Keine halben Sachen 2 - Jetzt erst recht!

An unnecessary sequel if there ever was one finds bumbling dentist Oz (Perry) now happily married to Cynthia (Henstridge), until she's kidnapped by vengeful mobster Lazlo Gogolák (Pollak) and his Hungarian crew who know that former associate Jimmy Tudeski (Willis) is still alive. Not capable of getting her back by himself, Oz enlists the aid of Jimmy and wife Jill (Peet); she's just itching to get back into the game, but unfortunately Jimmy has put the old life behind him in favor of staying at home and obsessing over the cleanliness of his surroundings. The same cast that brought such glee and energy to The Whole Nine Yards flounders in this embarrassingly unfunny follow-up where the film's ridiculous story throws out one silly plot twist after another and an abundance of desperate gags. A feeling of utter hopelessness permeates each scene, and at times the actors appear as if they're begging for help. *

After the fun time I had watching The Whole Nine Yards, I was looking forward to seeing The Whole Ten Yards. But I watched it last night and I was pretty much disappointed with where they took the story. It just seemed like they took the characters and turned them into something completely different. For me, I'm such a Bruce Willis fan, so when I saw him growing and acting like a bull while he was drunk in one scene, I didn't laugh, I actually wanted to cry for him, it was pretty pathetic what they did to this cool, smooth, charismatic hit man that we knew and loved in the first film. The script and story was just up to par like the first film was, in fact, I would've appreciated it if they just left The Whole Nine Yards alone if they really felt like this one had a chance for a great comedy.

Jimmy has changed from this tough guy hit man to a Martha Stuart and Jill is not happy with it. Oz and Cynthia are in a quiet life in hiding from the gangsters. Lazlo is out of prison and wants revenge, so he "kidnaps" Cynthia and now Jimmy, Jill, and Oz get together to save her only to find out there are more twists and turns than they expected. But Jimmy has to go deep back into his roots of being the tough guy, not Mr. Clean.

Now don't get me wrong, The Whole Ten Yards has a few laughs here and there, but for the most part I just actually felt bad for Bruce Willis with the silly attempt to be a soft like Martha Stuart type of guy, he's just such a great tough guy, it's hard to see him as anything else. Matthew Perry wasn't as fun as he was in the first movie and neither was Amanda, it just seems like everyone lost their magic and chemistry with each other in this film. I really wish that I loved this film, but I'm having a hard time, I'm sorry.

4/10

As a sequel to The Whole Nine Yards, this film was a disappointment. Bruce Willis and Matthew Perry reunite as the retired Mafia Hit-man and the nervy dentist, as does Amanda Peet as the aspiring hit woman. The thing is this time around the acting wasn't that great. Willis is usually good with comic timing but it isn't there here, while Peet looks bored. Only Perry really stands out, his slapstick schtick makes me want to watch an episode of Friends pretty much.

The film is stylishly shot, and has a good soundtrack, and there is evidence of some solid pacing. However, the plot is very contrived, the direction haphazard and the script weak. So overall, this film was a disappointment, it wasn't completely awful but I would be lying if I said it was great. 4/10 Bethany Cox

I found The Whole Nine Yards to be a surprisingly fun film, which worked thanks to its engaging plot and interesting characters. One thing I didn't think the film needed was a sequel; but I decided to sit down and watch it anyway, and to my surprise; it's a lot better than I thought it would have been. I can certainly understand why it hasn't received glowing praise; as many of the jokes are recycled and the whole film does feel like an excuse to give the likes of Mathew Perry something to do. That being said, original script writer Mitchell Kapner has managed to put together a film that makes good use of its absurd plot and characters, and somehow manages to be enjoyable despite feeling completely superfluous. The plot this time starts when Oz's wife Cynthia is kidnapped by a Hungarian mob boss. Oz decides to contact Jimmy the Tulip; Cynthia's ex-husband and hit man to help get his wife back from the mob. Along with Jimmy's wife and aspiring assassin, Jill, the trio attempt to thwart the mob boss, and help Oz get Cynthia back.

Just like the first film, this one relies on the talents of its lead stars to pull it through. Matthew Perry's wisecracks are mostly amusing, and he is in his element the wrong guy in the wrong place at the wrong time. Amanda Peet is still naive, and sexy, as the aspiring assassin; while Bruce Willis sleepwalks in a role that is a spoof of what he's used to doing. Kevin Pollack chews the scenery with his silly accent, but provides some laughs; and just like the first film, Natasha Henstridge is the spare wheel. The plot isn't very well done, as it mostly features the lead stars hanging around and waiting for someone to shoot at them; so it can become a bit boring. However, the film is never far away from a one-liner or comedic set piece to keep it moving and there are a number of big laughs. Sequels like this often don't work; Ocean's Twelve being the case in point, but I'm pleased to say that The Whole Ten Yards isn't a complete waste of time as it delivers what you would expect of it. It's not particularly deep or clever, but the film offers a fun time and the ending is rather well done.

I did a double feature of the first movie and this one. And the best thing about the movie (apart from seeing the actors returning to their characters) is the title. There are some funny moments throughout, don't get me wrong. But it's more misses than hits (no pun intended - though if you watch the movie, you will see a lot of literal misses - by bullets). The movie overall seems to be way more tame, way more reliant on humor, without consequences. And way more infantile (farting jokes can work, though I am not always a fan of them ... here I am quite sure, many will agree they didn't work at all ... even with really good actors trying their best to convey the humor of the situation). So be prepared to not be as amazed by this then you were with the first one ...