Way back in August, I re-watched Nobody in anticipation of seeing the sequel, Nobody 2, in theaters. Well life happened and I wasn't quite able to see it in the theater. I then found myself waiting for a time to watch it at home by myself. I never was able to find that time so last night when my wife and I were settling down to watch something and she asked, "How about Nobody 2?" I leapt at the chance to finally watch this movie.
Now I am mad I waited so long to see it. It was so much fun. Don't get me wrong, it was dumb. But damn it was fun. My wife even found herself putting down her phone and laughing out loud several times. That is when she wasn't looking away because of some over the top gruesome violence.
Her reaction basically summed up the movie for me. There is wild action combined with ridiculous situations and dialogue that lead to some big laughs. Nobody 2 isn't quite like Gremlins 2 which flat out parodied itself... but it is close. There is not one second where anyone could possibly think, "Yeah that could happen". And that is OK. That is what makes it pure mindless fun.
I do think it is important to note that I have some geographic and cultural bias that made me enjoy this movie more than the average viewer. Bob Odenkirk grew up in a Chicago suburb not far from me. Although he's nine years older than me, he's still relatively close to my age. So we share some of the same experiences. This includes visiting the family vacation wonderland of Wisconsin Dells Wisconsin when I was child. In Nobody 2, Odenkirk's character, Hutch Mansell takes his family on vacation to Wisconsin. He takes them to a place that seems a lot like the Wisconsin Dells I, and he, knew from the 1970s (complete with Duck boats!).
Without spoiling too much, the premise is that Wisconsin Dells... I mean Plummerville Wisconsin is actually a hub for illegal trade run by the most evil women who has ever lived. The villain, played by Sharon Stone, delivers one of the most deliciously over the top performances I have seen in quite a while. Ever few minutes my wife and I found ourselves laughing at some inside joke about the Midwest. Just the idea of the Wisconsin Dells being anything but wholesome family fun makes me chuckle as I write this.
I am still bummed that this movie is not set in the same universe as John Wick. The are clearly both worlds where literally anyone could be a highly trained assassin and the laws of physics simply do not apply. In both of these magical worlds, not only can people take incredible beatings without needing to be hospitalized, they don't even get sore the next day. They also share some of the most colorful side characters imaginable. I would have wet my pants from pure joy if at any point John Wick was seen sliding down a water slide or riding a horse on a merry-go-round.
But that is what this movie is. Imagine the incredible action and fight choreography of John Wick put into a tongue in cheek action/comedy about a middle aged dad. If that sounds enjoyable to you, you have to see this movie. To be honest, even if you never saw the first one, you can still enjoy this one. all you need to know is that Hutch's dad and brother are also highly trained elite assassins... of course.