The third instalment of the Meet the Parents franchise delivers the occasional gag, but ultimately fails to provide a fresh twist on the decade-long war between the Byrnes and the Fockers.
In Little Fockers, Jack Byrnes (Robert De Niro) is ready to hand over the reins as head of the family. He names his son-in-law, Greg Focker (Ben Stiller), as the 'Godfocker'. But with the title comes added responsibility and scrutiny. Greg must convince Jack, and himself, that it was a good choice, while trying to juggle being a father and a husband.
After watching more than one film in Meet the Parents series, you begin to see a pattern. The relationship between Jack and Greg fails to ever go beyond its repetitive ups and downs. Greg constantly fails to impress Jack, most often due to a series of misunderstandings. By the end of the film, these are cleared up and Greg reclaims a spot in the 'circle of trust'. Little Fockers, like the first two instalments, follows the same formula.
Like most 'threequel' comedies, Little Fockers lacks originality. The running jokes are at times laugh-out-loud funny, but quickly grow old and tired. You can't help but wonder how well the film would do if it weren't riding the Focker hype train.