We barely cracked a smile when the trailer hit for “Little Fockers” — now going by the wordily titled “Meet The Parents: Little Fockers” internationally anyway — and with Dustin Hoffman bailing because of the script, cast members like Jessica Alba, Harvey Keitel, Laura Dern, Owen Wilson (returning from the first film in the series) being added like a fourth quarter Hail Mary, and now this decidedly boring and unfunny poster seems to mark a production that has been flailing about trying to find the funny.
Surely, someone in Universal’s marketing department could’ve come up with something a little more creative than plastering Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller’s giant heads on a white background. Christ, make it any other color, we don’t give a shit, but white? Was there a graphic designer running really late on deadline? Even worse, not even Photoshop can cover up the fact that these are two photos from separate shoots put together because instead of looking at De Niro, Stiller seems to looking at something infinitely more interesting over his right shoulder.
We could run down the plot for you but what’s the point: it all ends with Jack Byrne (Robert De Niro) not trusting Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) — again — and presumably more awkwardness and strained laughter ensue. At this point we’re hoping for anything — a twist ending, CGI monsters, and hell 3D — to spur our interest in this.
“Little Fockers” aka “Meet The Parents: Little Fockers” hits theaters on December 22nd.