Al Pacino is still waiting for his "Meet the Parents" moment.

The heralded actor, who teams up with fellow legend Robert De Niro for the new crime thriller "Righteous Kill," has kept both feet in the dramatic world.

De Niro forged his legend with great dramatic performances in "Taxi Driver" and "The Godfather, Part II" among many films, but he embraced comedy in the "Analyze This" and "Meet the Parents" franchises. Who knew such a frightening figure could tweak our funny bone?

But it worked, and it surely sustained his career and kept him marketable into his 60s.

Pacino still gets major movie roles, but he lacks De Niro's box office clout - and his ability to tweak his own image. He did embrace comedy, to a degree, with his supporting turn in "Dick Tracy," but he was buried under makeup at the time.

Then again, anyone who saw Pacino's last film, "88 Minutes," could argue it's the (unintentionally) funniest film of '08.

(Photo: Al Pacino and Robert De Niro share the big screen for only the second time in "Righteous Kill," opening Sept. 12)

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