How many times can Gaylord “Greg” Focker (Ben Stiller) turn an uncomfortable moment into a full-blown disaster? Apparently, the answer is still “plenty,” because the Meet the Parents franchise is returning for a fourth film, Focker-in-Law. This time, Greg’s son Henry (Skyler Gisondo) is introducing the family to his partner, Olivia (Ariana Grande-Butera), a former FBI hostage negotiator. Naturally, Greg will find countless ways to make the meeting awkward. For a refresher on his earlier misadventures, watch Looper’s video above.
In 2000’s Meet the Parents, Greg travels to Long Island with his girlfriend Pam (Teri Polo) to meet her parents, Dina (Blythe Danner) and Jack (Robert De Niro), a former CIA operative and Vietnam War veteran. Jack immediately distrusts Greg, who does little to win him over. He starts a fire in the house, accidentally knocks over the urn containing Jack’s mother’s ashes, and loses Jack’s beloved cat, Mr. Jinx. Those catastrophes, along with the film’s other cringe-inducing moments, helped make Meet the Parents one of the most memorable awkward comedies of its era.
Greg also encounters Kevin (Owen Wilson), a wealthy stock investor who was once engaged to Pam. Jack clearly favors Kevin, adding another layer of tension to Greg’s already difficult weekend. By the end of the film, however, Jack accepts Greg as part of the family. Pam also has two siblings, Debbie (Nicole DeHuff) and Denny (Jon Abrahams), though neither has appeared since the first movie—and that probably won’t change anytime soon. With Greg and Jack finally on better terms, their conflict might seem resolved, but anyone familiar with this franchise knows that peace never lasts long.
Greg and Jack have endured plenty before Focker-in-Law
The 2004 sequel, Meet the Fockers, brought Jack and Dina face-to-face with Greg’s parents: sex therapist Roz (Barbra Streisand) and easygoing lawyer Bernie (Dustin Hoffman). Their wildly different personalities produced much of the film’s comedy, but viewers should not expect Roz or Bernie to make surprise appearances in Focker-in-Law—particularly Streisand, who has spoken publicly about pay disparities between male and female actors in Hollywood.
In 2010’s Little Fockers, Greg and Pam have been married for a decade and are raising two children, Henry and Samantha. Skyler Gisondo and Beanie Feldstein will portray the characters as young adults in Focker-in-Law. The third film sees Jack suffer a mild heart attack and begin preparing Greg to become the family patriarch. Jack then suspects Greg is having an affair with pharmaceutical representative Andi Garcia (Jessica Alba), though the apparent betrayal turns out to be a misunderstanding.
That brings the story to Focker-in-Law, where Greg has become the parent suspicious of his child’s partner. His distrust of Olivia appears to stem partly from fears that her FBI training will pull Henry away from him. Greg is also hurt that Jack wants to welcome Olivia into the Circle of Trust. Greg did not earn a place in Jack’s exclusive group of friends until Little Fockers, after 10 years of marriage to Jack’s daughter, making the situation feel especially personal.
The Meet the Parents series has developed a reputation for sequels that fall short of the original, but Focker-in-Law has a chance to change that pattern. To catch every callback and inside joke, watch Looper’s recap of the Fockers and their films above.
