Big Momma's House 2

Last updated
Big Momma's House 2
Big mommas house 2.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by John Whitesell
Written by Don Rhymer
Based onCharacters
by Darryl Quarles
Produced by David T. Friendly
Michael Green
Starring
Cinematography Mark Irwin
Edited by Priscilla Nedd-Friendly
Music by George S. Clinton
Production
companies
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Release date
  • January 27, 2006 (2006-01-27)
Running time
99 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$40 million [1]
Box office$141.5 million [1]

Big Momma's House 2 is a 2006 American crime comedy film, the sequel to 2000's Big Momma's House and the second installment of the Big Momma Trilogy. The film was directed by John Whitesell and stars Martin Lawrence reprising his role as FBI agent Malcolm Turner, along with Nia Long, Zachary Levi, Mark Moses, Emily Procter, Kat Dennings and Chloë Grace Moretz in supporting roles. Like its predecessor and successor, the film was panned by critics.

Contents

Unlike the first film, Big Momma's House 2 takes on a family friendly tone compared to the original film's more mature target demographic. The film was released theatrically on January 27, 2006, by 20th Century Fox. It was a box office success, grossing $141.5 million against a budget of $40 million. A sequel, Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son , was released on February 18, 2011.

Plot

Six years after meeting her during an investigation, FBI agent Malcolm Turner is now married to Sherry Pierce and the stepfather of her son Trent, and assumes a desk job to be close to her as they await the arrival of their first child.

However, news reaches Malcolm that his friend Doug Hudson was killed, while working undercover in Orange County, California. He learns that he was investigating former military intelligence specialist Tom Fuller, who now works for the National Agenda Software corporation, and had discovered he was creating a computer worm that could provide backdoor access to government databases.

Although Malcolm asks to assist, his boss refuses to let him interfere in the investigation being conducted by agents Liliana Morales and Kevin Keneally. Discovering Morales is sending an agent undercover to secure the job of nanny within Tom's family, Malcolm decides to take advantage of this, lying to Sherry that he must go out-of-state for a conference.

Malcolm reprises his role as Sherry's estranged grandmother Hattie Mae Pierce - known affectionately as Big Momma - and secures the nanny job by exposing flaws in the other candidates. While he keeps his eyes on Tom, Malcolm learns that the Fuller family has problems: Tom's wife Leah is very strict on chores; eldest daughter Molly seeks to be someone she is not; youngest daughter Carrie strives to do well as a cheerleader; and toddler son Andrew has a habit of jumping off of tall objects.

Although Malcolm finds evidence that Tom is working alongside a notorious hacker, Sherry tracks him down after discovering he lied to her and is heartbroken to discover he is working on a case. The matter is then made worse when Morales discover him interfering in her case, and allows him to assist as long as he maintains his cover and retains Kevin as his partner. After Leah threatens to fire Big Momma for her handling of her chores, Malcolm spends the night doing all of the work to win back her favor.

After an attempt to capture the hacker fails, Malcolm and Kevin recruit assistance from child hacker Stewart to access Fuller's workstation at Agenda. While they secure the means, Malcolm receives a call from a frightened Molly at a nightclub, and goes to find her as Big Momma. Soon after, men working for Agenda's CEO Anthony Bishop take both of them hostage in order to coerce Tom to assist in a business deal involving the computer worm. Malcolm soon frees the pair before going to rescue Tom, while Molly calls the FBI.

Discovering that Bishop plans to kill Tom as part of the deal he made with his customer, Malcolm saves his life and ensures Bishop cannot escape before the FBI arrives. Although shocked to discover Malcolm's real identity, Tom is thankful to him when he informs Morales that he was being coerced by his boss under the threat of having his family killed for refusing.

While the case is ended and he has made amends with Sherry, Malcolm decides to stay in California and maintain his cover in order to assist Carrie, after helping her team improve themselves for an upcoming cheerleading championships. Helping them to successfully win, Malcolm eventually departs, leaving behind a letter from Big Momma explaining to the Fullers to enjoy their time together. He returns home to reunite with Sherry, Trent, and their newborn son Doug.

