''Meet the Parents'' is a 1992 American independent comedy film written by

Greg Glienna Greg M. Glienna (born in Chicago, Illinois, August 23, 1963) is an American director and screenwriter best known as the creator of the original 1992 film '' Meet the Parents''. Glienna also wrote ''A Guy Thing'' and wrote and directed '' Relativ ...

and Mary Ruth Clarke. Glienna also directed and starred in the film as the main protagonist, Greg, a young man meeting his fiancée's parents for the first time who unintentionally wrecks his own reputation. Jim Vincent produced the film in association with

Emo Philips Emo Philips (born Philip Soltanec February 7, 1956) is an American actor, stand-up comedian, writer and producer. His stand-up comedy persona makes use of paraprosdokians spoken in a wandering falsetto tone of voice. The confused, childlike deli ...

, who wrote the title theme song. Filmed on a budget of approximately $100,000 and shot in and around

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

,The Boys Who Met the Parents
, ''Stumped''. Retrieved March 29, 2010. ''Meet the Parents'' was not widely distributed and did not earn a large profit at the box office upon its limited release. It did, however, garner some critical acclaim and film industry attention towards remaking the film on a bigger budget. Several years after the film's release,

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

purchased the rights to the independent film. After hiring screenwriter

Jim Herzfeld Jim Herzfeld is an American film and television screenwriter who has also done work as a television producer. Herzfeld graduated from UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television (TFT) in 1984.a new version of ''Meet the Parents'' was filmed and released in October 2000. The 2000 version in turn inspired two movie sequels and two television series.Gallo, Phil
Meet My Folks
''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', July 21, 2002. Retrieved May 27, 2008.Lynette Rice and Dan Snierson
On the Air
''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...

'', August 9, 2002. Retrieved October 10, 2008.

Plot

A man and his fiancée on their way to meet the latter's parents stop to get gas at a gas station. The man mentions his plans to the owner, who advises him against it. He tells the customer about Greg, an advertising agent from Chicago who traveled to

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

to meet the parents of his fiancée, Pam Burns, for a weekend that ended in disaster. Despite his efforts to impress Pam's father Irv, a retired gas station owner, and his wife Kay, Greg sets off several accidents upon arriving at their house. He breaks the crank off Irv's prized Victrola, overflows the toilet, ruins Kay's roast, rents a seemingly family-friendly VCR that turns out to be a slasher pornographic film, and almost pokes out Kay’s eye with a fishing pole. At dinner, Greg mentions writing a commercial starring

Ed McMahon Edward Leo Peter McMahon Jr. (March 6, 1923 – June 23, 2009) was an American announcer, game show host, comedian, actor, singer, and combat aviator. McMahon and Johnny Carson began their association in their first TV series, the ABC game sh ...

from ''

Star Search ''Star Search'' was an American television show that was produced by T.P.E./Rysher Entertainment from 1983 to 1995, hosted by Ed McMahon, and created by Al Masini. A relaunch was produced by 2929 Productions from 2003 to 2004. On both versio ...

'', causing Pam's sister Fay, an aspiring singer, to think he has ties with McMahon and insist he hear her audition. Before Greg goes to bed on the living room couch, he refuses Fay's offer of marijuana, and she leaves two joints in his luggage. Irv frames him for the joints the next morning. When Greg takes the Burns' car to buy zip-loc bags for their picnic, an unlicensed driver wrecks the car, and Greg returns with baggies. At the picnic, Greg throws a stick that the family dog Bingo chases into a lake, where he drowns. That evening, Pam's ex-boyfriend Lee challenges Greg to a bar brawl, and the couple escapes by car. Later, Greg tries sneaking upstairs into Pam's bedroom but ends up in Fay's room. The next afternoon, Greg and Pam prepare to leave, but Fay still demands that he hear her sing, so he invites her to perform at his wedding. He discovers his car has broken down, fails to fix it with Irv, and sets off more accidents on his way back into the house. In a room with an

urn An urn is a vase, often with a cover, with a typically narrowed neck above a rounded body and a footed pedestal. Describing a vessel as an "urn", as opposed to a vase or other terms, generally reflects its use rather than any particular shape or ...

containing the ashes of Irv's mother Penny, Greg tells Pam they should flee the house, but Pam urges him to stay one more night. He closes the door behind them as they walk out of the room, causing Penny's portrait to fall and break the urn, shocking Irv. Following dinner, Kay trips over Greg's luggage and falls down the stairs. In a final attempt to end the weekend on a positive note, Greg listens to Fay sing the ballad "When Philip's There" from a musical adaptation of '' Jaws''. Although he tries praising her performance, she begs him for suggestions, and he infuriates her by saying she needs more lessons. To get revenge, Fay lies to her family about Greg wanting to be intimate with her, so the heartbroken Pam hides in her room, forcing Greg to leave without her. As he approaches the front door, Pam's scream coming from Fay's room startles her parents. Irv discovers Fay has hanged herself with a sign reading "Greg killed me" around her neck, rushes partway downstairs, and fires his gun. The gas station owner concludes his story by narrating that Irv accidentally killed Kay and Pam, then died suddenly of a heart attack on the stairs, while Greg turned out fine. The customer and his fiancée, who dismisses the story, leave, although he is now uneasy about meeting her parents, especially when she mentions her mother is preparing a roast. Another customer arrives on his way to take his children to a circus, and the owner advises him against it, beginning a new story.

