Meet the Fockers

(Comedy) (2000)

Major Characters

Greg (Gaylord) Focker…………………………………….Ben Stiller
A male nurse who lives in Chicago, and who is planning to marry Pam, after having met her 
parents in the prequel ‘meet the Parents’.

Pam Byrnes…………………………………………………Teri Polo
Greg’s charming and pretty girlfriend, who is a school teacher.

Jack Byrnes………………………………………………….Robert DeNiro
Pam’s conservative father who is a retired CIA agent.

Dina Byrnes………………………………………………….Blythe Danner
Pam’s very nice mother, (who seems to like Greg more than her husband does).

Bernard Focker………………………………………………Dustin Hoffman
Greg’s affectionate and eccentric father. He is very proud of his son.

Roz  Focker…………………………………………………..Barabara Streisand
Greg’s uninhibited mother.

Little Jack…………………………………………….
           Jack’s first grandson, Pam’s nephew.

Plot Summary

After finally gaining Jack Byrnes’s approval and entering ‘the circle of trust’ in the first movie ‘Meet the
Parents’, Jack is ready to marry the woman he loves Pam Byrnes. Only one thing stands in the way; Jack insists
on meeting Greg’s parents, the Fockers first. Greg is very nervous about this because he knows his parents are
unconventional and very different to the Byrneses. Together with Pam and her parents, Greg travels to Miami
in Jack’s motor coach (RV) taking Pam’s nephew Little Jack as well. Jack has a special system of education for
the child which he is very strict about. He also has an unusual method of feeding him. Jack’s beloved cat Mr
Jinx travels with them as well.

The main comedy centres around the huge differences in character and lifestyle of the two families as well as
Greg’s secret past which threatens to place him outside of ‘the circle of trust’ again. Greg’s dreams of marrying
Pam start to seem like an impossibility again.

Day One

Pre viewing questions:

1. Do you think that when two people marry, they marry each other’s families as well?
2. What do you think of the expression ‘like father like son’?
 3. How would you describe your parents? Are they strict? Conservative? Relaxed? Unconventional?
4. Do you know of any child raising methods that have become popular in your country recently?
5. Have you ever been in a situation where your family has met a friend/partner’s family and they didn’t
get on?

Viewing:

We are going to watch scenes 1-7 today. Watch for the answers to the following questions:

1. What does Greg do for the first time at work? ______________________________________________

2. What happens on the way to the airport? __________________________________________________
3. How does Jack bring up his grandson? What technique does he use? Why?
__________________________________________________________________________________
4. What has Mr Jinx learnt to do? _________________________________________________________
5. What announcement does Jack make over the loudspeaker just after the bus trip starts?
___________________________________________________________________________________
6. Later, at the Focker’s house, what is Bernard’s version of this same rule?
___________________________________________________________________________________
7. What has Jack invented? _______________________________________________________________
8. Jack thinks Greg’s mother is a doctor. What’s her real job? ___________________________________

New vocabulary:

Some useful vocabulary/phrases:

“You two. You’re up”

‘you’re up means _____________

‘a scam’ is ______________

“ I’ve heard of this baby signing stuff. This is cutting edge”

‘cutting edge means ____________________
“Ready to hit the road co-captain?”
‘hit the road’ means _______________________

‘A chink in the chain’ is an expression meaning ___________________________

‘mammary gland’ is the medical term for breast. Boob is a colloquial form. Jack’s invention plays on the
medical word by calling it a man-ary gland.