Film Review: Nobody 2
Nobody Ruins His Vacation
INTRODUCTION
This is a quick review of the newly released film Nobody 2. Please note that this is just one of the many movies I will have watched each year, and my initial grade for this film may change over time, for better or worse. To stay up to date on my thoughts about other movies and any potential changes in my opinion on this one, follow me on Letterboxd.
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PLOT
Via Letterboxd: Suburban dad Hutch Mansell, a former lethal assassin, is pulled back into his violent past after thwarting a home invasion, setting off a chain of events that unravels secrets about his wife Becca’s past and his own.
REVIEW
After years of carving out his name as a comedic voice, Bob Odenkirk has steadily shifted into more dramatic work, as seen in his TV projects, proving just how versatile he can be. That pivot culminated in 2021 with Nobody, an original action-comedy that served as both a left-field career turn and a surprisingly effective showcase for Odenkirk as an everyman-turned-action-hero. I remember finding that first film to be tight and surprisingly fun; it never overstayed its welcome, clocking in at a breezy runtime and delivering exactly what it promised. Released at a time when theaters were still struggling to regain their footing during the pandemic, it managed to be a minor success, and in hindsight it feels almost inevitable that years later we’d eventually get Nobody 2.
This sequel brings back all the familiar faces - Connie Nielsen, Christopher Lloyd, RZA, though not everyone gets the same spotlight as before. Lloyd and RZA, for instance, feel a little more on the sidelines this time, while Nielsen and Hutch’s kids take a bigger role in the story. I thought that shift actually worked rather well, since it gave the film more of a natural sense of progression. We get to see Hutch’s world expand a little more, and we even get a little more insight into his marriage, which makes him feel even more grounded as a protagonist though there’s hints of a rather interesting background for Becca as well.
New additions to the cast include Sharon Stone, Colin Hanks, and John Ortiz. Hanks plays a corrupt police deputy, though I’ll admit I’m still not entirely sure if I bought him in that role. Ortiz, on the other hand, is great as a local sheriff who initially appears crooked but reveals more complexity as the story unfolds. The most divisive turn here will undoubtedly be Sharon Stone’s villain. She plays the crime boss and main antagonist with an unabashed sense of camp, unhinged attitude, and chews scenery with gusto. Depending on your taste, you’ll either love her exaggerated menace or find it distractingly cartoonish. Personally, I thought her performance fit the sequel’s more playful tone, and I almost wished the film leaned into her energy even more.
That tonal shift is probably the biggest difference from the first Nobody. Where the original carried a sharper edge and felt fresher as a concept, Nobody 2 falls into some of the usual sequel traps by recycling certain beats, leaning more on callbacks, and softening the grit in favor of broader comedy. It feels less “scrappy underdog” and more like a polished studio product. That said, the trade-off is some bigger, better action sequences, which deliver exactly the kind of visceral fun you want from a movie like this. Add in the more family-centered story angle and, once again, a banger of a soundtrack, and I found myself enjoying the ride even when the originality wasn’t all there.
At the end of the day, Nobody 2 doesn’t rewrite the rules or reinvent the wheel. Just like its predecessor, it’s a fast, tightly paced action-comedy that gets you in and out in under ninety minutes without ever dragging. It’s not aiming for thematic depth or groundbreaking ideas; it’s simply aiming to entertain, and for me it succeeds on that front. It just earns the same grade as the first film, B+.
GRADING
