his might, sending it flying towards...Pam's sister (whose wedding is the next day), shattering her nose. Greg lands back in the pool and seems to be happy, until he realizes he smacked his sister-in-law-to-be in the nose. Then everyone looks at him like he's an insensitive idiot.

    Things like that have happened to me countless times, and that is why I can so easily identify with Greg. People are yelling at Greg to do something, and when he finally does it, it backfires and everyone looks at him like he's stupid, even though he did exactly what he was told.

    That's the kind of thing that makes this movie so great--not only is it extremely funny, but we can easily identify with the main character countless times throughout the film. That is, perhaps, the best thing about this comedy.
    helpful•68
    32
    • MovieAddict2016
    • Apr 11, 2003

    FAQ1

    • Is "Puff, the Magic Dragon" really about marijuana?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 6, 2000 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Facebook
    • Languages
      • English
      • Thai
      • Spanish
      • Hebrew
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Chú Rể Trình Làng
    • Filming locations
      • Chicago, Illinois, USA
    • Production companies
      • Universal Pictures
      • Dreamworks Pictures
      • Nancy Tenenbaum Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $55,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $166,244,045
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $28,623,300
      • Oct 8, 2000
    • Gross worldwide
      • $330,444,045
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 48 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

    ‘About My Father’s Sebastian Maniscalco Sends CinemaCon Home Laughing
    ‘About My Father’s Sebastian Maniscalco Sends CinemaCon Home Laughing
    Apr 28Deadline Film + TV
    Teri Polo to Guest on ‘NCIS’ Season Finale as Ex-Wife of Gary Cole’s Character
    Teri Polo to Guest on ‘NCIS’ Season Finale as Ex-Wife of Gary Cole’s Character
    Apr 14The Wrap

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • IMDb Answers: Help fill gaps in our data
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    The 10 Most Anticipated Marvel and DC Movies
    See the full list
    View list
    List
    2022 TV Guide: The Best Shows Coming This Year
    See the full list

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.