NOTE: For some reason this review decided to hide after a few hours of living on the site. I am publishing it again. If it hides again, then well, I guess Nobody really wants to hide. – CFR
Nobody 2
So, I resisted watching this for a while. I saw the first one for some reason I don’t even remember now. The badass hero looks like a knock kneed mailman, and I’m used to guys like Jason Stathan. But then I tried it anyway and it was unexpected and a ton of fun watching Mr. Almost Old Enough To Be A Grandpa beat the crap out of bad guys. Oddly enough, the reason I resisted watching the sequel is because I enjoyed the first one so much. No way it could be any good at all, I thought.
Well, I’m an idiot. This one is fun for a slightly different reason. Hutch (Bob Odenkirk, Normal, Girlfriend’s Day) still looks like a mailman and his family still don’t quite understand how dangerous he is, but it’s still a ton of fun watching him wreck bad guys. Of course being a sequel there are more bad guys and the beautifully done fight scenes go on longer, blow more stuff up, and are even gorier. This time around we get some more backstory on his job as a paid assassin, and there is a lot more family angst because they go on vacation to the theme park where he went on the only vacation dad ever took him as a child. It’s beautifully run down and the family tries hard to smile for dad because, hey at least he’s trying. But the hotel rooms haven’t been updated since the 60s and the rides are closed half the time for “safety reasons”. Still, they stick it out, even as more and more people violently object to them being there.
It took me a minute to realize why the fight scenes work so well, and it’s the setup. The writers create characters that any sane person WANTS to see punched in the face. Of course, Hutch is going to get his butt beaten along the way, but we know for certain that the baddies will regret it. There is a lot more emphasis on comedy this time around, which may be offputting for some people. A few times it did pull me out of the movie when it was too obvious or misplaced. But dang it, those primo fight scenes kept drawing me back in. Christopher Lloyd plays grandpa completely for laughs and Sharon Stone has been away for a while for health reasons and comes back strong here. She’s a little hard to recognize but still magnetic. Both of them chewed the scenery to little, tiny bits, but Stone’s character was one of the baddest bad guys for a while.
This review is short because this film is lightweight and predictable. It’s the kind of thing you watch when you want to be absolutely unchallenged by any aspect of it. The family angst will tug on your heartstrings, but not too hard. The comedy is always there, hovering and sometimes landing a little too hard your head. The fight scenes are involved, beautifully choreographed and always has a surprise or two. They try hard to create a pugilistic cognitive dissidence and usually succeed. Don’t worry about the plot because it’s thin as boxed broth.
See why I’m so surprised to have enjoyed it? I should be banging on about how awful it was, but this is a film you want to pat gently on the head and tell it what a good boy it is. There’s no surprise factor this time around, but that’s part of the charm. It’s different. How often can we say that these days?
Triggers: extreme violence and bodily injury of the “Ow! Ow! Ow!” kind
Available on: Netflix, Google Play, Fandango at Home, YouTube, Apple TV, Amazon Prime
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CFR: In Addition
Oh Cranky. I just adore you. And I am so worried that you might feel a tad guilty for enjoying Nobody 2, and also Nobody. I for one enjoyed them tremendously.
It is easy to root Odenkirk’s character Hutch. He is essentially a good person. An action hero NEEDS to be a good person with a find moral compass or who wants to watch them. Hutch loves his family and his wife. Loving his wife is crucial for my enjoyment because before my husband left this earthly plane I really enjoyed being his wife. I really like the Connie Nielsen who plays Becca, Hutch is married to her, is he age! Hooray! Also she is a badass herself and that is always fun. Totally agree about Stone and Lloyd. In fact, the whole cast is fine and that includes the dog.
I have been wondering lately if the reason we humans like action/adventure is because we and our bodies and lives are so frail. When we might feel weak or hopeless, action/adventure movies give us the chance to imagine we are powerful. Just my thoughts.
I have watched this and the original Nobody many times and I will do so again. I have absolutely no guilt about this at all.
Chick Flicking Reviews 