New Year's Eve (2011 film)

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We had not heard of the 2011 film ‘New Year’s Eve’; but when I spotted it on special offer (two DVDs for a pound) in a UK charity shop earlier in the year, it wasn’t a difficult decision to buy it. There are some faces and names which even I recognised on the front, and it was directed by Garry Marshall. I don’t usually have any clue who directed a film, but his name has come up on several we have seen in the past few years, often in conjunction with ‘extras’. 

We decided we would watch the film around New Year, to make it somewhat seasonal - and since we had a free evening on December 30th, that’s when we saw it. I had seen some reviews suggesting that it was considered rambling with not much plot. I also saw that it had was considered the worst film of the year by some critics… so we weren’t expecting a whole lot. But a light ‘rom-com’, even if not particularly well-made or amusing, was what we were looking for. 

There’s no ‘main’ character (or characters) in this film, and it’s true that there’s no real plot. It has a large cast and several concurrent storylines, all taking place on New Year’s Eve at the end of 2011. It’s set in New York, and sees a lot of people converging on Times Square. I had heard of the ‘ball drop’ ceremony but had never been sure what it involves. I’m still not sure why it’s such a big deal in New York, but evidently it’s traditional. I also learned that midnight is considered a time for first kisses. 

Little Fockers (Ben Stiller)

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Six months ago we watched the film ‘Meet the Fockers’, which I found inexpensively in a local thrift store. We liked it so much that I ordered (second-hand) the first and third in the series when I was in the UK.  We watched ‘Meet the parents’ last week, and thought it excellent. So we were looking forward to seeing the final film in the trilogy, ‘Little Fockers’, yesterday evening. 

The main characters are the same as in the other two films, and the chemistry between them is as good as ever. Ben Stiller is excellent as Greg Focker, a nurse who has other responsibilities in his hospital. He’s married, now, to Pam (Teri Polo) and they have twins, Samantha and Henry, who are nearly five. Samantha is considerably taller than Henry. Apparently the actress (Daisy Tahan) was eight in 2010 when the film was made, while Colin Baiocchi, who played Henry, was a year younger. 

Meet the parents (Ben Stiller)

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About six months ago, we watched the 2004 film ‘Meet the Fockers’, and found it very enjoyable. When I was reviewing it, I learned that it was a sequel to the 2000 film ‘Meet the parents’. I was making an order from the ‘Worldofbooks’ site, to be collected when I was in the UK in the summer. So I decided to add this film, and the third in the trilogy as well, as both were priced very inexpensively. 

I expected used editions of these DVDs, and was surprised and pleased to find that ‘Meet the parents’ was still shrink-wrapped, either new or as-new. We watched it last night. It wasn’t a problem that we had seen these films in the wrong order, although we had some inkling of what the characters were going to be like.

Ben Stiller is excellent in his role as the slightly hapless and unambitious Greg. He works as a nurse, where he is sometimes mistaken for a doctor. But we only see him in this role at the start of each of the films. He then goes to meet his girlfriend Pam (Teri Polo) in his lunch break. We see her finishing her morning’s teaching in a class of young children, perhaps Kindergarten. She’s evidently a good teacher who cares about all her children and their health and emotional side as well as their academic education. 

Greg is about to propose to Pam, using an unusual visual display when she’s interrupted by a phone call. He discovers that he should ask her father first. And then we see them arriving at her parents’ home, a couple of weeks later, for her sister’s wedding after quite a stressful plane ride where his luggage gets lost.

Pam appears to revert to a young child, swung around in her father (Robert De Niro)’s arms, then greeted by her mother (Blythe Danner) as if she were about six. Greg is introduced almost as an afterthought. And while her parents seem to be welcoming, they are full of suspicion. Her father, in particular, doesn’t think anyone is good enough for his older daughter. He is particularly biased against male nurses, though it’s not clear why. 

Most of the film then takes place over the next couple of days. The action includes part of a wedding rehearsal, a meeting with Pam’s ex fiancé (Owen Wilson), a game of pool volleyball where Greg distinguishes himself in negative ways, and a lost cat. Disaster follows disaster as Greg tries, in vain, to impress his future in-laws. It could have been trite or silly, but the choreography is excellent, the script well-written, and the whole really quite amusing. It’s exaggerated and caricatured, of course, but we didn’t find that a problem. 

