The Whole Ten Yards

THE WHOLE TEN YARDS (2004) Bruce Willis, Matthew Perry, Kevin Pollock, et al

This is one more example that 'More is NOT Better'! Nine Yards was entertaining, the jokes worked. Ten Yards is so bad that we walked away before the ending.

Although the same cast returns for this second bout, this one is boring, with loud yelling throughout, no chemistry, a waste of talented actors, and, a waste of our money.

Reading other comments, apparently some folks liked it. We give it a portion of one star. Our recommendation: Save your money, or wait until it's free and you have absolutely nothing better to do.

When Oz's (Matthew Perry) new wife Cynthia (Natasha Henstridge) is captured by the mob, he is no one else to turn to but his old friend Jimmy the Tulip (Bruce Willis). Teaming up with Jimmy and his new wife (Amanda Peat), Oz experiences another crime filled adventure with the mob.

Although not nearly as funny or as exciting as the original, The Whole Ten yards will surely entertain…for the most part. About half of the movie is clever and entertaining and would have deserved my recommendation, but the twist at the end is terrible and made the movie seem worthless. After the twist, follows a ridiculous display of events that are horrible, making the movie in my opinion a failure but still not absolutely terrible. Overall, the movie follows in the footsteps of an entertaining comedy but falls short of what could have been.

I do not recommend this film.

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. *

This film is about a dentist's wife getting kidnapped, and he has to find another hit-man to rescue his wife.

I remember "The Whole Nine Yards" being really funny. It's a few years since I last saw it, but I still remember it being entertaining and witty. I hoped "The Whole Ten Yards" to be the same, but I was disappointed. I find this film very silly. Basically it involves Matt Perry acting very silly all the time, which gets annoying after ten minutes. So by the time the film is half way through, it already is boring. Bruce Willis' transformation into a family man is over the top and not funny. Amanda Peet's character is the only one that is slightly more normal, but her alone is not enough to carry the film. I find "The Whole Ten Yards" only marginally entertaining, and very disappointing.

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.