The Only Recap You Need Before Focker-In-Law
How many times can Gaylord "Greg" Focker (Ben Stiller) make awkward situations even worse and somehow manage to find the wrong thing to say at every turn? Apparently a lot because we're now getting our fourth film in the "Meet the Parents" franchise — "Focker-in-Law." This time, Greg's son, Henry (Skyler Gisondo), is bringing his partner to meet the family, a former FBI hostage negotiator named Olivia (Ariana Grande-Butera). And Greg, naturally, will find ways to make it awkward. If you need a refresher on Greg's previous antics, watch Looper's video above.
In 2000's "Meet the Parents," Greg has been dating Pam (Teri Polo), and the two travel to Long Island to meet her parents — Dina (Blythe Danner) and former CIA operator and Vietnam War veteran Jack (Robert De Niro). Not surprisingly, Jack doesn't like Greg, and Greg doesn't exactly make the best impression. He starts a fire at the house, knocks over the urn containing Jack's mother's ashes, and loses Jack's beloved pet cat Mr. Jinx. All that and more is good enough for "Meet the Parents" to rank amongst the best cringe-worthy comedies of all time.
Greg also meets Kevin (Owen Wilson), a wealthy stock investor who used to be engaged to Pam before they broke it off. Jack likes Kevin a lot more than Greg, which only adds to the tension, but by the end, Jack accepts Greg as part of the family. Pam also has two siblings, Debbie (Nicole DeHuff) and Denny (Jon Abrahams), but they haven't been seen since the first film, and that likely won't change anytime soon. One would assume that with Greg and Jack on better terms that would be the end of any animosity — but you don't know this franchise.
Greg and Jack have been through a lot leading to Focker-in-Law
Following "Meet the Parents" was 2004's "Meet the Fockers," in which Jack and Dina meet Greg's sex therapist mother Roz (Barbra Streisand) and laid-back lawyer father Bernie (Dustin Hoffman). Their contrasting personalities generate plenty of laughs, but don't expect Roz and Bernie to make surprise appearances in "Focker-in-Law" — especially Streisaid, who has been outspoken about pay disparities between female and male actors in Hollywood.
2010 brought us "Little Fockers," in which Greg and Pam have been married for 10 years and have two kids, Henry and Samantha, who will played by Skyler Gisondo and Beanie Feldstein as young adults in "Focker-in-Law." In "Little Fockers," Jack experiences a mild heart attack and wants to make sure Greg can be the new family patriarch, but grows suspicious that Greg is being unfaithful with pharmaceutical rep Andi Garcia (Jessica Alba). Of course, it's all a big misunderstanding.
That leads us to "Focker-in-Law," in which Greg is now the father suspicious of his child's partner. Greg's disdain seems to come from thinking that Olivia will use her FBI training to take Henry away from him, but also feeling let down that Jack wants to invite her within the Circle of Trust. Greg only joined the Circle of Trust, Jack's exclusive friend group, in "Little Fockers" — after 10 years of being married to his daughter — so this is personal.
"Meet the Parents" has been one of those franchises in which each sequel is worse than the last, but hopefully "Focker-in-Law" will reverse that trend. Make sure you don't miss a single inside joke and watch Looper's recap of the Fockers and their movies above.