You know...I really enjoyed "Meet the Parents," I don't know what it is. It hurts to watch all the pain and suffering Ben Stiller's character has to go through in order to "win" over the in-laws. There is something about how much misery one man can go through that I just can't stand...but that is exactly what makes it so great to watch! Thankfully "Meet the Fockers" strays right on track with it's predecessor and even adds to it in the process.

The entire crew is back...Greg Focker (Ben Stiller), Jack Byrnes (Robert De Niro), his wife Dina (Blythe Danner), his daughter Pam (Teri Polo), and Jinx the cat...but now we are introduced to a few new in-laws...the Focker's, Bernie (Dustin Hoffman) and Rozalin (Barbara Streisand) and their dog Moses. It is finally time for the wedding of Greg Focker and Pam Byrnes, the only thing that hasn't happened is...Meet the in-laws! The journey begins as Pam and Greg meet the Byrnes at their home and begin a road trip in the new super decked out R.V. Retired CIA-man Jack is immediately back to his normal suspicious nature and Greg, as always, is trying to impress him. Jack is also quite occupied with new grandson Little Jack, or LJ, which leads to much hilarity throughout the film. When they arrive at the Focker's home, Greg attempts to keep his quirky parents under wraps so that they don't embarrass him too much and so that Jack doesn't learn of Roz and Bernie's unconventional professions. As the Jack and Dina stay with the Focker's they share embarrassing "first time" stories...learn new things about each other...flush dogs down the toilet...try and keep secrets...and all of this in the traditional "Meet the Parents" over the top way.

All I can say is that I am so glad that Barbara Streisand came out of acting "retirement" if you will. Streisand and Hoffman are fantastic together, as they play one of the most real and likable married couples on-screen in years. Stiller, Polo, De Niro, and Danner fall back into their roles like it was second nature. The names are huge, and together, they make an incredible cast that gets along so well that it is almost too real. When they are all together, the amount of character each individual brings to the screen is great!

Some might say that "Meet the Fockers" feels way too much like the original. Well, I might have to agree with them, but I like it that way. When I heard that they were making another "Meet the Parents," I dug the idea...but I knew they would mess it up. They would try and make it different, all the while trying to say it is "new" and better. I am happy to say that it ended up being quite the opposite with "Meet the Fockers." They truly try and stay with what worked on "Meet the Parents" and just build from there. "Meet the Fockers" is not perfect, but it is dang funny.

The DVD

Video:

This HD release gets a really nice transfer that really makes this release that much better. The colors are spot on, the skin tones are fantastic, and the blacks are black and not some weird shade of grey. There is a little grain at times, but nothing to yell and scream about, and in the dark areas you can tell that there is a little detail loss but really not much. The detail in "Meet the Fockers" is actually quite nice on both close-up and scenic scenes. The best part about this transfer is that nothing stands out and draws you away from what is important...they absolute hilariousness of it. This transfer was really not meant to "wow" but just keep us enjoying the film and not worrying about a poor transfer.

Sound:

Here we get a 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus track that does a fairly decent job. For those of you that have read my reviews, you know that when I review comedies I really struggle with giving them a very high rating...comedies these days are so much about dialogue (and should be) that they rarely use the surrounds enough, and just don't have that "wow" factor that action films do. That said, this track is nice and even with the dialogue. I never had to turn up or down the volume as the soundtrack kicked in, or as louder scenes came into play. For a comedy, the surrounds actually did get some use, and I was pleased by this. Overall, actually a nice track that does a good job.

Extras:

Deleted Scenes: A plethora of deleted scenes, some actually entertaining, but a lot of them are very short...so if you blink, you will miss them.

Bloopers: Lots of them...eh, they're okay, nothing special.

Inside the Litter Box: Yah, hated this one, tried to do a behind the scenes feature with Jinx the cat, and acted as if the cat was an actor...and had interviews about the cat and why he was important...just weird (Sorry cat lovers).

The Manary Gland: Here we get a feature all about the fake "boob" that Jack is so well known for in "Meet the Fockers."

The Adventures of a Baby Wrangler: Rhonda Sherman...Baby Wrangler, walks us through the life of a Baby Wrangler as she works with the babies in the film.

Matt Lauer Meet's the Focker's: T.V. interview on set in the Focker family room with cast and crew chatting about the film.

Focker's Family Portrait: Bernie, Roz and Greg all have a short feature about each of them and what makes them tick.

Commentary with Director Jay Roach and Editor/Co-Producer Jon Poll: Roach and Poll do a fantastic job filling us in on all the details. They really click throughout this commentary as they explain everything about "Meet the Focker's." They discuss fun times on set and everything that went on behind the scenes. This does get a little repetitive as we learn about some things that we learned already in other features, but it is worth a listen if you are a big fan of the film.

Final Thoughts:

"Meet the Fockers" is a lot of fun, it is a witty good time that feels just like it's predecessor but even better. The video is great here, and the audio is good and complimentary. The features are okay, but even though there are a lot they just don't have a lot of substance. Overall a fantastic film, that I have to Highly Recommend because of the video quality...and just how dang funny it is.