Six years ago, in New Jersey’s West Orange Mall, Paul Blart (Kevin James) became a legend by saving the mall on Black Friday from some extreme sports crooks. He got the girl, was the hero and lived happily ever after, right? Well, after that special day, things changed quickly in Paul’s personal life.
Divorce and a milk truck took away two of the women he cherished. The only constant was his passion for mall security. And now, after all that took place, he’s invited to a big mall-security convention in Las Vegas to see the latest in gadgets and gizmos, and maybe even pick up an award, or so he thinks. Welcome to Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2.
On a trip to Las Vegas that’s part vacation (with his now grown daughter, who is ready for college,) part trade show and all mayhem, Paul will make the Wynn Resort his home for a couple of days.
Although most of us would simply take the vacation, safety never takes a holiday. Blart remains vigilant to his surroundings.
His daughter, Maya (Raini Rodriguez), has a boy who’s interested in her. Blart, as any good overprotective father would, outfits her in a virtual flak jacket of armor to be ready for anything before she can leave the room. She has to sneak around just to have a good time, and she is hiding a secret:
She has been accepted to UCLA.
It’s not just his relationship with his daughter that is being tested. There just so happens to be a major-league thief who checked into the resort intent on stealing some of its priceless works of art. And Blart’s total awareness is immediately keen to the heist. Well, not immediately. He has to get beaten over the head with the reality of the situation by his daughter being taken hostage, but he will do everything to stop it. Can he?
The original film six years ago redefined January theatrical releases, for many years thought of as a dumping ground for bad films. Paul Blart: Mall Cop had one of the biggest January openings, showing that people were willing to head to the theaters for comfort food even in the dead of winter.
A sequel, therefore, was inevitable. Unfortunately, when writing that sequel, it seems one thing was missing — humor.
Sure, I viewed this film with low expectations. While I wasn’t a huge fan of the original, I did have some laughs and it was a funny movie that felt unique to some degree. With the sequel, the laughs have virtually been removed from existence.
Neal McDonough, who usually plays a great bad guy, leads a lifeless group of criminals with no personality at all.
Kevin James and Nick Bakay reunited to write the sequel based on the characters they created. It all feels forced and like they are trying too hard — while not succeeding, of course.
Some of the gags from the original are re-created and end up falling as flat as a pancake that has been run over by 15 Segways. The Segway usage is also back, and fun, but it is one of the few moments of fun that exist here.
While laughs may have come at a premium in the film, they did make good use of a great setting, the Wynn Resort in Las Vegas. Lush and spectacular to view, it does make me want to visit.
Mercifully, this may be the end of the Paul Blart films. If they come back, I hope they remember to be quirky and fun, not boring and forced. Though why do I have a sneaking suspicion there is a Paul Blart: Campus Police spinoff in our future?
Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2
Rated: PG
Stars: Kevin James, Raini Rodriguez,
Neal McDonough
Director: Andy Fickman
GRADE: D+
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