I suppose part of the appeal of this film is because many people have some apprehension before meeting the parents of a partner or future spouse. We all want to live up to others’ expectations, and all the more so when they are important to the people we love. Ben Stiller is extremely good in this role, which approaches but never quite reaches slapstick. Robert De Niro is superb, too, as the strict father who, nevertheless, has something of a sense of humour. Perhaps the eventual (and inevitable) reconciliation scene is a tad unlikely, but then so are many of the other scenes. 

This is one of the rare films that succeeds in being a true rom-com: the romance is there with some great chemistry between Greg and Pam. But it’s also full of humour, including places where we laughed aloud. It’s not to be taken seriously, although it makes some good points about honesty and being oneself, rather than trying too hard to impress others. It made a very good evening’s light viewing.

The rating is 12, which is probably about right, in my view. There’s nothing explicit, but many innuendoes and some passionate kisses. There’s one short scene of mild (accidental) violence with quite a bit of blood. There’s discussion about both smoking and marijuana. Then there are a few instances of mild bad language. Also, of course, Greg’s surname (‘Focker’) sounds deliberately like a ‘strong’ word. I don’t think any of these things would actually disturb or corrupt a young child, but since all the actors are adults and the story is about adult relationships, it’s unlikely to be of interest to anyone under 12. 

Review copyright 2025 Sue's DVD Reviews

Meet the Fockers (Ben Stiller)

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I had heard of the 2004 film ‘Meet the Fockers’ several times in the past couple of decades. But for some reason I had not thought to acquire it. Perhaps the title was off-putting - I’m not sure. However, when I saw it inexpensively in a local thrift store a couple of weeks ago, I thought it would be interesting to see. If we didn’t like it, I thought, we could always donate it back.

It opens with a hospital scene. Greg (Ben Stiller) is a nurse assisting at a birth. He can’t get a doctor, so delivers the baby himself. We then see him at home, and his fiancée Pam (Teri Polo). They are preparing to go on a visit which evidently allows his parents to meet hers, so they can get to know each other before the wedding. Greg is clearly rather concerned about this. 

I had not realised until a few minutes ago that this film is in fact a sequel to another film, ‘Meet the parents’, in which Greg and Pam meet each other’s parents for the first time. I think that could be interesting to watch, so I will look out for it. But it isn’t necessary to have seen it first. ‘Meet the Fockers’ stands alone and doesn’t feel as if anything is missing. 

Pam’s parents Jack (Robert de Niro) and Dina (Blythe Danner) are quite traditional in outlook. Jack used to work for the CIA, but doesn’t want Greg’s parents to know. And he’s acquired a huge luxurious motorhome in which the four of them are planning to drive to Greg’s parents’ home. Plus their cat, who has been taught to use (and even flush) the toilet.

And then there’s Little Jack, a total cutie who must be around a year old. He is played by the identical twins Spencer and Bradley Pickren, and he, to my mind, is one of the best characters in the film. He is competent in baby sign language, but until half-way through the film has not said a single word. However he toddles around like a child of fifteen months or so. I guess his age doesn’t much matter. He is Jack and Dina’s grandson, and they’re looking after him while their other daughter is away. Jack is trying to teach him new signs, and also introduce the so-called ‘Ferber method’ of sleep-training. 

Jack is also highly competitive in everything he does. Greg’s parents, by contrast, are relaxed, bohemian and very loving. They never expected Greg to be perfect, but honoured him in every achievement, no matter how minor. This goes a bit overboard and Greg finds it embarrassing, but I liked his parents very much Dustin Hoffman is wonderful as his father Bernie, and Barbra Streisand also excellent as his mother Roz. Greg has told his future in-laws that Roz is a doctor, but not that she works as a sex therapist..

The contrast of the two sets of parents is very cleverly done; perhaps it’s an advantage of not having seen the earlier film in that I had no idea what to expect. There are some very amusing scenes, some of them involving Little Jack, some exploring the contrast between Pam’s rather uptight parents and Greg’s very huggy, talkative and relaxed parents. 

The pace is perfect; the film is nearly two hours long but I don’t think I looked at the clock even once. It didn’t feel long at all. There’s a lot of humour and also some interesting insights into different relationships. There’s some great choreography and scenes that could almost be considered slapstick, but they are extremely well done. I didn’t much like Bernie and Roz’s small and annoying dog that tries to ‘hump’ everything it sees, but other than that I thought all the characters were well portrayed, believable, and - at least deep down - very likeable. 

It’s perhaps a bit predictable, but that doesn’t matter too much in this ‘rom-com’ film which really does manage to combine romance with some very amusing scenes. 

