Men in Black II Review
by Laura Clifford (laura AT reelingreviews DOT com)July 3rd, 2002
MIIB
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Without Agent Kay (Tommy Lee Jones), Agent Jay is getting lonely, neuralizing one partner after the next when they don't fill his mentor's highly polished shoes. When MIB Headquarters is infiltrated by Serleena (Lara Flyn Boyle) and her gang in search of the Light of Zarka, it appears only Agent Kay knows its whereabouts. It's up to Jay to deneuralize Kay and fight off the evil Kylothian in "Men in Black II."
This movie has the first press kit I can remember which offers the original film's grosses instead of the present film's plot synopsis. At least they're wearing their hearts on their sleeves. This insipid retread of the original film scatters about 5 decent jokes and they're almost all crowded into the first two acts. Barry Sonnenfeld owes Frank the Pug (voiced by Tim Blaney) big time.
The film begins with a pre-credit 1978 anthology show hosted by Peter Graves which shows a reenactment, complete with campy Ed Wood level effects, of the MIB incident which is sparking the current action. (Note that in a film with an 88 minute running time, this sequence is repeated.) Then we meet up with Jay and his current partner Tee (Patrick Warburton), who immediately mishandles errant alien Jeff, a giant worm. Once Tee's
neuralized,
we're in for the best part of the film, where Zed (Rip Torn) pairs up Jay with Frank, the talking pug. Whether singing "I Will Survive" in the passenger
seat or barking the chorus of "Who Let the Dogs Out" or simply responding to his partner, Frank is innately entertaining. Give this dog a bone.
We also see Serleena land, disembark looking like "The Little Shop of Horror's"
maneater, turn herself into a replica of a Victoria's Secrets lingerie model, and bisect a pizzeria owner in front of his terrified, but hidden, employee Laura (Rosario Dawson), a witness Jay can't bring himself to neuralize.
At the thirty minute mark, Jay travels to Truro, MA, where Kay is a Cape Cod postmaster. Act II involves getting Kay's memory back, which is as good an excuse as any for some toilet humor while Act III involves the inevitable showdown.
While stumping on talk shows, Smith and Jones have been quick to point out that the new film is different due to the reversal of Jay and Kay's dominance, but in truth, screenwriters Robert Gordon ("Galaxy Quest") and Barry Fanaro's ("The Crew") most original moment is to have Kay take a page from "Memento's" Leonard Shelby - he's left himself clues to figure out the whereabouts of an object he neuralized out of his own memory. One of these clues leads to locker C18 at Grand Central Station that features the film's funniest scene
not involving Frank.
Smith and Jones replay their schtick, although Smith's energy level is lacking.
His best bit involves some physical comedy near the end of the film. Rosario Dawson fits the bill as a love interest, but as to villain Lara Flyn Boyle - why didn't they just hire a real Victoria's Secrets model? The part requires little acting and the special effects budget could have been cut by not having to fashion a fake bosom. Johnny Knoxville ("Big Trouble") actually has more of a presence as Boyle's two-headed sidekick. David Cross and Colombe
Jacobsen are standouts as a nerdy video store owner and his strange
girlfriend.
Rick Baker's effects are fine, particularly when he's dealing with reappearing aliens like the Worm Guys. But some birdlike creatures look
like escapees from "The Kids in the Hall" and a monster that resembles a pile of intestines is clearly nothing but a bunch of rubber. An alien referred to as a Ballchinian may get a groan of a laugh, but it, too, has appeared before - in "Kentucky Fried Movie."
"Men in Black II" may offer a respite from the heat and even some 4th of July fireworks for good measure. But please, if III is a glimmer in anyone's eye, make it about Zed and his new assistant Frank.
C
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