An interesting ethnic-, social-class clash comedy that draws clear distinctions between Jewish warmth & spontaneity and WASP aloofness & emotional retardation.
The premise of an untrusting father and his would-be son-in-law is a universal theme that is not, however, fully explored in favour of intricate and amusing slapstick. The so-called circle-of-trust of the WASP family is really an incentive to create a circle-of-deceit as his children lie to him because of his emotionally possessive paranoia - which they hope telling him lies will help them escape.
Snobbery is well represented by the daughter being enjoined not to marry someone who earns less than they think he should to keep her in the style to which she was raised. And Ben STILLER is comical as he tries to compete on equal terms with those who earn far more than he does. Yet the more he lies, the bigger a hole he digs for himself.
Ultimately, the charm of this movie springs from the simple fact that his love for his fiancée is genuine. If only that emotional commitment had been better foregrounded, this could have been a comedy classic instead of a mediocre attempt at a comedy of manners.
Article copyright © 2009 Frank TALKER. Permission granted to reproduce and distribute it in any format; provided that mention of the author’s Weblog (http://franktalker5.blogspot.com/) is included: E-mail notification requested. All other rights reserved. Frank TALKER is also the author of Sweaty Socks: A Treatise on the Inevitability of Toe Jam in Hot Weather (East Cheam Press: Groper Books, 1997) and is University of Bullshit Professor Emeritus of Madeupology.
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