Rated 12A in the UK, and PG-13 in the US, which I think is about right. There’s no real violence, other than a couple of incidents that lead to a nose bleed, and there’s very little bad language, none of it ‘strong’, as far as I can recall, although of course Greg’s family’s surname does sound similar to a ‘strong’ word. But although there’s no real nudity or anything explicit, there’s a lot of talk about sexuality, and plenty of innuendoes and discussion of people’s intimate lives. So it’s not a film I would show to children, or even younger teens.

But for adults who want something light-hearted and amusing, without anything too serious, I would recommend this. 

Review copyright 2025 Sue's DVD Reviews

Falling in Love (Meryl Streep, Robert DeNiro)

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In between seeing new films we have been given, we’re watching some we liked and enjoyed about nine or ten years ago. One of these is ‘Falling in Love’, which we first saw in September 2010. I remembered finding it somewhat bittersweet, but had no real memory of the storyline; my husband didn’t remember it at all.

Meryl Streep and Robert DeNiro star as Molly and Frank, two happily married people who happen to live not far away from each other. Molly is married to a doctor, and there’s evidently some tension in their relationship; but they seem mostly to be happy. Frank is married to Ann, and they also seem to be well-suited, on the whole, with two delightful sons.

Frank and Molly bump into each other while doing some last-minute Christmas shopping in a bookshop. They drop some gift-wrapped parcels and manage to get two of them mixed, leading to some surprises on Christmas morning. The film follows them separately in their different lives. They both come across as likeable people of integrity; there’s a rather sad subplot involving Molly’s elderly father.

A few months later they happen to be on the same train… and they start chatting. Neither is considering any form of relationship outside of their marriages, but there’s evidently an attraction. At first it seems as if this will be satisfied in a platonic friendship, but as they meet more often it gradually becomes clear that there’s more involved in their mutual feelings.

It’s the two main actors who make this into an excellent film. There’s not a whole lot of plot, and the coincidences are a tad unbelievable. But Meryl Streep and Robert DeNiro have excellent on-screen chemistry. Both are somewhat quiet, neither has any intention of cheating on their spouses. But their sense of kinship comes across powerfully, and the growing physical attraction too, something that - it would appear - cannot be ignored.

The first time I saw the film, I hoped that it would go one way, and it didn’t. This time I remembered the outcome, though not exactly why it happened. Either possible ending would have led to heartbreak one way or another, and while I would have preferred my choice, what happened in the film worked extremely well - and showed clearly what difficult choices sometimes have to be made.

We found it poignant, even sad, but it was so well done, with such brilliant acting that we both found it almost mesmerising and were totally drawn into the story as we watched.

Definitely recommended. The rating is PG, which I suppose is about right since the bad language is mostly anatomical, and the one scene of intimacy doesn’t show any detail. But the subject matter isn’t really appropriate to children, and I doubt if anyone under the age of about fifteen or sixteen would find it interesting.

Review copyright 2019 Sue's DVD Reviews

Marvin's Room (Diane Keaton and Meryl Streep)

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It's been ten years since we watched the film ‘Marvin’s Room’. Although I recalled very little about the story, I knew we had liked it when we first saw it. It has rather an all-star cast: Meryl Streep and Diane Keaton play two sisters who have not been in touch for close to twenty years. Leonardo DiCaprio plays the moody teenage Hank, and Robert De Niro is Dr Wally. Even I have heard of these four actors.

We meet the sisters separately; indeed it’s not obvious at first that they are sisters. Diane Keaton is Bessie, who has devoted the last twenty years of her life to looking after her invalid father, Marvin (Hume Cronyn). He had a stroke which left him bedridden and unable to speak, and nobody expected him to stay alive all this time.

Marvin’s sister Ruth (Gwen Verdon) lives with them, and helps with his care, but she’s becoming elderly and absent-minded, and is also seriously addicted to soap operas on television. Ruth provides some gentle humour, which works very well alongside the more poignant and darker main storyline. But Bessie has been getting very tired recently. She assumes she has a vitamin deficiency, but Dr Wally wants to run some tests. And the news is not good…

Meanwhile Lee (Meryl Streep) has been training as a beautician while raising her two sons as a single mother. Charlie, the younger son (Hal Scardino) is a likeable nerdy type, but his older brother Hank is very angry, and we meet him when he tears up some family photos and sets light to them…

When Bessie gets in touch with Lee, she and the boys embark on the long journey to visit her, to see if they are able to help with her treatment. Lee and Hank keep aggravating each other; she seems to have little idea how to communicate with a teenager.

