The Family is Back with NOBODY 2

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to 4K Ultra HD, Bluray and Digital from director Timo Tjahjanto and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment is the vacation of NOBODY 2.

Hutch Mansell (Bob Odenkirk) is still dealing with what happened in recent events and to make amends, he works for The Barber (Colin Salmon) to pay back the money he turned to ash. Seeing the strain at home with wife Becca (Connie Nielsen) and kids Brady (Gage Munroe) and Sammy (Paisley Cadorath). Telling The Barber that he is taking a break, Hutch promises his wife that plans are in motion to take a family vacation together.

Packing up the car and grandpa David (Christopher Lloyd), the family takes off for Plummerville, an amusement park Hutch went to as a child. Wanting to create the same memories with his kids but as they unpack, it is clear the family quick as impressed as dad would like them to be. Making the best of it, they family heads to the arcade and actually begin to have fun. That is until Brady gets into a tiff with local bully Max (Lucius Hoyos). The altercation brings security in and Hutch has had enough of the goings on and takes matters into his own hands.

The local sheriff, Abel (Colin Hanks), takes the family in to see Wyatt Martin (John Ortiz) to decide what to do. The problem Hutch is up against is that Wyatt is Max’s father and there is something fishy happening in the town. So, what does one do when confronted with a weird problem? Call your brother of course! Hutch tells Harry (RZA) who is on a spiritual journey and tries to bring calm to his brother. Still, Hutch can’t let go of the feeling there is more to this town than meets the eye and, of course, he’s going to find out.

Instead of leaving like they were warned and after Hutch’s attack, Hutch finds out that the town has a bootlegging issue led by a woman named Ledina (Sharon Stone) and everyone is involved. She, in turn, decides that its time to turn up the heat, there is a bit of a kidnapping, a bit of family danger and a whole lot of mess being made – so much for a family vacation!

Odenkirk as Hutch returns to play the character that gave film goers such a thrill in 2021 and did so well at the box office. A mild-mannered husband and dad who just happens to be a very good assassin; it’s all about balance right? This time he is trying to spend quality family time but it seems trouble accidentally got packed in his suitcase. Not even a day passes and he is back to doing whatever it takes to protect his family and no one is getting in the way of that. He does this so well and I loved watching him play Hutch once again.

Nielsen as Becca is a wife who is a little frustrated with Hutch’s away time putting all the family issues on her. Totally understandable but she is willing to give it a chance with a family vacation. She is stronger than she portrays and Nielsen gives her the gumption to see the world through her husbands’ eyes. Lloyd as grandpa David may be older but that doesn’t mean he has lost his ability to be useful and useful he is, especially when the family is at risk. I loved watching him in his quirky moments and his generational assassin moments with Hutch and Harry. Lloyd is still so awesome and seeing him continue to take roles is nostalgic and cool at the same time.

Ortiz as Wyatt is a man who thinks he’s the big man on campus but, when in fact, he is just another rat in the race. He starts out tough but, Hutch shows him to never underestimate a plain looking guy with his family. RZA as Harry had me cracking up as the brother who was on his spiritual journey but also knows family is everything. Salmon as the Barber is caught off guard when Hutch wants to take a break from being an assassin and his reaction is hilarious.

Hanks as Abel is a sheriff with a chip on his shoulder, a bad attitude and playing for the wrong team. I was thrilled to see him take on this role showing his ability to mix a level of badness with a bit of comedy. Munroe as Brady is a typical teenage kid with a smart mouth and the ability to blame the world for everything, but in this case – his father. Cadorath as Sammy is just so dang cute and spunky, which counts in the story when you are surrounded by so many bad guys. Hoyos as Max is just the town bully who thinks he can get away with it because of who his dad is. Yeah, how did that work out for you kid?

Finally, Stone as Ledina is a woman who had her world wrapped up tight and only had to snap her fingers to make things happen. She had no problem making people disappear and there was no getting away from her reach. I just adored this for Stone as she gets to be as bad as she wants to be and I’m here for every moment of it.

Other cast include Nolan Grantham as young Hutch, Felipe Salazar as young Wyatt, Jahron Wilson as young Harry, Jeremy Warren as young David, Jacob Blair as Dann, Daniel Bernhardt as Kartoush, and David Macinnis as Toby.

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has just added an amazing film to their library and making it available for us to all experience and re-experience in our own home theaters. There are films of every genre available from scary to drama to family films. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.uphe.com.

Bonus Features include Nobody 2: The Fight Continues, Nobody Does Stunts Like Us and Deleted Scenes.

NOBODY 2 is a full-on comedy and action film staying true to its predecessor film. Odenkirk brings back Hutch in the middle of a family crisis as he tries to find out how to pay back his debt to The Barber and be with family. It cracked me up immediately when he says he needs to take a break from being an assassin. Unusual to say but even more unusual when told ‘okay’. Wanting to take the family on a vacation seems like a normal thing right? Normal for most, not normal for Hutch.

The family dynamic felt like something we all can relate to in the realm of ‘are we there yet?’ or ‘I need to go to the bathroom’ or ‘Really? This is the place?’. Probably the reason most of us aren’t thrilled about family vacations. Yet, Hutch is determined to make it work and it probably would have if trouble didn’t find him. Of course, as with the first film, we already know that when trouble taps Hutch on the shoulder, nothing good is going to happen. This time out the cast is expanded to include a mash up of family problems, teen problems, and adult bad-guy problems. Don’t worry, Hutch gives us a floor plan of what not to do on a family vacation! Pop that popcorn and take in all the action provided by NOBODY 2.

In the end – Hutch is back!