Good Burger 2 (2023)

Good Burger 2 (2023)

 

3/10

 

Starring

Kenan Thompson

Kel Mitchell

 

Directed by Phil Traill

 

I think the bar for what qualifies as a good movie must be very low if this film made it past the development stage and into production. I know streaming services are fighting for content, but perhaps they should focus on creating quality movies that genuinely draw viewers to their platforms.

As I watched this, I couldn’t help but wonder: who thought Good Burger needed a sequel? The first movie, released in 1997, didn’t leave any room for a follow-up. Seeing the characters all grown up, still acting silly, and showing no character development was more sad than entertaining.

Ed (Kel Mitchell) is now an adult but still hasn’t gotten a handle on life. He continues to act like a child yet somehow manages to have a large number of children himself. The "grown man-child" trope lost its appeal a long time ago, and it’s baffling that the writers thought this was a good direction for his character.

Dex (Kenan Thompson), on the other hand, has become consumed by greed and a relentless desire to get rich. His schemes have alienated his family and destroyed his chances of success. One such scheme, where he tests his ideas on his own house, was utterly ridiculous and far-fetched.

The plot centers on yet another attempt to take over Good Burger. This time, the antagonist is a company called MegaCorp, which wants Ed to sell his single Good Burger restaurant so they can turn it into a franchise. Ed isn’t interested in selling, but Dex, now broke, homeless, and friendless after ruining his life with get-rich-quick schemes, gets involved. Dex reaches out to Ed, who lets him stay at his house and gives him a job at Good Burger. However, when MegaCorp offers Dex a cut of the deal to convince Ed to sell, he jumps at the opportunity. The movie attempts to explore the consequences of that decision.

The movie as a whole was boring, irritating, and unfunny. It failed to evoke any nostalgia for the original characters the way rewatching the 1997 Good Burger still does. Instead, it relied too heavily on Ed’s goofiness, which might have worked for kids back then but feels like lazy writing now.

If you’ve never seen the first Good Burger, don’t bother with this one. If you have fond memories of the original from the 90s, this sequel will only ruin them. I do hope the negative reviews will deter any idea to make a further sequel.

 

Genie (2023)

Genie (2023)

 

2/10

Starring

Melissa McCarthy

Paapa Essiedu

Denée Benton

Marc Maron

 

Directed by Sam Boyd

 

If you’ve never heard of this movie, congratulations, you’ve dodged a bullet, and I wish I was you. If you came across this post before watching it, do yourself a favor and don’t bother, there are better things you can do with your free time.

The story begins with Bernie missing his daughter Eve’s birthday. Bernie decides to prioritize work, choosing to close a deal for his boss instead of attending the celebration. Naturally, his wife Julie is upset because Bernie has a habit of being a disappointment. She takes Eve to her parents’ house, leaving Bernie behind.

This setup is a tired cliché we’ve seen countless times: "Why can’t you be there for us? We’re going to my parents. Don’t come." Unfortunately, this familiar start is paired with questionable acting that left me wondering if this movie was worth my time. I only stuck around because I usually find Melissa McCarthy funny.

This movie, however, was far from her best. It wasn’t funny, and the writing was downright poor. Strangely, the movie is a remake written by the same person, but this version takes a bizarre direction. The jokes, scenes, and overall execution completely missed the mark.

The plot of Bernie finding a genie (played by McCarthy), but this genie doesn’t follow the usual conventional three-wish rule, would at first seem exciting. But the bad execution will make you wish you did not press play on this movie. I may have missed something, but it seems like there’s an infinite number of wishes. Yet, the things Bernie wishes for are so unimaginative that it makes you question his intelligence. The "all-around good guy" act he plays is unbearably annoying; it made me want to throw something at the screen.

McCarthy’s performance felt phoned in, as though she was only there for the paycheck. Her actions lacked conviction, and the movie as a whole made no sense. It was boring, devoid of any urgency, and filled with moments where Bernie seemed to forget the most important thing: reuniting with his family.

The illogical decisions Bernie made throughout the movie left me longing for the days before streaming services, when studios didn’t feel the need to churn out subpar movies to pad their libraries. Adding a big-name star like McCarthy might make people curious, but it doesn’t save this disaster.

If I had a genie, I’d wish for the time I wasted watching this movie back. Save yourself the trouble, it’s not worth your time.