The Stream: Predictable and slightly more annoying than the first movie

The Big Screen: Good action and solid laughs from this big cast

The Final Bill: On par with it’s predecessor, laughs and action will keep you entertained for a while

– S2S: Movie Review
Director: Patrick Hughes
Writers: Tom O’Connor (screenplay), Brandon Murphy (screenplay) | 3 more credits
Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Salma Hayek | See full cast & crew 
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime 
Rating: R (Strong Language, Violence)
Runtime: 1 hour 34 minutes
Production Companies: Lionsgate, Millennium Media, Summit Entertainment, Above the Line Set Assistance & Security, Campbell Grobman Films
Platform: Released June 16, 2021

Welcome, welcome, welcome… back to Stream to Big Screen – where movie reviews come to entertain but sequels can’t promise you the same. This week released in theaters was The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, which is the sequel to a movie that I won’t call anyone’s favorite. Of course it follows, The Hitman’s Bodyguard to which I gave a review on Facebook years ago that said: “…..6.9… While entertaining… Wait for tv…. Definitely don’t take children to it. Couldn’t be any more predictable of a movie. I will say it was funny and action filled though.” Let’s see how it’s sequel fared.

If you haven’t seen the first film, it’s not a must in order to watch this movie. But let’s refresh you on what this movie is about. the official synopsis from Lionsgate goes as follows: “The world’s most lethal odd couple – bodyguard Michael Bryce (Ryan Reynolds) and hitman Darius Kincaid (Samuel L. Jackson) – are back on another life-threatening mission. Still unlicensed and under scrutiny, Bryce is forced into action by Darius’s even more volatile wife, the infamous international con artist Sonia Kincaid (Salma Hayek). As Bryce is driven over the edge by his two most dangerous protectees, the trio get in over their heads in a global plot and soon find that they are all that stand between Europe and a vengeful and powerful madman.” To add to that a couple others join into the fight and they may even catch you off-guard, *giggles* get it… off guard. I digress.

First, this is simple. The review for the movie remains the same. The movie is funny at times and filled with action. Do not take children to this movie if you wish them to behave in the future. The movie has some very predictable moments, with one or two moments of surprise. It can be entertaining and annoying literally all in the same scene. This frenemy situation, here, gets deeper in this flick. Reynolds and Jackson are a pretty good pairing and reminds me of more annoying/slightly less funny version of Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson, even though I feel Reynolds got more annoying in this go around than last. Once you add Salma into the mix, then you get a nice, wildcard actress that at times can be as funny as she is attractive. Do they force some of her humor in the writing? Of course. Is some of it just repeat jokes that you saw coming from a mile away, or don’t fit the scene? Yes. Either way, she hits her lines and emotions hard and it can be very enjoyable. In fact, the cast as a whole hit’s their marks pretty well (see what I did there). From Morgan Freeman to Antonio Banderas, Tom Hopper to Frank Grillo, everyone hits their role pretty well, which just tells me the writing just wasn’t that good overall.

Nevertheless, the movie highlights an important topic in society that is kept taboo or unspoken unless you’re actively dealing with the situation, family infertility. Sonia, on her quest to become a “good mother”, which I think the movie solidifies would not be optimal, is on hold. For a movie that is heavy with violence and sarcastic humor, it takes a sincere dive into this topic even if it only scratches the surface. It’s an interesting mixture for this film that is definitely pegged as an action comedy but highlights a brutal topic for couples to talk about in daily life.

In the end, Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard does exactly what its predecessor did. It entertains with some crass sarcastic humor, graphic action sequences, and somehow nurtures an important topic of conversation. The movie has hits and misses along the way but overall you’ll be entertained. This is absolutely a movie you can watch on tv on a boring Sunday afternoon but you won’t be mad at a matinee price and a bowl of popcorn to boot.