With jokes of emasculated men and religion, “The Whole Ten
Yards” is a clump of just about every bad stereotype.
Director Howard Deutch seems to be familiar with sequels: On his
resume are “The Odd Couple II” and “Grumpier Old
Men,” both sub-par sequels. And now, with his direction of
“The Whole Nine Yards” sequel, Deutch has secured his
niche as a sequel director.
- Film Reviews
- This is not the proper way to give the Heimlich manuever. (Courtesy of Warner Bros.)
In this all too similar continuation of “The Whole Nine
Yards,” Oz (Matthew Perry) re-teams with Jimmy (Bruce Willis)
to rescue his wife from the clutches of the Gogolak gang. What Oz
does not know is that he is simply a pawn in the humdrum plot. The
ending is predictable, as writer Mitchelle Kapner (“The Whole
Nine Yards”) repeats the same plot twists and exaggerates the
character’s faults to no end. Perry’s physical comedy
is over the top — how many doors can a person run into? Perry
and Willis might as well be starring in “dumb and
dumber” as they relentlessly continue to embarrass
themselves. All dolled up in an apron and hankerchief, Jimmy
scarily resembles Lucille Ball. A bunny slipper clad Jimmy
“The Tulip Tadeski” is far from his hit man days
cooking and cleaning.
All the characters in the film are eccentric, but it is only
Jimmy and Oz that are too extreme to earn any laughs. The quirky
personalities of Lazlo Gogalak (Kevin Pollack, “The Usual
Suspects”) and Jill (Amanda Peet, “Saving
Silverman”) however, are entertaining and funny. Pollack, as
the recently released mob boss Gogolak, steals every scene
he’s in with a slurred accent and a cynical evil laugh that
backs his fearsome threat “you’re a second from
dead.” Peet as the gun-toting Mrs. Tudeski makes comedy look
effortless as she tries to seduce Oz. Her eagerness for killing is
unfitting but amusing all the same. Despite good or bad acting, all
the characters that Kapner has developed make anyone’s life
look normal.
Supporting the zany characters is a colorful backdrop of Mexico
and a fitting score that is reminiscent of the 1950s. But the
setting and soundtrack flail underneath the repetitive plot and
numerous pratfalls. This movie doesn’t go the “Whole
Ten Yards,” failing even to go the “Whole
Nine.”
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars.