Isn’t it devastating when you watch an actor or actress that has many comedic possibilities, but instead decides to squander their talent? Kevin James, in the right role, lends himself to be an endearing presence. Without that charm and likability, there’s nothing left, especially for him. For 2015, at least, Kevin James has hit rock bottom just like his producer Adam Sandler.
Since the last film, Paul Blart [Kevin James] still rules the West Orange Pavillion Mall with an iron fist. In the meantime, he lost his wife of six days in a divorce (yes, her absence from the film is that stupid) and his mother in a milk truck accident (do I dare say more). Blart eventually cheers up when he and his daughter [Raini Rodriguez] are invited to attend a security guard expo in Las Vegas at the Wynn resort. With this being a Mall Cop movie, of course there’s a heist going on to steal the paintings throughout the resort.
“Paul Blart: Mall Cop” can be chalked up as a stupid yet harmless family film. It didn’t hold up for me but to each their own. As for “Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2,” keep in mind, I went into this “film” with an open mind no matter how hard that was. That being said, I can definitely say that this was one of the most miserable movie-going experiences that I’ve ever had.
Early in the film, there’s a scene where Blart goes to a craps table with no knowledge of how the game is played. The dealer takes Blart’s money, telling him to place it on random numbers knowing he’ll lose and, of course, he does.
That scene is the perfect analogy with Kevin James and Columbia Pictures being the dealer and me as Blart. That is the one and only time I will ever relate myself to this character.
Once again, James plays Blart as a creepy, awkward and over-reactive father figure. All of the development that
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his character gained in the last film is gone as he starts back where he originally started. In the meantime, Blart managed to become sexist as well. Without the jokes coming out of his performance, Paul Blart is nothing but the physical manifestation of the check that Kevin James took to play him again.
David Henrie, Neal McDonough, Raini Rodriguez, Daniella Alonso, this is your supporting cast and, just like Blart, they simply didn’t care.
After each individual scene, I imagined them asking for a raise because it must have been painful to read some of these lines.
Even in the worst movies of any given year, I can find something, at least one little morsel of enjoyment. I rarely believe that a film is all bad but I think “Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2” did it for me. About 45 minutes in, I had to step outside of my theater for a moment because this film gave me a violent physical reaction. It quite literally made me sick to my stomach. Overall, I found it fascinating that a film could contain the least amount of effort possible.
Producer Adam Sandler was asked in an interview last year if he chooses his movies based on if it can be marked up as a paid vacation and he was not afraid to enthusiastically say yes.
After watching an hour-and-a-half paid commercial for the Wynn resort, it certainly seems true. This wasn’t a film — it was a big-budget infomercial with some of the laziest joke writing that I have ever seen.
Despite my disgust for everything this film stands for, I wish Kevin James the best of luck, a talented man like him should find good work.
But if he keeps going along this path, he’ll find himself alongside Adam Sandler as someone who has immense talent but squanders it for money.
“Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2” is one of those movies that even people who tend to gravitate towards Adam Sandler movies won’t enjoy. No one tries and by the time the actual plot kicks in it’s hard to care. I urge anybody thinking of seeing this to wait a week and give your money to “Avengers: Age of Ultron” instead.
Rating: F (I’m being generous)
Matt Bilodeau can be contacted at mbilodeau@kscequinox.com
