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REVIEW ROUNDUP: Kevin James Returns in PAUL BLART: MALL COP 2

By: Apr. 17, 2015
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Kevin James reprises his role as everyone's favorite security guard in PAUL BLART: MALL COP 2. The film was co-written by James and Nick Bakay.

The this kid friendly follow-up to 2009's PAUL BLART: MALL COP, we re-join Paul as he takes a vacation to Las Vegas with his daughter for a security expo. But Paul cannot enjoy himself for long; he finds himself in the midst of a heist, and it's up to Paul to catch the crooks and bring justice once again.

PAUL BLART: MALL COP 2 stars Kevin James, Neal McDonough, Daniella Alonso, Raini Rodriguez, and David Henrie.

Let's see what the critics had to say!

Justin Chang, Variety: James and Rodriguez have an appreciably sweet father-daughter rapport, and the drama of whether or not Maya should go to UCLA (which is basically held up here as the Wynn Las Vegas & Encore Resort of universities) helps tether the movie to a somewhat recognizable reality. But James - an inherently likable screen presence who, even without the "Paul Blart" movies, would have far too much Adam Sandler-produced crap on his resume ("Zookeeper," "Grown Ups," "Grown Ups 2″) - deserves a much better signature role than the one he's written for himself.

Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter: While the original was no classic, it had a few mild laughs and the plus-sized actor displayed a certain buffoonish charm. Such is not the case with this painfully unfunny, slapdash follow-up in which the title character is so relentlessly obnoxious that you'll be cheering for the villains.

Sara Stewart, New York Post: ...this wisp of a plot is just an excuse for James to do his one trick over and over: Bluster, then screw up humiliatingly. Is it never funny? No, it's not never funny. It's just not funny nearly often enough.

Robbie Collin, Telegraph: It's not that the film is particularly loathsome, or that Blart is an overweeningly horrible character. What rankles is that he's barely anything at all; a stereotype of a stereotype; a half-remembered punchline; a stomach with a moustache and wheels.

Tom Huddleston, Time Out London: Given that it comes courtesy of Adam Sandler's production company Happy Madison...it's no surprise that 'Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2' is a lazy, witless, laugh-free experience. But even by their standards, this is a slog to sit through, so glacially paced that at times it achieves an almost zen-like level of anti-comedy.

Donald Clarke, Irish Times: It's not just that Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 fails to be funny. The film is so mordantly witless that it takes on the quality of a bleak art-house tragedy.

Chris Bumbray, JoBlo: Obviously PAUL BLART: MALL COP 2 is a disaster, but I'm sure really (really) young kids may like it when it hits Netflix, even though it'll drive their parents crazy.

Mark Harrison, Den of Geek: Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 isn't rude like Adam Sandler's movies invariably are, but it's definitely about as funny as anything you expect from the Happy Madison label currently.

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