Cast

Reception

Box office

Big Momma's House 2 grossed $27,736,056 in its opening weekend ranking number one. [2] It had the second-highest opening weekend for a Martin Lawrence film upon opening, behind Bad Boys II . [3] As of March 3, 2011, the film has grossed a total of $70,165,972 at the United States box office with a worldwide gross of $138,259,062.

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 5% based on 74 reviews and an average rating of 3/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Unfunny and unoriginal. In other words, a perfect piece of evidence for opponents of pointless movie sequels". [4] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 34 out of 100 based on 20 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". [5] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale. [6]

Brian Lowry of Variety called the film "episodic" and "flat" compared to the original film. [7]

Keith Uhlich of Slant Magazine gave the film 1⁄2 out of 4 stars. [8]

The film was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Awards in 2006 in the category "Worst Prequel or Sequel", but lost to Basic Instinct 2 .[ citation needed ]

Its poor reception has been lampooned in The Onion . [9]

Sequel

A third and final installment Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son was released on February 18, 2011. Brandon T. Jackson was cast in the role of Trent, who was originally played by Jascha Washington. Nia Long also did not reprise her role, which resulted in her character, Sherry, being written out. Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son fared worse to negative critical reception than its predecessors, scoring a 5% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Lawrence</span> American actor and comedian (born 1965)

Martin Fitzgerald Lawrence is an American actor and comedian. He came to fame during the 1990s, establishing a Hollywood career as a leading actor. He got his start playing Maurice Warfield in What's Happening Now!! (1987–1988). He was a leading actor in the Fox television sitcom Martin, the Bad Boys franchise, and House Party, Boomerang, A Thin Line Between Love and Hate, Nothing to Lose, Life, Blue Streak, Big Momma's House, Black Knight, Open Season, and Wild Hogs.

<i>My Big Fat Greek Wedding</i> 2002 film by Joel Zwick

My Big Fat Greek Wedding is a 2002 romantic comedy film directed by Joel Zwick and written by Nia Vardalos. The film stars Vardalos, John Corbett, Lainie Kazan, Michael Constantine, Gia Carides, Louis Mandylor, Andrea Martin, and Joey Fatone. It follows a young Greek-American woman who falls in love with a non-Greek and struggles to get her family to accept him while she comes to terms with her heritage and cultural identity.

<i>Home Alone 3</i> 1997 film by Raja Gosnell

Home Alone 3 is a 1997 American family comedy film directed by Raja Gosnell in his directorial debut, written and co-produced by John Hughes, and starring Alex D. Linz and Haviland Morris. A standalone sequel to Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), it follows Alex Pruitt, an 8-year-old boy who defends his home from a dangerous band of international criminals working for a terrorist organization. It is the third film in the Home Alone franchise, and the first not to feature actor Macaulay Culkin, director Chris Columbus, or composer John Williams; Gosnell had previously served as editor on the first two Home Alone films. It is also the final film in the Home Alone franchise to receive a theatrical release.

<i>White Chicks</i> 2004 film by Keenen Ivory Wayans

White Chicks is a 2004 American comedy film directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans from a screenplay co-written by Wayans, Xavier Cook, Andy McElfresh, Michael Anthony Snowden, with additional contributions by and starring Marlon Wayans and Shawn Wayans. It also stars Jaime King, Frankie Faison, Lochlyn Munro, and John Heard. In the film, two FBI agents go undercover as women by using whiteface to protect two hotel heiresses from a kidnapping plot targeting socialites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nia Long</span> American actress (born 1970)

Nia Talita Long is an American actress. Best known for her work in Black cinema, Long rose to prominence after starring in the film Boyz n the Hood (1991), and for her portrayal of Beullah "Lisa" Wilkes on the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1991–1995). She then appeared in Friday (1995), as well as the 1997 films Love Jones and Soul Food.

