"Shame me once, shame on you; Shame me twice, shame on me"
After working the West Orange mall in New Jersey, Paul Blart (Kevin James) is invited to a security officer's convention in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, his daughter Maya (Raini Rodriguez) receives an acceptance letter to UCLA, but she is afraid of telling her dad about it. In Vegas, Paul struggles to get off on the right foot as Maya quickly falls for a hotel employee named Lane (David Henrie) and other wacky characters seem to get in his way. Meanwhile, a conman (Neal McDonough) is planning on robbing all the art in the Wynn hotel. Will Paul be able to get his head on straight and save the day?
You can honestly tell James really enjoys playing this character. His comedic timing is very solid, and while not every joke hits its mark, a lot of them are clever and are extremely funny. Some of the best lines he has are his confusion over a hotel manager's attitude towards him, and when he gets into an insult war with the villain. He is both talented and worthwhile. One of the other very funny moments showed Blart trying to perform in a Cirque du Soleil show. James also provides a few much-needed heartfelt moments in the script as well.
The rest of the actors do fine with what they are given to do. Rodriguez, much more recognizable now in comparison to the first movie (thanks to being a main character in Disney Channel's Austin and Ally), is solidly believable and relatable as Maya. McDonough makes a dramatic, and perfectly-cliched villain. Henrie, while not given a lot to do, makes an appealing love interest for Maya, while (and this is a wise choice on the director and screenwriters) keeping things respectful and innocent.
Some actors from James' previous movies (especially Here Comes the Boom) make fun appearances here. Bas Rutten turns to the dark side, while Gary Valentine (his brother) gets a hilarious hairdo, and Shelly Dusai plays another clueless character. Loni Love adds some solid humor and wit. Some hysterical visual and dialog references to The Avengers, Looney Tunes and plenty of others.
On the downside, the story is weak at times. While the conflict and resolution are easy for families to understand, its just not quite as clever or emotionally-resonant as the first film or Here Comes the Boom. The movie also followed several typical family movie cliches, adding to the fact that it was already fairly predictable (with the exception of one hilarious twist towards the end). The cinematography, music score, and production design, are all, well, adequate.
The first Paul Blart was an interesting film. It was humorous, clever, and also had a lot of thrilling moments. Plus, Kevin James is one of the best comedians out there. His physical and sarcastic sense of humor are very funny, and he certainly makes every character he plays a lot of fun to root for.
That being said, with loads of very funny and clever jokes, I liked Paul Blart 2. But, in the end, I found it to take one or two steps back from the very memorable Here Comes the Boom. The story is just too simple and carries a lot of elements that seem more strictly for kids than for all ages. It also carries less heart than that film also (save for a few moments).
But, boiling down to its essentials, Mall Cop 2 is, overall, just 90 minutes of laughs and zany fun. And the problematic content is dialed back several notches from previous Kevin James movies also, which is a very welcome surprise.
So, in the end, even if its not the best effort from either James or director Andy Fickman (The Game Plan, Race to Witch Mountain, Parental Guidance), the security guard still succeeds in being a very entertaining distraction.
Score: 6.8/10
Content Problems Families Should Be Aware Of:
Language: Nothing profane. "Holy crawfish!", "Mall of freaking America" and "oh my gosh" are as harsh as anything gets.
Adult Content: Some talk of "crushing" and "hitting on" people. A few cleavage-revealing outfits and swimsuits. Paul refuses to let his daughter go to the pool in her "Victoria's Secret" swimsuit (when its actually just a very modest one-piece swimsuit). The villain makes a minor sexual innuendo of someone "sampling the merchandise" before divorcing Paul. Someone's underwear is briefly shown.
Violence: Lots of slapstick mayhem. Someone is hit by a truck. Paul is poked and hit repeatedly by a bird, and is hit briefly somewhat by a passing car. He accidentally punches an elderly female employee. A horse kicks Paul back into a van behind him. Tasers are used repeatedly. Paul falls down a flight of stairs. Someone is electrocuted. A few instances of hand-to-hand combat.
Drugs/Alcohol: A few bar scenes. A character is seen to be drunk. A few other "drunk" references. Blue cups of unknown beverages are seen at a party.
