In-laws provide a seemingly endless source of material for comedy.

This is certainly the case with Meet the Parents, a raucous farce about an escalating nightmare visit of a poor schmuck who's in love with a daddy's princess.

Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) is smitten with his girlfriend Pam Byrnes (Teri Polo).

He's determined to ask her to marry him, but she drops the hint that family protocol demands he ask her father's permission.

Sounds simple enough to Greg, but then he's never met Jack Byrnes (Robert De Niro).

Jack is a former CIA operative who wants only the best for his eldest daughter -- and Greg just doesn't measure up.

For starters, Greg is a Jewish male nurse with a dubious sounding last name.

For enders, he prefers dogs over cats and Jack just might love his fluffy feline (aptly named Jinxy) as much as he does his pampered, debutante daughter.

The more Greg tries to ingratiate himself with Jack, the worse he makes it for everyone and everything in the Byrne household.

Screenwriters Jim Herzfeld and John Hamburg have tried to flesh out their comedy with a host of quirky supporting characters, but this is essentially a two-character hootfest.

Stiller is all meek and bumbling.

De Niro is stern and menacing.

It's a hilarious oil-and-water combination that is milked with some hysterical slapstick.

Jack shows Greg an urn above the fireplace that holds his beloved mother's ashes.

The moment Greg comes into the room and prepares to uncork a bottle of champagne, the audience howls in anticipation of the obvious.

This is how director Jay Roach approaches each major pratfall, allowing the audience to be a good step or two ahead of poor Greg. Stiller's woeful looks and De Niro's glowering just punctuate the mayhem.

As Pam's mother Dina, Blythe Danner plays a kind of Edith Bunker. She only seems ditzy and blissfully oblivious, where she is actually more insightful than her husband.

Danner is a superb actress, but once again, she is woefully underused.

Worse still is Jon Abrahams as Pam's rebellious, pot-smoking brother. He makes a great initial entrance only to fade into the woodwork.

Owen Wilson is far more successful as Pam's much-too-perfect former finance Kevin Rawley.

He's handsome, suave, rich, talented and, according to Pam, a sex machine.

Stiller's reactions are priceless and completely understandable.

In fact, as the weekend wears on, one wonders why Greg is still determined to marry Pam. She's far too attached to her father and to a lifestyle Greg can never give her.

This is a major flaw with Meet the Parents.

The Byrnes are a family right out of sitcom hell that Greg seems better off without.

It's only in the movies that anyone would want to meet this family, but there's no denying it's one wild visit.

(This film is rated PG)

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