It’s just that it’s the kind of comedy that’s as likely to have you gnawing your fist in an agony of embarrassment as it is to make you laugh.

Meet the Parents isn't as funny as There's Something About Mary, nor as outrageous. But it confirms that Ben Stiller is the best of today's young practitioners of frustration comedy.

Scenes that should have been uproarious are weaker than many of the movie's smaller moments, whose everyday humor isn't specific to the plot or characters.

Even in its unrealistic moments, there’s a certain underlying realism that makes the gags truer – and land with comedic aplomb.