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| Left to right: Robert de Niro and Ben Stiller |
Welcome to Alternative to What: a weekly column that tries to find a great alternative to driving to the multiplexes. Based on releases of that week, the selections will either be thematically related or feature recurring cast and crew. The goal is to help you better understand the diversity of cinema and hopefully find you some favorites while saving a few bucks. At worse, this column will save you money. Expect each installment to come out on Fridays, unless specified.
THIS WEEK:
Meet the Parents (2000)
- Alternative To -
Dirty Grandpa (2016)
There is a good chance that one watches that Dirty Grandpa trailers and wonder what happened. What happened to the actor Robert de Niro, of whom used to be one of the most acclaimed actors of his generation. Why is he now shilling himself in nonsensical films that require the lowest of brow humor? It is a valid point, especially since it is arguable that his highest achievements as an actor greatly outweigh those of the average performer. He not only starred in a lot of great movies, he practically defined the 70's and to an extent the 80's and less so in the 90's. Still, he was a force to be reckoned with, and it's unfortunate to see him doing comedies that require him to do very childish material that is below his credentials.
That isn't to say that he cannot do comedy. On the contrary. He is someone who is equally respected because he is capable of playing the straight man in comedy and making the jokes land better. He's even been funny in his own biggest dramas. The man is an unqualified success. However, if one wants to fully appreciate his talents for subverting expectations, you probably should consult Meet the Parents: a film that came at a turning point in his career between the glory days of his hit dramas, and whatever lead him to do Dirty Grandpa. True, every actor has a hit and a miss at some point, but one cannot help but notice the misses in de Niro's case so much more clearly. Yet, here he is in Meet the Parents, proving that he can do lowbrow humor in a classy way.
The very set-up for Meet the Parents is ripe for comedy. Ben Stiller comes to meet the in-laws, and chaos ensues. It's a formula that may seem familiar for those that saw Stiller's Flirting With Disaster a few years prior, but which met its apex here. Stiller, at the height of his power, managed to make the uncomfortable nature of meeting in-laws into a rich landscape of gags that involved urns dropping and clever uses of Godspell music. Add in one of the most unfortunate names in comedy history (Gaylord Focker), and you begin to understand what this film is going for. It's a laugh riot, largely in part to de Niro's ability to wink at the camera while playing serious. He is doing silly stuff, but it feels in keeping with his character.
That isn't to say that he cannot do comedy. On the contrary. He is someone who is equally respected because he is capable of playing the straight man in comedy and making the jokes land better. He's even been funny in his own biggest dramas. The man is an unqualified success. However, if one wants to fully appreciate his talents for subverting expectations, you probably should consult Meet the Parents: a film that came at a turning point in his career between the glory days of his hit dramas, and whatever lead him to do Dirty Grandpa. True, every actor has a hit and a miss at some point, but one cannot help but notice the misses in de Niro's case so much more clearly. Yet, here he is in Meet the Parents, proving that he can do lowbrow humor in a classy way.
The very set-up for Meet the Parents is ripe for comedy. Ben Stiller comes to meet the in-laws, and chaos ensues. It's a formula that may seem familiar for those that saw Stiller's Flirting With Disaster a few years prior, but which met its apex here. Stiller, at the height of his power, managed to make the uncomfortable nature of meeting in-laws into a rich landscape of gags that involved urns dropping and clever uses of Godspell music. Add in one of the most unfortunate names in comedy history (Gaylord Focker), and you begin to understand what this film is going for. It's a laugh riot, largely in part to de Niro's ability to wink at the camera while playing serious. He is doing silly stuff, but it feels in keeping with his character.
Most of all, it's just an effectively told story that most people will experience at some point in their lives. De Niro's subplot is itself an interesting addition, especially as it does a play on the paranoid father figure. However, it's the chemistry of every performer that inevitably made it a compelling film and one of every actor involved's best. One could also just look at de Niro's down fall and blame the sequels, Meet the Fockers and Little Fockers, which took the formula to its logical next conclusion and sought to be more wild and less coherent than ever. The actors were dealt with mediocre results. But the original remains a somewhat grounded look into how complicated it is to accept your in-laws as real people, and that alone has made it such a sustainable film.
To younger readers, I do encourage you to skip Dirty Grandpa and hopefully see de Niro for what his credentials should have. He is definitely an actor who has done enough impressive work to do whatever he wants. However, Meet the Parents shows him doing that while caring about content. He has several great jokes here that reflect his timing and capabilities. The only issue is that what served as a great turn into comedy inevitably lead to his default. While he has had a few hits since, I'd encourage viewers to find older stuff to like, and get on that before judging de Niro as a weird and washed up actor that he may be, but not as entirely pitiful as it makes it out to be. Also, Meet the Parents is just a really funny movie anyways.
To younger readers, I do encourage you to skip Dirty Grandpa and hopefully see de Niro for what his credentials should have. He is definitely an actor who has done enough impressive work to do whatever he wants. However, Meet the Parents shows him doing that while caring about content. He has several great jokes here that reflect his timing and capabilities. The only issue is that what served as a great turn into comedy inevitably lead to his default. While he has had a few hits since, I'd encourage viewers to find older stuff to like, and get on that before judging de Niro as a weird and washed up actor that he may be, but not as entirely pitiful as it makes it out to be. Also, Meet the Parents is just a really funny movie anyways.
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