‘Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2’ offers more of the same for Kevin James fans
Kevin James is back as Paul Blart and the critics have brought out their knives to cut up the slapstick driven sequel to the successful 2009 film. Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 offers up more of the same fat jokes, cliches and silly plot points, so take note.
After a quick recap of a failed relationship, death in the family and being trapped in the rut of life, Paul Blart is headed to Vegas to be honored among the rental cop elite. His daughter Maya (Raini Rodriguez), has now been accepted to UCLA, but his afraid of the impact on abandoning her father and may attend a ridiculously named community college.
Back to Vegas, Paul’s emotional state and delusions drive the first portion of the film before the contrived evil plot surfaces in a madcap rehash of the events from the first film. Neal McDonough plays the bad guy (again, see Justified), but is straight-man with a first quirks and weird eye. There is Loni Love (Kickin’ It) and Gary Valentine (James’ former King of Queens costar) heading up a motley crew of other mall cops at the convention.
All said, this is a mindless Kevin James fest, cashing in on the success of the first film (over $145 million) and gives audiences a few laughs and an escape at the theaters. There are a few good one-liners, zings between McDonough and James, but it’s mostly physical laughs at James’ expense.
One draw for the film is that it is extremely clean, free from offensive content or language. With everyone heading to the theaters to see Furious 7 and then The Avengers, Mall Cop 2 is a safe haven for the younger audience.
Overall Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 receives 1 1/2 stars out of 5.
Add a star if you are a fan of the first film and/or love the Kevin James schtick
Motley Crue, in this context, is actually “motley crew,” which describes a dissimilar group of characters of various backgrounds, and not a rock band.
Great catch – fixed, BBJ