Film Review: Big Momma's House 2
Starring: Martin Lawrence
Cert: PG
Released: 10th February 2006

Malcolm Turner (Lawrence) is no longer the loose cannon FBI agent he was in the first Big Momma's House. He's now a man of responsibilities since having married the real Big Momma's daughter, taken on the role of father to her teenage son and on the verge of becoming a proper father to a child of their own. He has taken himself off of active duty and on to a desk job in PR promoting safety to schoolchildren. However, this all changes when he discovers that a colleague has been killed during the course of duty and, against the instructions of his superiors, he wants in on the case.

This particular case being the creation of a dangerous computer virus that could open a backdoor into any operating system and allow the user unlimited access. The chief suspect is a (dysfunctional) family man. His three children are falling by the wayside whilst he is too busy 'working' and their mother is too controlling to notice their needs. What they need is a nanny so in steps straight-talking Big Momma.

You have to feel sorry for Martin Lawrence. What does the man have to do to attain any respect within his field? Aside from Bad Boys (which, technically, isn't a comedy) not one of his films has really made that much of a lasting dent in the social consciences of the audience. He's tried teaming up with 'bigger' comedy names (Life, What's the Worst That Could Happen?), done the tried and tested buddy-up with opposites (Nothing To Lose, National Security) and a few solo efforts (Blue Streak, Black Knight). You have to feel sorry that he's felt it necessary to fall back on his most original (and successful) idea. And that idea already having been done many times before and many times since: a man crossdresses* to show that a man is a better woman than any woman can be.
*See also: tough guy placed in typically female environment to connect with his emotions and do a better job of it.

From Tootsie to The Pacifier, every type of necessity has been used (is it me or does it always seem to be a computer super-virus?), every type of dysfunctional child has been redeemed with a bit of tough love and every family unit has been knitted together as a result of life-threatening exploits**.
**Yes, I realise this doesn't really include Tootsie, Mrs Doubtfire or Just Like A Woman but you know where I'm coming from.

Suspend your disbelief to it's extreme because if you look too close to this then the cracks start to show. Unnecessary details are included for a cheap laugh and glaring inconsistencies are breezed over as if every character in the film is a naïve idiot. Don't analyse what it is you are supposed to be laughing at because you might start questioning the messages within: Is it sexist? Is it sizist? Is it racist? Is it promoting underage promiscuity? Are the jokes actually safe to laugh at? Or is this the most dangerous form of bigotry disguising itself as light humour?

The body suit is obviously the comedy anchor and the fact that seventy year old women are allowed to get away with speaking their minds so with a motormouth like Lawrence behind the wrinkles, anything is game. But we all know it's him in an outfit so surely it would be more funny to have to real Big Momma telling these people where to get off and shaking her booty as if on a Snoop Dogg video.

The horror factor is turned up slightly as more care has been taken in the production of the Momma suit. We are treated to a bit more flesh here and there, like an Ursula Andress scene on the beach and a few gusset gags but when you've seen Bubbles and Desiree (Little Britain) in their full glory a few PG-safe inferences of flesh aren't going to compare.

So on that note, let's bring it back into perspective. It is only a PG so you are guaranteed that it is safe comedy (aside from the potentially insidious undertones already mentioned) and targets those people who do not watch the likes of Little Britain and do want something thought-free and easy going. That's what Big Momma's House 2 is; very easy to sit back and let it wash over you without leaving any residue: good or bad. Naivety and innocence might enjoy the cheeky humour, quirky dog and deranged child; most will see only a vehicle to keep Lawrence afloat for a while longer. See this film if you've absolutely got nothing better to do and you can get a free ticket; the dog is quite funny.