<i>Man of the House</i> (2005 film) 2005 American crime comedy film

Man of the House is a 2005 American crime comedy film directed by Stephen Herek. The film stars Tommy Lee Jones as Roland Sharp, a lonesome Texas Ranger who goes undercover as an assistant coach to protect a group of college cheerleaders who have witnessed a murder. Much of the film was shot in Austin, Texas on the University of Texas campus.

<i>Nanny McPhee</i> 2005 film by Kirk Jones

Nanny McPhee is a 2005 comedy drama fantasy film based on the Nurse Matilda character by Christianna Brand. It was directed by Kirk Jones, coproduced by StudioCanal, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, Working Title Films, Three Strange Angels, and Nanny McPhee Productions with music by Patrick Doyle, and produced by Lindsay Doran, Tim Bevan, and Eric Fellner. Set in Victorian England in the 1860s, the film stars Emma Thompson as Nanny McPhee, along with Colin Firth and Angela Lansbury.

<i>Are We Done Yet?</i> 2007 film by Steve Carr

Are We Done Yet? is a 2007 American family comedy film directed by Steve Carr and starring Ice Cube. The film is a remake of the 1948 Cary Grant comedy film Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, previously remade as the 1986 Tom Hanks comedy film The Money Pit, and a sequel to the 2005 film Are We There Yet? The screenplay is by Hank Nelken. It was produced by Revolution Studios and RKO Pictures and distributed by Columbia Pictures.

Jascha Akili Washington is an American actor and songwriter, best known for Big Momma's House (2000), Big Momma's House 2 (2006), and Like Mike 2 (2006).

<i>Head over Heels</i> (2001 film) 2001 American romantic comedy film by Mark Waters

Head over Heels is a 2001 American romantic comedy-thriller film directed by Mark Waters. Starring Monica Potter, Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah O'Hare, Shalom Harlow, Ivana Miličević, Tomiko Fraser, China Chow and Timothy Olyphant. The film was panned by critics and failed to recover its modest $14 million budget.

<i>Borderline</i> (1980 film) 1980 American drama film by Jerrold Freedman

Borderline is a 1980 American action crime drama film directed and co-written by Jerrold Freedman. Starring Charles Bronson, Ed Harris and Bruno Kirby, it is set in the San Diego–Tijuana area of the U.S.-Mexican border and follows a United States Border Patrol (USBP) Agent who poses as an illegal alien to catch a killer smuggling laborers from Mexico.

<i>Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son</i> 2011 film by John Whitesell

Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son is a 2011 American crime comedy film and the third and final installment in the Big Momma film trilogy. It is a sequel to 2000's Big Momma's House and 2006's Big Momma's House 2.

<i>So Undercover</i> 2013 American film

So Undercover is a 2013 American crime action comedy film directed by Tom Vaughan and written by Allan Loeb and Steven Pearl. Starring Miley Cyrus, Jeremy Piven, and Mike O'Malley. The film was released direct-to-video in the United States on February 5, 2013. The film has been released in theatres of only 13 countries worldwide. The film was held back without a release date from 2011 until 2013.

<i>Now You See Me</i> (film) 2013 film by Louis Leterrier

Now You See Me is a 2013 American heist film directed by Louis Leterrier from a screenplay by Ed Solomon, Boaz Yakin, and Edward Ricourt and a story by Yakin and Ricourt. It is the first installment in the Now You See Me series. The film features an ensemble cast of Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Mélanie Laurent, Isla Fisher, Common, Dave Franco, Michael Caine, and Morgan Freeman. The plot follows an FBI agent and an Interpol detective who track and attempt to bring to justice a team of magicians who pull off bank heists and robberies during their performances and reward their audiences with the money.

