It has been a while since I have commented on the audience with which I have seen a movie in the theater.  I try not to do it often because it is only ever noteworthy when it is odd, at least to me.  What was strange was the relatively advanced years of those in the cinema.  This already suggests uncharitable and un-Christian thoughts, which is something I do try to avoid.  Having said this, I do not understand the people who showed up to see Nobody 2.  Its predecessor, Nobody (2021), was in the same vein as the John Wick franchise, though less annoying.  The latter of those is extremely popular with a younger crowd.  There I go being unkind again.  With apologies, as I have stated in my reviews of that series, for all their fancy choreography and thrilling action sequences, I found the hyper-violent genre boring.  With Nobody, and now Nobody 2, they at least do not take themselves seriously, which is something different anyway.  I do not care for the bloodshed, but they are less mindless.

I know many probably think it is mindless of me to always spoil the films I review, but Nobody 2 does that from the beginning.  Hutch Mansell (Bob Odenkirk), who would look like every suburban dad save for his extremely battered condition, is being interviewed by two federal agents.  The fact that they are curious how he ended up in such a condition, with a wolf-dog by his side, should tell you that he will survive the long flashback that makes up the rest of the movie.  Kind of takes the suspense out of it, does it not?  Of course, Hutch’s problems began long before this interview, dating to some forgotten incident from the previous film.  Whatever it was, he is now working off a $30 million debt to a man who calls himself “The Barber” (Colin Salmon).  The brief explanation given for the money owed has something to do with Hutch burning a load of cash owned by the Russian mafia that I guess was supposed to go to the Barber?  In any case, it keeps Hutch away from his family most nights.  His wife, Becca Mansell (Connie Nielsen), is aware of her husband’s violent activities and is trying to remain patient with all the missed dinners and other gatherings.  She almost speaks up a few times, and he can tell she is growing frustrated.  His response is to tell her that after the day’s mission for the Barber, he will sit down and plan a trip for them and their two children, teenage son Brady Mansell (Gage Munroe) and younger daughter Sammy Mansell (Paisley Cadorath).  However, Hutch is once again delayed.  Knowing he is in trouble, he tells the Barber that a break is needed.  While the Barber is not thrilled by the notion, he allows Hutch to take the time off.  With inspiration gained from his latest job, Hutch shows his family an ancient video of a laughably quaint theme park town called Plummerville.  Brady and Sammy are incredulous, but Hutch claims he already checked to make sure everything is still operational.  Further, Hutch is excited to take his family to a place he visited when he was younger with his brother, Harry Mansell (RZA), and father, David Mansell (Christopher Lloyd).  The clincher comes when Becca agrees to go, saying that it will be good for them to take a trip.  Along the way, they pick up David to join their vacation.  As one might expect, things do not go smoothly.  The first headache is when the waterpark is shut down for maintenance reasons.  This forces the Mansells to a nearby diner, one in which Harry and Hutch had some good times as boys.  Lost in reminisces, Hutch is unwittingly staring at Sheriff Abel (Colin Hanks).  Sheriff Abel does not take kindly to Hutch’s social faux pas to the point where there is an underlying threat of a physical altercation.  For the moment, Hutch returns to his family, but more problems come their way at the arcade later that night.  Brady had given some prize tickets to a set of teenage girls who had been watching him.  The boyfriend of one of them takes offense at the gesture, picking a fight with Brady.  Brady does not respond until Sammy’s stuffed animal is ripped in half, causing him to land a right hook on his assailant.  Security comes out and blames Brady.  Hutch steps in to “de-escalate,” but returns to start beating up the staff when one of them slaps Sammy.  Taken to the police station by Sheriff Abel, Hutch is placed before Wyatt Martin (John Ortiz), who runs the town and is dad to the kid Brady punched.  Wyatt orders the Mansells to leave, but Hutch remains adamant that they are just on vacation.  Sheriff Abel, though, decides to take matters into his own hands, ordering one of the deputies to gather some men and kill Hutch.  As you can imagine, this does not go well for this posse, but it leaves Hutch wondering what is going on in this town.  Placing a call to the Barber, Hutch learns that Wyatt is in the employ of Lendina (Sharon Stone), a ruthless crime boss who moves drugs and money through Plummerville.  There is a twist in that Wyatt has been trying to buy his way out of Lendina’s employ, but she will not allow it.  Even the Barber advises Hutch not to mess with this woman, and he does try once more to “de-escalate” the situation.  What changes his mind is seeing Sheriff Abel helping Lendina leverage Wyatt by kidnapping the park operator’s son.  Thus, Hutch burns down the warehouse containing the money, a bunch of valuable chemicals, and other valuable items while rescuing the kid.  Knowing that he has now stirred up greater trouble, Hutch receives some assistance in the form of David and Harry.  Becca, too, who is skilled with a weapon herself, lends a hand.  Together, they make the amusement area into a death trap, which leads to the annihilation of Lendina and all her henchmen.  We conclude with the Mansells back home watching film of whatever happy memories they made during the trip.

