A recent article in Premiere Magazine attacked movie studios for failing to screen several films (eleven, to be exact, and far more than usual) during the opening months of 2006. “Big Momma’s House 2” is one such a film, and despite being condemned by just about every critic in the country, the movie still had a respectable box office take ($136 million worldwide). This is actually the point being argued in the aforementioned article, and Roger Ebert sums it all up perfectly when he says: “the studio doesn’t think this movie is good enough to be seen by critics, but they think it’s good enough to be seen by you.”
Seriously, how many more urban movies about black men in drag do we need to sit through before we finally unite and say enough is enough? Eddie Murphy. Tyler Perry. Martin Lawrence. All three of these men have played the role of Ghetto Tootsie on more than one occasion, but Lawrence is far and wide the worst of the group. In “Big Momma’s House 2,” the comedian revives his role as FBI agent Malcolm Turner, a recently-appointed desk jockey who’s given up the dangerous undercover work for a gig as the agency’s mascot, Goldy the Safety Eagle. When a former partner is murdered, however, Malcolm trades in his feathers for the Big Momma fat suit and goes undercover as a nanny (*cough* “Mrs. Doubtfire” *cough*) in the house of a prime suspect.
There’s not a single comedic actor more annoying than Martin Lawrence (not even Chris Tucker or Lee Evans), and while plenty of his irritating habits subsist – like the fact that Big Momma has to begin every sentence with a shrilling “Oooh!”– this time, it’s just downright embarrassing. The comedic set pieces are not only ridiculous, but also very insulting. Is the audience really supposed to be laughing at this garbage? Has this man no shame? One should think that Lawrence would have given up on this miserable acting career of his by now, but he continues to plug away, cashing large checks for every shitty movie he stars in. In fact, I can’t even remember the last time he’s been in a film I’ve actually enjoyed. Of course, if history has taught me anything, it’s that my opinion doesn’t real count when it comes to movies like this. If it did, then 20th Century Fox would have let it apart a few days before being released in theaters. Oh well, what are a few days? “Big Momma’s House 2” still sucks, and there’s no way to prevent that.
1 / 5 Stars
Starring: Martin Lawrence, Nia Long, Emily Procter, Mark Moses
Director: John Whitesell
DVD Features:
The single-disc release includes a director/producer commentary, twelve deleted/extended scenes (with optional commentary), and a “Big Momma’s Secrets” featurette.