<i>Big Mommas House</i> 2000 film by Raja Gosnell

Big Momma's House is a 2000 American crime comedy film, directed by Raja Gosnell, and written by Darryl Quarles and Don Rhymer. The film stars Martin Lawrence as an FBI agent who is tasked with tracking down an escaped convict and his loot, by going undercover as the estranged grandmother of his former girlfriend, unaware of the bond he will form with her. The film also stars Nia Long, Paul Giamatti, and Terrence Howard.

<i>The Boy</i> (2016 film) 2016 film by William Brent Bell

The Boy is a 2016 horror film directed by William Brent Bell and written by Stacey Menear. The film stars Lauren Cohan and Rupert Evans. It is an international co-production between China and the United States. Filming began on March 10, 2015, in Victoria, British Columbia. STXfilms released The Boy in the United States on January 22. The film grossed $64 million worldwide on a $10 million budget. A sequel, Brahms: The Boy II, was released on February 21, 2020.

<i>My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2</i> 2016 American film

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 is a 2016 American romantic comedy film directed by Kirk Jones and written by Nia Vardalos. The film stars Vardalos, John Corbett, Lainie Kazan, Michael Constantine, Andrea Martin, Ian Gomez, and Elena Kampouris. It is the sequel to the 2002 film My Big Fat Greek Wedding and the second installment in the My Big Fat Greek Wedding franchise. Filming began in late May 2015 in Toronto and the film was released on March 25, 2016, by Universal Pictures, receiving negative reviews from critics. The film grossed $90.6 million worldwide against a $18 million budget. A third film, entitled My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, was released on September 8, 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Will Graham (character)</span> Fictional character

Will Graham is a fictional character and protagonist of Thomas Harris' 1981 novel Red Dragon. Graham is also the protagonist of two film adaptations of the novel, Manhunter (1986) and Red Dragon (2002), and the television series Hannibal (2013–2015), which adapted various parts of the Hannibal Lecter franchise.

<i>A Dogs Journey</i> (film) 2019 film by Gail Mancuso

A Dog's Journey is a 2019 American family adventure comedy-drama film directed by Gail Mancuso in her feature film directorial debut and written by W. Bruce Cameron, Cathryn Michon, Maya Forbes, and Wally Wolodarsky. The film is based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Cameron and is the sequel to the 2017 film A Dog's Purpose. The film stars Josh Gad, Dennis Quaid, Marg Helgenberger, Betty Gilpin, Kathryn Prescott, and Henry Lau.

<i>Missing</i> (2023 film) 2023 film by Nick Johnson and Will Merrick

Missing is a 2023 American screenlife mystery thriller film written and directed by Will Merrick and Nick Johnson from a story by Sev Ohanian and Aneesh Chaganty, who also produced the film with Natalie Qasabian. The film is a standalone film in the universe of Searching (2018). It stars Storm Reid, Joaquim de Almeida, Ken Leung, Amy Landecker, Daniel Henney, and Nia Long. Its plot follows June Allen, a teenager who tries to find her missing mother after she disappears on vacation in Colombia with her new boyfriend.

References

  1. 1 2 "Big Momma's House 2 Box Office". Box Office Mojo . Amazon.com. Archived from the original on 29 April 2010. Retrieved 12 April 2010.
  2. "'Big Momma' Jams, 'Nanny McPhee' Floats, 'Bubble' Bursts". Box Office Mojo.
  3. "Big Momma's House 2 Tops the Weekend Box Office".
  4. "Big Momma's House 2 (2006)". Rotten Tomatoes .
  5. "Big Momma's House 2 Reviews". Metacritic .
  6. "CinemaScore". Archived from the original on 2018-12-20.
  7. Lowry, Brian (27 January 2006). "Big Momma's House 2". Variety.
  8. Uhlich, Keith (25 January 2006). "Review: Big Momma's House 2". Slant Magazine .
  9. "Passengers Bravely Take Down Plane Showing Big Momma's House 2". The Onion . 24 May 2006. Retrieved 4 March 2011.