During the first portion of the end credits to Nobody 2, they showed more pictures from their time in Plummerville.  This was strange to me, not necessarily because of the violence they endured (though that did not help), but due to the fact that they had barely been at the place before their troubles began.  In other words, when did they have time to be happy, much less take pictures of that happiness?  As a Catholic, I am all for making the best out of a bad situation.  Indeed, that can stand as a definition for Faith in the worst of circumstances.  Cinematically speaking, though, I am not sure it works.  To be fair, the quest for happiness is a theme of the film.  In selling his family on the idea of going to Plummerville, Hutch gets nostalgic about the time he spent there.  Nostalgia can be a tricky thing in terms of Faith, but he makes a good point about how happy memories can carry a person through rough times.  I might be critical of what is shared at the end, but this is a motivation for the characters, especially Becca.  She has every right to be mad at Hutch for his activities, even if it becomes apparent that she has her own violent side.  Still, she is a mother first, and it is her fondness for the family that she has made with her husband that carries her through the difficulties.  A comparison can be made here to the ideal Christian mother.  I almost hesitated to use that term because it carries with it stereotypes about being submissive to husbands, even if that is a Scriptural misinterpretation.  Those who focus on Ephesians 5:22 forget verse 21, which says that husband and wife should be subordinate to one another.  At any rate, we see the true meaning in Becca’s actions, who voices her concerns and trusts her husband because he is worth it, despite his work.

It is Hutch’s work that gets him into the most trouble in Nobody 2.  He is trying not to “bring it home with him” as the saying goes, but it is the Barber who has some telling things to say on this topic.  When Hutch asks for time off, the Barber says to him simply, “good luck.”  Hutch is confused, and the Barber clarifies that being violent is just in Hutch’s nature.  It does seem to make some sense.  Those moments when I talked about Hutch attempting to “de-escalate” a situation are him fighting against his normal inclination to solve a problem with his fists.  Further, we can see the same traits cropping up in the next generation.  It is suggested that Brady got into a fight at a high school basketball game, and then there is the incident at the arcade.  All the same, the film contradicts this notion of nature winning out during a conversation between Hutch and his son.  Brady says he thinks how his dad reacts to the security personnel is great. Hutch disagrees, saying that the teenager needs to be better.  This suggests what the Church teaches: that is nurture rather than nature that is important.  God creates everyone imbued with a desire to experience His love, and to show that love to others.  If we find ourselves in a situation when we are not behaving as God would have us, that is because of factors in our lives that have led to that happening.  The Mansells are a testament to this fact.  Though Hutch is still stuck in a violent job, it is apparent that it is not something he wants for himself.  Becca has made the transition to a higher calling.  As for Brady, while he is complimented for how he defends Sammy during the climactic showdown, I hold out hope that his father’s earlier words have some effect.

As for my earlier words about Nobody 2, I began by saying that I was confused as to why older folk were the main clientele in the theater.  I guess they see in Hutch a hero that somewhat looks like them?  I am not sure I would call him a hero, nor do think this film is worth your money or time.