STUDIO: Universal | DIRECTOR: Paul Weitz | CAST: Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Owen Wilson, Barbra Streisand, Dustin Hoffman
RELEASE DATE: 4/5/2011 | PRICE: DVD $29.98, Blu-ray/DVD combo$39.98
BONUSES: making-of featurette, interviews, deleted scenes, gag reel
SPECS: PG-13 | 98 min. | Comedy | 1.85:1 aspect ratio | 5.1 DTS-HD audio | English, French, Spanish subtitlesRATINGS (out of 5 dishes): Movie
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The third movie in the Meet the Parents comedy franchise is hopefully the last. Mildly amusing in some places, Little Fockers mostly makes us wonder why stars Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro and Owen Wilson didn’t get out when they were ahead (which actually would have been after the first movie, but that’s another review). Do they need the money that badly? Quick, let’s take up a collection so we don’t have to sit through another Focking movie.
Universal has piled a bunch of special features on the Blu-ray with mixed results.
The disc has an alternate opening and ending, but only the opening is really noticeably different than the final movie. In it, De Niro shows up in a dress, which is cute, but he did that gag to better effect in Stardust.
Most of the deleted scenes are as mundane as the movie, but one with Dustin Hoffman giving De Niro some healing power — including promises of a sponge bath — is worth a watch.
The interview featurettes “Bob and Ben” and “Ben and Owen” are nice looks at the actors and their relationships, especially “Ben and Owen,” as the actors seem very comfortable together and candid in their chat.
The “Bob and Ben” featurette, unfortunately, is repeated in the making-of featurette … and it’s the most interesting part. The rest of the piece is more of a promotion for the trio of films and shows other returning cast members Teri Polo and Blythe Danner, as well as the filmmakers, saying how great it is to be back for a third movie. Glad they had fun.
The Blu-ray also a gag reel, which isn’t as funny as most on discs, and a brief look at the making of the fight scene between Stiller and De Niro, which is basically just a recap of the scene from the actors, producers and director Paul Weitz.
Noticeably absent from the interviews in the special features are Streisand, Hoffman and the newcomers to the cast, Jessica Alba (Machete) and Harvey Keitel (Thelma & Louise), and oddly enough, they all had the funniest parts in the movie. Streisand and Hoffman’s goofy but loveable grandparents and Alba’s cute and awkward drug rep (a la Good Luck Chuck) seem somehow more real and are more entertaining than the straight characters. Hmmm.
Buy or Rent Little Fockers | |||
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  DVD | Blu-ray/DVD Combo | Instant Video |  DVD | Blu-ray/DVD Combo |  DVD | Blu-ray/DVD Combo |  |
I am excited to see the cast of characters back in the third installment of what promises to be entertaining and funny. Little Fockers is premiering April 5th on DISH Cinema. It’s the same day as it’s released to DVD and 28 days before Netflix and redbox. I am setting my DVR to record it with my employee DISH Network subscription. DISH Network has more movies and more HD than you will get with any other provider.