Is rehabilitation something we believe in? Unfortunately, the passion that made President Trump is similar to one that coincides with “Lock ‘em up and throw away the key.” We are a mean people. We believe in punishment, punishment, punishment (well, except for powerful people, of course; they’re free to do whatever they like). I bet if you quizzed your average American on the purpose of prison, rehabilitation would barely register.
I believe in rehabilitation. I’m not sure we go about it the right way … and I’m not even sure it is possible on more than a micro scale, especially the way American incarceration facilities are run. Yet, some part of me realizes that people change and we should allow them to change into something better, if they are capable. Hence, I quite like the premise of The Bad Guys 2. This film is all about rehabilitation (if in simplified and fairy-tale form, that is).
The films reminds us immediately that Wolf (voice of Sam Rockwell), Tarantula (Awkwafina), Piranha (Anthony Ramos), Snake (Mark Maron), and Shark (Craig Robinson) all used to be bad guys. They looted at will, created mayhem, and enjoyed every second of it.
Then they went honest. They went to jail. They got out. And now their lives suck.
Wolf applies for a job at a bank he robbed three times. Oh, you’re getting off easy, buddy. I mean, Wolf got a face-to-face interview! Some of us have never been to jail and the best we can merit is being denied over the phone. Much more often than that, you get ghosted, especially in this Trump economy.
Desperate for anything, Wolf and pals offer to catch The Phantom Bandit, a thief who is calling attention to The Bad Guys with a similar M.O. The police commissioner (Alex Borstein) accepts the help and soon the entire gang has been able to anticipate the next robbery … this is, of course, when all Hell breaks loose.
There are several things to like about this film. First off, I love that the prize being sought is “MacGuffinite,” an in-joke for any cinephile. Yeah, ok. It’s not quite a Pulp Fiction homage, but it 
will do. I’m also much in favor of the female empowerment in this picture. Both the most powerful law enforcers and the most powerful villains in the picture are all female roles. In fact, The Bad Guys themselves (four men and a woman) are often rendered helpless by the females in this picture. Believe me, this is a relief for a cartoon world clearly still dominated by male roles. I also enjoyed both cartoon romances in the film – the first between Wolf and Governor Diane Foxington (Zazie Beetz), and a bizarre quasi femme fatale romance involving Snake. I can’t give away the datils on that one.
I’m not sure this film is quite as clever as the original, but it did not lack for trying. And in the end, it questions all children willing to watch: “What is prison for?” We can see Wolf is now good; does he deserve deportation to El Salvador or Alligator Alcatraz? Seriously, have this discussion with your child. If they watch this picture and come away with the idea that Wolf is good, follow up with a question of what is the correct ending for Wolf? Because I’m pretty sure they won’t say “yes” to the first and then conclude with being locked up for life. That, my friends, is a mindset only compatible with MAGA.
Five ex-cons out on parole
Try to atone for all that they stole
But society is bitter
Encouraging a quitter
Making honesty the loftiest goal
Rated PG, 104 Minutes
Director: Pierre Perifel, JP Sans (JP sans what? Another “P?”)
Writer: Yoni Brenner, Etan Cohen, Aaron Blabey
Genre: Crime?
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Kids with a sense of fairness
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: People who wonder why we are rooting for (former) bad guys
