Cast wasted in dimwitted 'Little Fockers'

Forget about what's really in that holiday fruitcake.

The biggest mystery of the holiday season is how three Oscar-winning actors - the greatest performers of their generation - willingly stood in front of movie cameras and recited the infantile, repetitive dialogue in this really, really, really, really dumb sequel to the funny 2000 comedy "Meet the Parents."

If you laugh uproariously at the naughty-sounding title "Little Fockers," you'll probably like this movie, because it thrives on having characters constantly say the name over and over, as if it's so funny it bears endless repetition.

"Little Fockers" also traffics in jokes based on flatulence and testicular violence, two reliably effective humor devices generally embraced by filmmakers devoid of imagination and wit.

Then, the film attempts to squeeze comic mileage out of senior citizens and little kids talking naughty about sex!

<I>Hardee-har-har.</I>

"Little Fockers" is the second sequel to a remake of the 1991 indie film "Meet the Parents" shot right here in the Northwest suburbs and Indiana. It bears little resemblance to the sequels "Meet the Fockers" and "Little Fockers."

The "Little" plot continues the war of wills between male nurse Greg Focker (again played by Ben Stiller) and his secretive father-in-law, retired military intelligence agent Jack Brynes (again played by Robert De Niro, Oscar-winner No. 1).

A son-less Jack suffers from chest pains and worries that Greg won't be able to take over as the patriarch of the family.

Jack also suspects Greg might be sexually bored with his wife Pam (Terri Polo). Jack's suspicions seem to be confirmed when a cute, bubbly drug rep (a stunningly cuddlesome Jessica Alba) puts the hyper-moves on Greg.

Meanwhile, Pam's super-wealthy ex, Kevin (Owen Wilson), continues his campaign to win her back while Greg's life becomes increasingly complicated by the arrival of his New Agey parents (Oscar winners 2 and 3, Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand).

This script (by three writers) not only treats its characters as utter dimwits - security-conscious Jack is amazed to learn about a newfangled invention called Google - it doesn't have a much higher opinion of us, the moviegoing public, either.

'Little Fockers'

★ ½

Starring: Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Teri Polo, Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand, Owen Wilson

Directed by: Paul Weitz

Other: A Universal Pictures release. Rated PG-13 for drug use, language and sexual situations. 98 minutes