25 Years In the past Immediately, Robert De Niro Reinvented His Profession

Robert De Niro is likely one of the most celebrated actors of all time, however he made a significant shift 25 years in the past that fully modified his profession. De Niro is a star that wants little introduction, and the multi-time award-winner has been handing over stellar performances for six many years, evolving as an actor alongside the way in which.

He broke out working with Brian De Palma, however it was Martin Scorsese that made him a star. He first labored with Scorsese on the director’s third movie, Imply Streets, and would quickly grow to be his go-to lead actor. Scorsese’s movies allowed De Niro to hone his craft, establishing him as a dramatic powerhouse who excelled at complicated characters.

Although he finally moved away to star in different initiatives, De Niro periodically reunited with Scorsese, and even labored on 2023’s Killers of the Flower Moon. Films like Goodfellas and On line casino would ceaselessly affiliate De Niro with the gangster movie class, and he headlined almost each one of many style’s greatest movies within the ’80s and ’90s.

De Niro’s profession started to shift within the ’90s, and he starred in a various vary of movies from motion, interval drama, and even comedy. That development continued into the 2000s, the place the subsequent part of his profession started in earnest. De Niro’s flexibility allowed him to open a brand new chapter in his decades-long tenure in Hollywood.

Meet The Dad and mom Cemented Robert De Niro As A Comedy Actor

Launched within the 12 months 2000, Meet the Dad and mom marked one of many starkest modifications in Robert De Niro’s skilled appearing profession, and it cemented him as a comedy star. The Jay Roach smash-hit starred Ben Stiller as a put-upon nurse who visits his girlfriend’s household for the primary time. De Niro co-starred as Jack Byrnes, her overly protecting father.

De Niro was no stranger to comedy when he was tapped to play Jack in Meet the Dad and mom, however there was a notable distinction between the movie and his earlier humor works. For the primary time, De Niro was the funnyman, even when his character was considerably stoic and delicate.

It is success additionally went a great distance in legitimizing De Niro’s presence in comedy, particularly together with his fame for drama. The Harold Ramis comedy, Analyze This, was launched a 12 months earlier, however it put De Niro in a well-recognized gangster position as a substitute of permitting him to step out into new territory.

Meet the Dad and mom was an entire new aspect of De Niro, and it additionally mirrored his burgeoning standing as one among Hollywood’s elder statesmen. He transitioned easily right into a fatherly position, even when it was hilarious. Jack wasn’t just a few hard-nosed dictator, he had humorous moments that allowed De Niro to flex his comedic muscle tissue.

De Niro Has Continued To Ship Nice Comedy Roles Since Meet The Dad and mom

Meet the Dad and mom was a blessing in disguise for De Niro, as a result of his profession fell into one thing of a dramatic hunch nearly instantly after the film got here out. The Aughts weren’t significantly sort to De Niro basically, however comedy was a style the place he constantly carried out effectively, all the time giving a few of his greatest performances.

The Meet the Dad and mom trilogy allowed him to develop the character of Jack Byrnes right into a extra fleshed-out determine, and he was even in a position to return to roles like Paul Vitti in Analyze That. Although comedies like What Simply Occurred did not get the very best opinions, De Niro was handing over his greatest work whereas getting some fairly hearty laughs.

Whereas initially dismissed, The Intern confirmed a softer aspect of De Niro, which may additionally nonetheless be extremely humorous. That is to not say he turned his again on drama, and his reunions with Scorsese within the twenty first century have produced gems. The Irishman was a selected spotlight, and proved De Niro was nonetheless on the peak of his sport.

Not Each Robert De Niro Comedy Has Been As Good As Meet The Dad and mom

Nevertheless, comedy is a notoriously fickle style, and not each humorous movie starring Robert De Niro was a piece of high quality. The actor positively stretched himself a bit too skinny all through the Aughts and 2010s, starring in almost each comedy that was thrown his manner. From forgettable to downright terrible, De Niro did not flip down a number of roles.

Movies like Soiled Grandpa had been a wasted alternative, whereas rom-coms like New Yr’s Eve buried De Niro in a big forged. Whereas he confirmed that he was excellent at comedy, no actor is ideal for each position. A lot of De Niro’s worst comedies clearly tried to financial institution on his star energy, however did not know how you can use him correctly.

How Meet The Dad and mom Holds Up 25 Years Later

In some ways, Meet the Dad and mom was a quintessential comedy of the early Aughts that laid the groundwork for lots of imitators. Nevertheless, that is to not say that the film has aged completely, and there are some moments which might be fairly cringe-inducing within the modern-day.

Lots of the jokes at Greg’s expense, significantly his profession as a nurse, are manner outdated. The viewers is meant to seek out it humorous too, which is simply odd within the 2020s. There’s additionally some slight homophobia, since Greg’s actual identify is Gaylord, and it places a considerably bitter style in what’s an in any other case fairly innocuous comedy.

All in all, Meet the Dad and mom has definitely aged higher than a lot of its contemporaries, which is probably going why the franchise continues to be going in the present day. Although it is not an ideal film, it’s a watershed second for Robert De Niro, and continues to be one among his defining movies a quarter-century later.

Launch Date

October 6, 2000

Runtime

108 minutes

Director

Jay Roach

Writers

Jim Herzfeld, John Hamburg