"Nobody 2" Review

 2021's Nobody was a sleeper hit continuing Bob Odenkirk's odd career trajectory from Funny Guy (SNL, Mr. Show) to Serious Actor Guy (Better Call Saul) to Aging Action Guy. As Hutch, the former assassin who forsook that life to be a suburban schlub dad, Odenkirk was the least likely action hero since Liam Neeson in the Taken series.

Well, Hollyweird being what it is and anything that makes money gets repeated even when no one really asked for more, along comes Nobody 2 which finds Hutch having trouble spending much family time with the wife and kids because he's constantly being sent on assignments by the Barber (Colin Salmon, The Lazarus Project) to pay back the $50 million in cash he burned in the last movie. With his wife, Becca (Connie Nielsen, Wonder Woman), getting frustrated and not seeing his kids, he decides it's time for a family vacation to Plummerville, a town with an amusement park his father, David (Christopher Lloyd, Taxi), took him as a child.

Of course, nothing goes easy for Hutch as when his son gets into an altercation with a townie boy which escalates into a situation where Hutch beats the tar out of an arcade worker, he finds that Plummerville is a place where everyone is crooked including the park operator, Wyatt (John Ortiz, American Fiction), to the the corrupt Sheriff, Abel (Colin Hanks, really looking like his old man these days). But they're just cogs in the machine as both work for crime boss Lendina (Sharon Stone in such a weird performance that the missus didn't recognize her).

As things escalate, Lendina and her soldiers head to town to kill Hutch, his family, and everyone else thus leading to some alliances with former foes and an ending at the park which gave me flashbacks to The A-Team (the old TV show, not the movie which no one remembers despite an A-list cast).

I didn't review the original Nobody, but scored it a 6/10, catch on cable, and while the action beats here have their moments, there's a general going-through-the-motions vibe about Nobody 2 that really makes it feel like there wasn't a burning need to tell more stories of Hutch's life, but someone figured they could make some money. With a higher budget and a insufficient box office gross, it looks like Nobody 2 should be the end of the franchise.

If you've watched everything else and are looking for something to have on while doomscrolling your phone, this is a movie suited for multitasking. Or just watch the trailer to get the gist of it.

Score: 5/10. Catch it on cable/streaming.