The Whole Ten Yards (2004)

Just plain funny

I never realized Mathew Perry is such a funny guy. And so physical prat fall funny. Just so off the cuff funny. September 1, 2007

"You fell down the stairs..."

I love this movie for a few reasons. One of those reasons is that I'm a HUGE fan of the previous film 'The Whole Nine Yards' to which this serves as the sequel. The next is the fact that Bruce Willis is one of the best of the underrated actors out there and captivates my attention with every performance he gives. The third, and biggest reason I love this film is a little scene where Jimmy (Willis) and Oz (Perry) visit the local pub and get a little (or a lot) drunk. The whole scene is worth the price of the rental. I guess since it reminds me so much of myself and my friends (I'm an emotional drunk) and the whole morning after thing is so the way it would happen. All in all the laughs are there, some are forced and the gags can be a bit cheesy. 'The Whole Nine Yards' was a far superior film, but this sequel is not without it's moments and Bruce Willis and Matthew Perry are a great comic team. Bruce can tackle everything from action to comedy to drama and should be recognized a little more for that. This may not end up your favorite title but it won't be your least. The premise follows Oz and Jimmy as they try and rescue Oz's wife (Jimmy's ex) from a mob boss trying to get revenge on Jimmy. Amanda Peet plays Jimmy's wife whose fed up with the softy Jimmy has become and is trying to be the tough contract killer that Jimmy once was. There are subplots and a twist at the end that makes this more than a no-brainer, but the fact still remains that the film makes little sense...but it doesn't really matter. Just sit back, relax, don't think about it and enjoy it for what it is...or at least watch the drunk scene, then pop in 'The Whole Nine Yards' and really enjoy yourself. June 7, 2006

Sit back, refuse to analyze, and enjoy

This film is the sequel to "The Whole Nine Yards," but I saw this movie first. I didn't even know there was a prequel.

The plot: No don't go there. Just don't. You won't find anything coherent, and hunting for it might just spoil the fun.

The cast: Bruce Willis is Jimmy, a retired hitman, in the witness protection program, living in Mexico. Jimmy might have gone a little crazy, but it might be an act. You never find out, for sure, but it doesn't matter. Amanda Peet is Jill, his girlfriend, who wants to be a hit-person. Will she succeed? You don't find out, but it doesn't matter. Natasha Henstridge is Cynthia, Jimmy's ex-wife and Oz's current wife. Is she happy to be away from Jimmy? It doesn't matter. Matthew Perry is Oz, a successful dentist. Does he understand what's going on? No! But, neither will you. It doesn't matter. Kevin Pollack is a Hungarian mob-boss with a quirky accent and a penchant for mangling slang ("It's a piece of pie [not cake]"), and for slapping anyone who dares to notice it or comment.

What does matter? This is a zany, fast-paced comedy, that is equal parts "The Godfather," "The Sting," and something by the Marx Brothers (as directed by the Coen Brothers). It's just weird. It doesn't make much sense, but I stopped trying to make it do that.

Matthew Perry is not my favorite actor, but I really liked him as Oz. Oz was perpetually lost, and his motto could've been, "Will somebody please tell me what's going on?!" I felt the same way, but I just did what he did: he just kept treading water, surviving, and trying to enjoy the ride. That's what I did, and I did enjoy this ride. April 4, 2006

Method in madness

This is an extremely unusual film in that it is better than the first one - nine yards- which was very good. It has only one disadvantage : you may need, or rather I needed to view it twice to understand what was going on. Not a real disadvantage - I just viewed it for the third time and enjoyed it even more. March 6, 2006

A Paltry Shadow of the Original

Thanks to falsified dental records supplied by his former neighbor Nicholas Oz Oseransky, retired hitman Jimmy The Tulip Tudeski now spends his days compulsively cleaning his house and perfecting his culinary skills with his wife, Jill, a purported assassin who has yet to pull off a clean hit. Suddenly, an uninvited and unwelcome connection to their past unexpectedly shows up on Jimmy and Jill's doorstep: it's Oz, and he's begging them to help him rescue his wife from the Hungarian mob. To complicate matters even further, the men, who are out to get Oz, are led by Lazlo Gogolak, a childhood rival of Jimmy's and another notorious hitman. Oz, Jimmy and Jill will have to go the whole nine yards--and then some--to manage the mounting Mafioso mayhem.
There isn't much about this film to enjoy. I was hoping it would be a lot funnier than it was, but I just didn't laugh at anything except Kevin Pollack's character who was hard to understand most of the time. I had no problem with the cast, I enjoyed all of their performances. Especially Kevin Pollack and Natasha Henstridge who really made the film at least somewhat watchable. If only Bruce Willis could have had more funny lines, or Matthew Perry been a little funnier, or if Amanda Peet...wait there's nothing wrong with her. Anyway, I can only recommend this to someone who likes the cast but not necessarily the story, otherwise, this movie gets a 5 out of 10 because they did try...to some degree.
July 24, 2005

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