Director: Paul Weitz.

Cast: Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Owen Wilson, Jessica Alba, Teri Polo, Blythe Danner, Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand.

THE law of diminishing returns is demonstrated once again with the third comedy about the Fockers and the father-in-law from hell.

There are less laughs in this tired threquel, which continues to revel in its not-quite-a-swear surname and the ups and downs of family life, this time with an added emphasis on kids and mortality.

After a minor heart attack Jack Byrnes (De Niro) calls his begrudgingly accepted son-in-law Greg Focker (Stiller) and appoints him "The God-Focker" - the heir to Jack's place at the head of the family once Jack passes away.

Greg takes this show of confidence as a good thing, but is soon sidetracked by the need to find a good school for his kids, the return of his wife's former flame, a shortage of cash, and the affections of a hot pharmaceutical rep.

Muddled plotting gets in the way of Little Fockers. The story doesn't have a strong focus, obstensibly leading towards the fifth birthday of the Focker twins, but the subplots - of which there are many - become a tangled mess that is impossible to resolve effectively by the climax.

There are too many characters as well. Owen Wilson's Kevin returns, as do Greg's parents (played by Hoffman and Streisand), but none of them add anything to the story.

This would all be okay if there were lots of laughs, but there aren't. Spew gags, erection jokes, and "kid's say the darnedest thing" moments are about the extent of it, with only the on-again-off-again combative relationship between Greg and Jack providing anything near humourous.

Some neat references to The Godfather and Jaws is about the extent of its cleverness, but Little Fockers is otherwise the runt of the Focker family.