Cast

* John Dacosse (credited as John DaCosse) as First Customer * Karen Ann Gronowski as Fiancée * Jim Vincent as Gas Station Owner *

as Greg * Jacqueline Cahill as Pam Burns * Dick Galloway as Irv Burns * Carol Whelan as Kay Burns * Mary Ruth Clarke as Fay Burns *

as Video Store Employee * Domenic Sfreddo as Hit & Run Driver * Harry Hickstein as Lee * Dan Rhode as Lee's Buddy * John B. Nix as Bartender * Mike Toomey as Priest, TV Voice * Marc Vann as Second Customer * Patsy Glenn (likeness only) as Penny Burns Tony Boswell, Ricky Connor, Kay Cammon, and Vince Maranto portray the bar patrons. Poppy Champlin and Bob Rumba provide additional TV voices.

Reception

Film critic Suzan Ayscough reviewed the film for ''

'' magazine in 1992. In her review, she called the film a "wonderfully twisted

black comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discu ...

" even though she believed it to be "excessive and occasionally overdone." Ayscough predicted that the film "could garner a cult following among anti-establishment urbanites" due to its "blatant attack on marriage, suburban indifference, Christian hypocrisy and the nuclear family" and unsuitability for mainstream audiences. Opining that the "script desperately needed an objective eye," she concluded by calling the film an "amusing vehicle which aptly displays the multiple talents of Greg Glienna." Film producer Elliot Grove, founder of

Raindance Film Festival Raindance is an independent film festival and film school that operates in major cities including London, Los Angeles, New York, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Budapest, Berlin, and Brussels. The festival was established in 1992 by Elliot Grove t ...

and the

British Independent Film Awards The British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) is an organisation that celebrates, supports and promotes British independent cinema and filmmaking talent in United Kingdom. Nominations for the annual awards ceremony are announced in early November, ...

, listed the original ''Meet the Parents'' on his personal Top Ten list of favorite films. In the article, he called it "much funnier and tighter than the Hollywood version." Film critic

Jonathan Rosenbaum Jonathan Rosenbaum (born February 27, 1943) is an American film critic and author. Rosenbaum was the head film critic for ''The Chicago Reader'' from 1987 to 2008, when he retired. He has published and edited numerous books about cinema and has ...

liked the movie and was tempted to call it, "the ultimate worst-case-scenario comedy." He said it "may not always make you laugh but will impress you with the singularity of Glienna’s dark approach." And he added the audience was "still likely to be taken by the purity and relentlessness of this picture’s vision."

Remake

Producer Nancy Tenenbaum acquired the rights to the original film and then she sent a copy to several people of interest hoping to have a new version of the film made. Filmmaker Steven Soderbergh replied that he was interested and that he wanted to direct a remake. He brought it to the attention of Universal Studios who initially declined but subsequently optioned the rights to the film in 1995. Sodebergh took on the project but then dropped it when he got involved with ''

Out of Sight ''Out of Sight'' is a 1998 American crime comedy film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Scott Frank, adapted from Elmore Leonard's 1996 novel of the same name. The first of several collaborations between Soderbergh and actor Georg ...

''. In 1995

Universal Studios Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

purchased the rights to the film. The screenplay was expanded by screenwriter

Jim Herzfeld Jim Herzfeld is an American film and television screenwriter who has also done work as a television producer. Herzfeld graduated from UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television (TFT) in 1984.Jay Roach Mathew Jay Roach (born June 14, 1957) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for directing the ''Austin Powers'' film series, '' Meet the Parents'', '' Dinner for Schmucks'', '' The Campaign'', '' Trumbo'', and '' Bombshell''. Roach also e ...

was hired to direct the 2000 version of '' Meet the Parents'' with

Ben Stiller Benjamin Edward Meara Stiller (born November 30, 1965) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is the son of the comedians and actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. Stiller was a member of a group of comedic actors colloquially known ...

and Robert De Niro in the leading roles.Adams, Sam
Meet the Parents
, ''

Philadelphia City Paper ''Philadelphia City Paper'' was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The independently owned paper was free and published every Thursday in print and daily online at citypaper.net. Staff reporters focused on labor issues, ...

''. Retrieved March 29, 2010.Shaffer, R.L
Meet the Parents: Bonus Edition (2000)
dvdfuture.com. Retrieved December 20, 2009. Howe, Desson
A High Mirth Rate
''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'', October 6, 2000. Retrieved March 29, 2010. Distributed by Universal Studios domestically and by

United International Pictures United International Pictures (UIP) is a joint venture of Paramount Pictures and Universal Pictures that distributes their films outside the United States and Canada. UIP also had international distribution rights to certain Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer an ...

internationally, the remade film was a big financial success earning $166.2 million in the United States and a total of $330.4 million worldwide. The 2000 version in turn inspired two movie sequels, '' Meet the Fockers'' (2004) Clinton, Paul
Review: Formulaic 'Fockers' fitfully funny. Sequel has moments, but a comedown from original
''

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...

'', December 22, 2004. Accessed May 27, 2008. and ''

Little Fockers ''Little Fockers'' (known as ''Meet the Parents: Little Fockers'' in the United Kingdom and Southeast Asia) is a 2010 American comedy film and the third and final film in the ''Meet the Parents'' film series, serving as a sequel to ''Meet the Par ...

'' (2010).

References

External links

* *

PBS Wisconsin PBS Wisconsin (formerly Wisconsin Public Television or WPT) is a state network of non-commercial educational television stations operated primarily by the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board and the University of Wisconsin–Madison. It c ...