Little Fockers 4K 2010

It’s hard to say that the film lived up to all expectations and is just as good as the first two installments. While the sequel was equally engaging and, one might say, enlightening, here, alas, there’s no longer that same sense of excitement. The filmmakers fell back on clichés: a happy family, little kids running wild and “swearing” almost like adults, and Jack’s completely far-fetched suspicions about Greg—suspicions that, after "Meet the Fockers", shouldn’t have existed at all, and so on.

I should note that the movie is clearly not for children, and probably doesn’t offer anything worthwhile for teenagers either. It’s aimed at adults who are well aware of “adult themes” and the intrigues between men and women. The main thread of all the jokes in the movie revolves around this very theme. Well, for me personally, this is a bit of a disappointment, eliciting only a slight smile, since the vulgarity has already grown tiresome, and in terms of cinema, it’s become completely overdone. The theme of intimacy is already boring, uninteresting, and worn out to the point of tedium.

What saves the film and keeps it afloat, at least to some extent, is undoubtedly the cast of veteran actors from the previous installments—Owen Wilson, De Niro, Hoffman, and, of course, Ben Stiller himself, without whom this film would be unimaginable. The acting is perhaps the film’s greatest strength; the emotions feel quite genuine, which is a relief. The only thing is that the screenplay could have been made much more interesting. And the inclusion of a new, almost pivotal character played by Jessica Alba was clearly out of place. She’s simply not cut out for roles like this—here, talent is needed, excuse me, not just a slim figure and a smile that looks like it was done at the dentist’s.

Well, to sum it up, I’d say the film earns a neutral rating solely on the strength of its past merits. After all, the first two installments are noticeably better, so going forward, I’d like to see some evolution and more of the usual, down-to-earth humor.