The Whole Nine Yards was a pretty funny film. It wasn’t outstanding. It wasn’t classic cinema. It certainly didn’t cry out for a sequel. The Whole Ten Yards goes one yard too far. Most of the original cast is back, but the film has no life. Even the laughs are forced. By now the novelty of the characters has long since worn thin. Bruce Willis seems to be acting for acting’s sake. The mood swings and unnecessary facial exaggerations seem to provide Willis with some distraction from how empty the rest of the film is. I…think he watched DeNiro in Analyze This or Analyze That too long. Amanda Peet’s assassin wannabe whining is no longer cute. It’s just annoying. Matthew Perry might be soon yearning for his Friends days if this is anywhere near his best film attempt.
Synopsis
After faking Jimmy The Tulip’s (Willis) death in the first film, our crazy dentist Oz (Perry) and Jimmy’s ex-wife (Henstridge) are being pursued by a Hungarian mobster with a vendetta for Jimmy.
Audio
You’ll find a very clean Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track. The real disappointment is the lack of any aggressiveness here. The shootouts, which provide the little excitement found here, are bland. The subs hardly move at all. Rear channels are sparse. The dynamic range is flat. While the dialogue is always clear, this soundtrack plays out like a good TV mix.
There is a commentary provided by George Gallo and director Howard Deutch. There’s a lot of quiet. Perhaps even they can’t believe how bad this thing really is.
Video
The Whole Ten Yards is presented in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Colors are pretty solid but not awesome. There is a realistic feel to the palate that makes it feel more like a digital camcorder. Dark scenes have a noticeable grain element to them that actually lends a bit more life to the otherwise sterile production. There were no film specks or blemishes that I could find. A tiny bit of digital artifact can be seen in the darker parts of the movie.
Special Features
The studio decided not to go the whole nine, or ten yards for that matter, on this release. Except for the aforementioned commentary, you’ll find only a trailer.
Final Thoughts
Some films are better left alone. It’s not like the first one killed at the box office. It’s almost like nobody had their hearts in this film. All of the actors are just going through the motions here. This might make a decent rental for a rainy night. If you paid good money to buy this film, I gotta ask: “Did you save the receipt?”
Special Features List
- Audio Commentary
- Trailer
