DeNiro, Stiller and a cat make 'Meet the Parents' a worthwhile comedy

It would be a nightmare. Finally you get to meet your girlfriend's father and he's Robert DeNiro, the Godfather, the goodfella, the crazy taxi driver. In "Meet the Parents," this nightmare is bestowed upon Ben Stiller, and provides the main plot for a funny and entertaining movie.\nBen Stiller plays Gaylord Focker, a male nurse who's finally met the girl he wants to marry in kindergarten teacher Pam Byrnes (Teri Polo). But first Focker, basically the same clumsy, intimidated character from "There's Something About Mary," must seek approval from Pam's father, Jack (DeNiro), an ex-CIA agent who's very overprotective of his daughter and his potty-trained cat.\nFocker returns home with Pam for her sister's wedding and finally gets a chance to meet the parents. Mr. Byrnes instantly despises Focker and starts a massive interrogation process, looking for weakness and even hooking him up to a polygraph. \nThe fumbling of Stiller and the meanness of DeNiro and a little help from a cat make "Parents" a good comedy. \nDeNiro and Stiller make a great tag-team, playing well off each other. Each one acts their role convincingly with DeNiro delivering intimidating punches and Stiller taking them with his easily intimidated, type-cast style.\nJinxy the cat steals the show with his cute, funny tricks and his ability to go to the bathroom in the toilet. (yes, cats really can do this). It's hilarious to see DeNiro show a huge soft spot for a cute, little, furry cat. He even makes the feline the ring bearer in his daughter's wedding. \nAlthough sometimes predictable, "Parents" finds a way to be funny without hitting the low gross-out point that "There's Something About Mary" reached with its sperm-gel and balls stuck in the zipper scenes.\nThough the unlucky, clumsy situations Stiller finds himself in are funny, "Parents" does a bad job at setting them up. The audience can see them coming, and just wait around for them to happen. \n "Meet the Parents" puts Stiller and DeNiro back on track after a couple of so-so movies and does a great job of meeting the audience's expectations.