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"Big Momma Checks
Out A Couple Big Mommas" |
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Directed by John
Whitesell - Written by
Don Rhymer
Starring Martin
Lawrence, Nia Long,
Chloe Moretz
Distributed by 20th
Century Fox - 2006 -
99mins - Rated PG13 |
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Richard Propes'
Review
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D+ |
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Big Momma's back in the house! |
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In his follow-up to
the surprisingly successful 2000 film "Big Momma's House," the
increasingly unfunny Martin Lawrence proves once and for all that he
is trying, in vain, to become the next Eddie Murphy.
For the second film in a row, Lawrence combines gentle, inoffensive
humor with a touch of sweetness, a dash of family values, and the
mandatory cute kids to create a film that is far too friendly to bash
completely but lacks anything resembling the first film's humor, spark
or entertainment value.
Of course, the first film also had the likes of Paul Giamatti and
Terrence Howard to keep the festivities amusing. The only notable
performer returning for this film is Nia Long as Lawrence's wife, and
her note is so completely one-note as a nagging, pregnant wife that
she's completely sapped of any laughs.
"Big Momma's House 2" is essentially a series of skits designed to
show Big Momma in a variety of "funny" scenarios, most of which are
more likely to lead to groans than laughs. In the film, Lawrence's FBI
agent has taken a desk job to please his pregnant wife but when his
first partner is killed "in the line" (love that FBI lingo), he tells
his wife he's going to a conference but instead infiltrates a
suspect's family as their new nanny. <groan>
The mere site of Lawrence in the Big Momma character induces a touch
of laughter, but it also grows weary fast AND is so over-the-top that
there's times it's downright gross. There were several times I thought
of Spike Lee's term, "Fugly." Big Momma is downright fugly, and her
make-up in this film is so completely obvious that surrendering to the
premise that any family would buy into her authenticity is a major
stretch. In fact, that was the problem in virtually every scenario
presented with Big Momma...nearly everyone involved in the scenario
would have to be a complete idiot to buy into it.
Of course, "Big Momma's House 2" is not meant to be realistic or
authentic. It's an excuse to display Lawrence's comic abilities and to
make a few bucks for everyone involved. On a very modest level, it
succeeds in being a showcase for Lawrence, though he needs to give up
on the idea of following Murphy's footsteps and making successful
family films. It was a hard enough sell for "Party all the Time"
Murphy. It's an almost impossible sell for Lawrence, whose smirk alone
projects anything but the sincerity required to pull off these sorts
of roles.
There are a couple amusing, almost funny, scenes in "Big Momma's House
2" including a rip-off of Bo Derek's braided romp across a beach in
"10" and in Lawrence's interactions with the kids, especially the
young cheerleading daughter.
Unfortunately, the film is filled with scenes that either don't work,
are too uncomfy to work, or are simply tasteless. Big Momma teaching
young teen girls to do ghetto dance moves is a tad amusing until THAT
thought strikes...underneath all this make-up is a father with one
child and another on the way. He's teaching young girls to dance like
professional cheerleaders? Suddenly, it goes from funny to downright
eerie.
"Big Momma's House 2" is an ever so slight return to form for Lawrence
after the disasters called "National Security" and "Rebound." It's
still far beneath the originality of the original "Big Momma's House"
and a sad affair for a comic who used to be known for his edgy,
straightforward and aggressive humor.
Director John Whitesell ("Malibu's Most Wanted") seems completely
unable to harness Lawrence's energy and appears to be content to just
focus the film on his humor. The script does have a touch of
sweetness, but it seems forced and unbelievable much of the time.
The entire supporting cast is pretty much wasted, but they're also
existing in one-note roles. Oddly enough, the best supporting
performance is turned in by 9-year-old Chloe Moretz, who has a charm
and emotional range that Lawrence can only dream of as an actor.
The end result is a boring, bland and lifeless sequel to a film that,
while predictable, had a nice energy and spark to it. The end of "Big
Momma's House 2" leaves wide open the idea of a third film in the
series. I, for one, am hoping that Lawrence ignores any urge to
revisit this sophomoric family fluff and returns to the Martin
Lawrence who challenged, provoked and was actually funny. |
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© Written by Richard Propes |
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How We Rated This Film
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TC Candler -
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| Richard Propes
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D+ |
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Jacob Hall
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TC Candler's Comment
n/a
Jacob
Hall's Comment
n/a
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