In 10 Words or Less
Jimmy's back...as long as the check clears.

The Movie
There should be a section at Blockbuster for sequels no one asked for. There you could find, among many others, Grease 2, Look Who's Talking, Too and The Whole Ten Yards. Sure, The Whole Nine Yards did good business, taking in twice its budget at the box office, but $57 million does not exactly make it a huge movie, certainly not one that had a big audience waiting to spend another $10 on a Bruce Willis/Matthew Perry collaboration. Especially when everyone will want a raise to make the sequel, effectively eliminating any chance for a profit.

But, with money handed out, and with no real plot motivation, most of the cast (minus Michael Clarke Duncan amd Rosanna Arquette) returned to go through the motions. This time around, Jimmy the Tulip (Willis) is a househusband in Mexico with former dental hygenist Jill (Amanda Peet), who is now a rookie assassin. Meanwhile, Oz (Perry) is living with his new wife, Jimmy's ex-wife Cynthia (Natasha Henstridge), that is, until the Mafia kidnaps her. The father of Jimmy's old rival, Lazlo (Kevin Pollack, returning, as the father of his Nine Yards character) is behind the kidnapping, which is why, when Oz asks for help, Jimmy's willing to give it.

OK...the plot, slim as it is, is out there, so now, we have the skeleton onto which creator/writer Mitchell Kapner and new director Howard Deutch (Grumpier Old Men), who replaced the original's Jonathan Lynn, hang a series of slapstick moments and the bad performances they inspire. Anyone who saw the first film would recognize the limited potential of the characters, and be happy they got one entire entertaining film out of them. But, alas, films are made in Hollywood, and there, limits are only placed on creativity.

There are some moments that will elicit chuckles, if only because of the comic ability of Willis, Perry and Peet. And then, there are moments, mostly involving Pollack's B-movie character, that will make you wonder how this movie got past the first day of shooting without production being shut down. Pollack's Lazlo is like a high-school play version of Johnny Dangerously's Roman Moronie, and his henchmen wouldn't be out of place on the old "Batman" TV show.

Too often, it feels like the script is being weird simply for the purpose of being weird, especially when it comes to Willis' character. The dialogue is contrived, yet the rest of the film isn't odd enough to make it work as some sort of surreal reality. Yet, despite the very uneven nature of the film, this movie will hold up to one viewing if you enjoyed the first go-round. Just go in with lower expectations that you might have for a sequel to a good film like The Whole Nine Yards.

The DVD
The Whole Ten Yards arrives on DVD in either anamorphic widescreen or full-screen, with English and French 5.1 soundtracks. Sadly, for my review, I received the 4:3 version, though, oddly, the menus are in widescreen. Subtitles are available in English, Spanish and French. A small selection of extras is included, along with screen selection. Hopefully, this is one of the last films sold in a snapper case. The case has the scene selections printed on the inside.

The Quality
I wish I had received the widescreen version of this film, but the full-screen video is clear and colorful, with accurate fleshtones and deep blacks. For the most part, the framing and cinematogtaphy works, as the director and DP didn't take much advantage of the 1.85:1 frame. During interior scenes, more grain is evident, while exterior shots are clean.

The DVD's 5.1 track works well, with good bass on the film's many gun shots and doorslams, which are spread out among the sides and rear speakers. The music beds bleed from the center channel to the surrounds, giving the soundtrack depth, while the dialogue is locked in on the center channel. This is a pretty active track for a comedy.

The Extras
I tend to believe that the DVD presentation a film receives is a good indicator of what the studio thinks of the movie. If, in fact, that is the case, Warner Brothers isn't a big The Whole Ten Yards fan. All you get with this movie is the theatrical trailer and a commentary with Deutch and screenwriter George Gallo. The commentary is unique in that the two creators don't seem to understand how bad the movie is. They congratulate themselves on everything that didn't work, and lavish such praise on Pollack's bad performance that you have to wonder if they were clutching checks from him while recording. Alternating between self-glorifying and self-depricating, the track holds a special bonus for anyone with aspirations to work in films. Listening to descriptions of the lack of care that went into the making of The Whole Ten Yards will break the heart of anyone truly creative. Of course, you'll have time to compose yourself during the lengthy pauses.

The Bottom Line
The good transfer and quality soundtrack this DVD delivers are more than this film deserved. But since Warner Brothers provided them, and their are some moments of enjoyment found in this underwhelming film, you might want to give this a rent, especially if you were a fan of the first film or the three big stars. Otherwise, you'll come up empty here.

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*The Reviewer's Bias section is an attempt to help readers use the review to its best effect. By knowing where the reviewer's biases lie on the film's subject matter, one can read the review with the right mindset.