2023. PG. 90 mins. Directed by Phil Traill
In 1997, Nickelodeon decided to try out a sketch from their hit TV show, All That, as a full-length movie. While Good Burger didn't make much noise at the box office it has gone on to become a cult classic among kids that were born in the 90's. Now, 26 years later, Paramount brings back Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell as their lovable characters Dexter and Ed as they set off on a new adventure in Good Burger 2. Does this sequel live up to the mildly funny comedy from the 90's or did they wait too long to put a sequel together?
This is a case of a little bit of both. The issue with so many of the recent sequels, remakes, reboots and requels is that the filmmakers are having to cater to two different audiences. On the one hand you want to have something for the people who grew up with the first movie, but you also want to have something to attract a new and younger audience to the product as well. Unfortunately, Good Burger 2 doesn't do much of it that well. There are plenty of call backs to the original and cameos from returning characters but that's not enough to give fans that nostalgic feeling they're seeking out. New fans don't get much brought to the table either. Sure, there's new characters and the movie is set up for a more modern audience but in the end, it doesn't feel like there's enough here to attract a new audience.
The basic plot of Good Burger 2 is a similar set up as in the original. Ed and Dexter lose the ownership rights to Good Burger to a new company that wants to franchise out the restaurant and modernize it to the point of having no workers and everything being run by new technology. They band together with other members of the Good Burger team to try take down the new company and get their restaurant back. It is about as straightforward as the plot could be, it just feels like they could have done something more than what's put on the screen.
While a lot here isn't executed very well there is still a decent number of things to enjoy. Both Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell fall right back into their roles of Dexter and Ed, and they still have great chemistry like they did in the 90's. The rest of the cast is fine although they aren't given much to do. There is a never-ending number of cameos that feels like just a bit too many, however there are a few that are fun like seeing some returning faces from the previous movie. As far as the comedy goes it is very hit or miss but there are some genuine laughs to be had and the movie does have some great callbacks to the original.
Good Burger 2 more than likely won't attract too many new fans that didn't grow up with the original movie. If you did grow up with the original, this should be about what you'd expect from it. It is a mildly funny family movie that overdoes it with cameos and dumbs down the comedic elements a little too much to try and cater to a younger audience. All in all, it's worth a watch if you are a fan of the original but it is a very forgettable movie that won't leave much of an impression.
Rating: C
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