Greg (Ben stiller), is a Jewish nurse who plans to ask his girlfriend Pam (Teri polo), with whom he already lives, that she marry him.
But he discovers that her strict fatherRobert De Niro), pretend a formal request for a hand, before she can accept.
This begins the visit of both to the house of her parents, to meet mom Dyne (Blythe danner), a sweet housewife, and dad Jack, a former CIA agent, with a lie detector in the basement.
Jack He immediately dislikes Greg, so he puts all his efforts to gain his trust and liking, but all his attempts end in disasters, such as the disappearance of the expensive cat from Jack, the black eye that he gave to the sister of Pam, or the fire in the garden gazebo.
And he must also talk with the ex-boyfriend of Pam, (Owen wilson) who does have the pleasure of Jack, and trying to win it back.