The bulk of the story, then, is about what happens when the sisters are reunited, with Bessie meeting her nephews for the first time. This visit is the catalyst for many things, and we found it a gripping film. The acting is excellent - as one would expect with such a talented cast. The pace just right, and the story heart-wrenching in places. I felt the ending was a tad too abrupt; there are hints at what is going to happen in the future, but it’s not as clear as I would have liked.

The rating is 12; I can’t imagine anyone younger would be interested anyway. There’s no serious violence, no nudity or intimacies, and not a lot of bad language, although there is some (including one or two 'strong' words).  However some of the plot and a few of the scenes could be very disturbing to a sensitive child.

All in all, it was a thought-provoking, very well made film and I would recommend it highly.

Review copyright 2019 Sue's DVD Reviews

The Intern (Robert de Niro, Anne Hathaway)

(Amazon UK link)

My husband saw this film - or part of it - on a flight, and liked it so much that he put it on his wish-list. He received it a while ago as a gift, and we finally sat down to watch it. I wasn’t particularly inspired by the blurb on the back, explaining that a retired man got a job as an intern. But it turned out to be an excellent film and I’m glad I was persuaded to see it. 

70-year-old Ben is the star of this film. Robert de Niro is perfect for the role, as an understated, likeable and hard-working guy. Ben has recently been widowed, and is finding time rather drags in his retirement. He is somewhat old-fashioned, and likes to have a routine for each day, but he misses the buzz of being at work. So when he sees an advert for a ‘senior’ aged intern at a clothes company, he decides to apply.

The first scenes are cleverly done. We learn a great deal about Ben as he prepares his resume - on video camera, not on paper. Unsurprisingly he is accepted for the job, and is put to work with the work-obsessed Jules Oston, the founder of the company. It’s an ideal part for Anne Hathaway, featuring a young, idealistic and driven woman who has quite a heart hidden beneath her high-flying exterior.

The story is character-based, with Ben as catalyst for a lot of changes to different people. He is a secure, confident person who is good at spotting when things need to be done. Perhaps he’s a tad too good to be true, but it didn’t matter. I found myself warming to him more and more. I couldn’t quite forget that Jules was Anne Hathaway; she does the ‘gradually transformed strong young woman’ role very well, but it would be nice to see her in something different. However, I can’t think of anyone who would have been more suited to the role of Jules.

There’s a surprising amount of humour in the film, some of it rather suggestive. The PG-13 or 12A rating is appropriate, although younger children would probably miss most of it; there’s nothing explicit. There's no violence either, though there's some mild (and very well done) slapstick. I particularly enjoyed the excellently choreographed burglary scene later in the story.

The scenery is excellent, the houses different in their layouts, but all welcoming and pleasant to the eye. One of the extras explains that the set designer and director were very picky about this kind of thing - and it certainly works well. There’s minimal bad language, no nudity, no violence… and a satisfying ending in all respects.

Thoroughly enjoyable to watch, and one that I expect to see more than once.

Review copyright 2017 Sue's DVD Reviews

Falling in Love (Meryl Streep, Robert de Niro)

(Amazon UK link)

I put this DVD on my wishlist after Amazon recommended it, probably due to my having rated other films with Meryl Streep in them. She stars in 'Falling in Love', brilliantly, as ever. While some actors and actresses are very good in typecast roles, Meryl Streep manages to play a wide variety of characters, and is entirely believable in every one.

In this film, Streep plays the part of Molly, who is doing some Christmas shopping, when she bumps into Frank (Robert de Niro) in a book shop. Predictably, their parcels get switched in the confusion. Both of them are married, quite contently, to other people, and they think nothing of the encounter. Except that, coincidentally, they realise that they travel to work on the same train...

We soon realised that this is quite old, as films go – the lack of mobile phones, and the presence of old-fashioned dials on house phones rather gave it away. It was in fact made in 1984 - and very well made too. De Niro is an excellent foil for Meryl Streep, and the chemistry between them is powerful.

However the subject matter is all too modern, and rather depressing. The two leading characters become friends, and then their relationship escalates far too quickly, both of them convinced that at last they have found their soul-mate. I did not at all like the message which was conveyed – that the promises of marriage can be thrown aside, even when the marriages are, basically, pretty good.

Still, the acting was excellent, and overall it was reasonably entertaining and even mildly amusing in places. I just wish it had ended differently.

Rated PG in the UK, and PG-13 in the USA.

Review copyright Sue's DVD Reviews