Meet the Parents

Meet the Parents
This article is about the 2000 film. For other uses, see Meet the Parents (disambiguation).
Meet the Parents

International film poster
Directed by Jay Roach
Produced by Robert De Niro
Jay Roach
Jane Rosenthal
Nancy Tenenbaum
Written by James Herzfeld
John Hamburg
Screenplay by Greg Glienna
Mary Ruth Clarke
Starring Robert De Niro
Ben Stiller
Teri Polo
Blythe Danner
Owen Wilson
Music by Randy Newman
Cinematography Peter James
Editing by Jon Poll
Studio Universal Studios
DreamWorks
TriBeCa Productions
Distributed by Universal Studios
Release date(s) October 6, 2000 (2000-10-06)
Running time 108 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $55 million
Gross revenue $330,444,045
Followed by Meet the Fockers

Meet the Parents is a 2000 American romantic comedy film written by James Herzfeld and John Hamburg and directed by Jay Roach. Starring Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller, the film chronicles a series of unfortunate events that befall a good-hearted but hapless male nurse while visiting his girlfriend's parents. Teri Polo, Blythe Danner, and Owen Wilson also star.

Meet the Parents is a remake of a 1992 film of the same name directed by Greg Glienna. Glienna — who also played the main protagonist — and Mary Ruth Clarke co-wrote the screenplay. Universal Studios purchased the rights to Glienna's film with the intent of creating a new version. Jim Herzfeld expanded the original script but development was halted for some time. Jay Roach read the expanded script and expressed his desire to direct the film but Universal declined him. At that time, Steven Spielberg was interested in directing the film while Jim Carrey was interested in playing the lead role. The studio only offered the film to Jay Roach once Spielberg and Carrey left the project.

Released in the United States and Canada on October 6, 2000 and distributed by Universal Studios, the film earned back its initial budget of $55 million in only eleven days. It went on to become one of the highest grossing films of 2000, earning over $160 million in North America and over $330 million worldwide. Meet the Parents was well received by film critics and viewers alike, winning several awards and earning additional nominations. Ben Stiller won two comedy awards for his performance and the film was chosen as the Favorite Comedy Motion Picture at the 2001 People's Choice Awards. The success of Meet the Parents inspired a 2004 sequel titled Meet the Fockers. In 2007, Universal Studios announced another sequel titled Little Fockers. Meet the Parents also inspired a reality television show titled Meet My Folks and a situation comedy titled In-Laws, both of them debuting on NBC in 2002.