Little Fockers universally garnered bad reviews but the public is not paying heed to what the critics have to say. Till Wednesday, the latest in the Focker series garnered $7.2 million.

This compares well with the Meet the Fockers’, which made $12.1 million in openings in 2006. But trade pundits forsee a collection of $60-70 million during the Christmas week holiday. Coen Brothers' True Grit made $5.5 million and is expected to do between $20-25 million Wednesday through Sunday.

The Little Fockers has been panned by the critics as juvenile and gross. With a star cast boasting of Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Barbara Streisand, Dustin Hoffman, Harvey Keital and Owen Wilson, one wonders how could it go wrong. The answer lies in a bad script, forced humour, and bored stars who did not like spouting the lines they were given.

Hitflix.com reports on the sheer disinterest shown by the actors Dustin Hoffman and Owen Wilson at a recent press conference in New York. Dustin reportedly made a little hat and bra out of the napkin there.

Questioned about why he returned to the franchise for such a small part, which was included during the post production part, he replied, I said if the stuff that Owen and I have to do in the film - if we’re allowed to improvise - then I’ll do it, Hoffman explained. And they kept their word and they let us improvise. And it’s not in the film.”

That just about sums up the attitude of the actors on the screen - we are here to do a part, it stays or goes, who cares.

New York New York Harvey