That tension starts all over again when Jack begins to suspect that Greg isn’t up to the task of being “the Godfocker”, the one entrusted with the responsibility of protecting the Brynes family line. The complications in between are both old- the return of Pam’s wealthy ex- lover Kevin (Owen Wilson) whom Jack openly favours- and new- the pharmaceutical rep (Jessica Alba) with the hots for Greg and whom Jack suspects Greg is having an affair with, culminating in a mano-a-mano fight between Jack and Greg in a ball pool at the party.

Though their rivalry has just about lost its novelty, De Niro and Stiller still go at each other like pros, and the result if not as fresh is just as amusing. Pity then that the script by John Hamburg and Larry Stuckey resorts too conveniently to cheap sexual gags revolving around some erectile dysfunctional drug Alba’s drug rep is selling, including a genuinely low-brow sequence where Greg has to inject Jack in the privates after Jack’s overdose on the Viagra-like pills. Both De Niro and Stiller play along gamely, and their fearlessness is the main reason these physical gags are still hilarious to watch.

Ditto the rest of the ensemble cast- Teri as the sweet supportive wife Pam, Blythe Danner as Jack’s wife- who return dutifully to fill out their previous roles but are even more under-utilised than before. Worse still, Dustin and Barbra have been reduced to mere cameos who appear at the start and the end of the movie; and even newcomer Harvey Keitel only gets a brief scene with De Niro in a wink-wink reunion of the two actors whose movies together include classics like “Mean Streets” and “Taxi Driver”.

Such a gathering of talents should definitely have accounted for more, but unfortunately the material doesn’t quite match up to their comedic abilities. Director Paul Weitz (“American Pie”, “About A Boy”)- taking over the reins from Jay Roach- relies ever too easily on broad slapstick of the “Gaylord Focker” kind, eschewing the more sophisticated laughs in discomfort, awkwardness and humiliation that were a hallmark of its predecessors. Yet if the film still remains a pleasurable delight, it is thanks to the obvious familiarity amongst members of the returning cast with their roles, clearly evident in the outstanding on screen dynamics between their respective characters.

And despite its title, “Little Fockers” really isn’t about the five- year-old twins (played by Daisy Tahan and Colin Baiocchi), but rather the adults around them that we’ve come to know through the earlier two movies. Rather than coming up with something new, the film throws up more of the same-old and familiar from its predecessors- Pam’s ex-flame Kevin, the sexually open Focker parents and of course, the continuous tension between Jack and Greg. But thanks to the excellent cast, this third installment, while no longer fresh or inventive, remains amusing and even hilarious at times.