She’s a hip-hoppin’ be-boppin’ mean ol’ nanny who whips a mean stew and your butt for not doing your homework—and now she’s back! Alas we don’t speak of the Mrs. Doubtfire sequel but rather that of Big Momma a.k.a. FBI Agent Malcolm Turner (Martin Lawrence). Agent Warner has cut ties with the FBI at the behest of Sherry (Nia Long)—who as you no doubt recall is the granddaughter of the real Big Momma—since she’s pregnant with Malcolm’s baby. But wouldn’t you know that he gets sucked back in after a former colleague is killed. Posing as Big Momma he’s hired as a nanny to a suburban family the deadbeat dad of which is involved in the murder and a crime plot. She does it all—cooks cleans dances and even runs down bad guys but it’s a race against time to stop the potential national security crisis. That is a race against the film’s (mercifully) short running time. Although Lawrence‘s resume includes some of the dregs of comedy it’s hard to argue that he is truly blessed when it comes to physical comedy and comedic timing. He continues both trends here this time without the help of the breakthrough actors of the past two years Paul Giamatti and Terrence Howard who yes both starred in the first Big Momma’s House. That means Lawrence‘s urban mania is truly on its own and absurd and juvenile as the film may be even film snobs can’t hold back a few laughs at his Big Momma outlandishness. Longreturns for no more than a select few scenes and to provide a minor conflict in the story. The notable newcomer is CSI‘s Emily Procter as the sterile mother who hires Big Momma. She does a serviceable job as a suburban Petite Momma. Might she be the next Giamatti or Howard to bolt to bigger and better things in time for the next sequel? No.
Big Momma’s House 2 is right up director John Whitesell‘s alley. He’s the guy behind such misses—though not necessarily financially—as Malibu’s Most Wanted and See Spot Run and he’s right at home here. Whitesell doesn’t hold back in (literally and figuratively) pulling the robe off Big Momma but he clearly knows that nothing is to interrupt Lawrence‘s antics not even the thin story line. Aside from that he knows quite well how to execute thinly veiled rip-offs of the aforementioned Mrs. Doubtfire as well as countless other hidden-motive comedies (i.e. Kindergarten Cop Houseguest et al). Because while the main guise is the Big Momma fat suit Whitesell parades the film about as a feel-good/family flick.
