Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son





Directed By: John Whitesell

Starring: Martin Lawrence and Brandon T. Jackson

Some movies are so bad that they're fun to watch.  I know going into them that they'll absolutely suck, so I have a few drinks beforehand and have a good time watching them.  Any time Martin Lawrence decides to put on a fat suit and channel his inner Big Momma, I know I'm in for a bad movie.  Only the original film was anywhere near decent.  For Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son, I liquored up, and I didn't regret it.

FBI agent Malcolm Turner (Lawrence) has just learned the good news that his stepson Trent (Jackson) has been admitted to Duke University.  There's only one problem.  Trent, who also goes by the moniker "Prodigy", has just been offered a recording contract that will jumpstart his career as a rapper.  Trent could care less about college, but he needs his stepfather to sign that recording contract since he's still a minor.  Malcolm naturally says no.  Trent then decides to follow his stepfather and plead with him some more.  There's just one tiny issue.  He actually ends up following Malcolm during a live FBI operation.

Malcolm's operation is an effort to take down the notorious criminal Chirkoff (Tony Curran).  He uses an informant to deliver an empty flash drive to Chirkoff.  The drive is actually supposed to be loaded with lots of incriminating information Chirkoff doesn't want anyone else to get their hands on.  The real drive is actually not there on the scene.  It was hidden by the informant at some girls’ school nearby.  Trent naturally proceeds to disrupt the mission and also witnesses a murder committed by Chirkoff along the way.  Now, Chirkoff wants Trent dead.  Malcolm and Trent have to go into hiding, and Malcolm has an idea that will help him protect his stepson and recover the real flash drive.  Big Momma and her grandniece Charmaine enroll in the Georgie Girls School for the Arts.  It's the perfect place to hide from Chirkoff, and it just happens to be where the drive is hidden.  While Malcolm/Big Momma searches for the drive, Trent/Charmaine needs to control himself around hundreds of beautiful girls.

Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son is clearly just a paycheck for Martin Lawrence.  Both Lawrence and the filmmakers know that the concept of the Bad Boys star getting down as Big Momma has run its course.  Big Momma is certainly pulling the same crap in 2011 as she did back in the day.  With that in mind, they bring in Brandon T. Jackson and throw him in a girls' school.  If this were not a desperate move to freshen up a dead franchise, I would give the filmmakers some points for creativity.  As it stands, I can see right through this crap, and this move doesn't help the film at all when it comes to the Sobriety Test.

The reason for which I was clearly able to see through this desperate attempt to refresh the series is that Brandon T. Jackson's Trent is annoying as hell.  It's not Jackson's fault.  Blame the screenwriters for this irritating boy.  Every choice this kid makes is freaking stupid.  His rap game isn't that tight.  His impulses jeopardize the lives of his friends and loved ones.  His costume is totally horrible and utterly unbelievable.  If you can't tell he's a man, there's something wrong with you.  Girls stuck at an all-girls school should instantly sense the testosterone.  The same can be said for Malcolm as Big Momma.  They need to retire those fat suits for good.

Despite its many problems, I found myself enjoying Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son.  Granted, I had a little liquid inspiration that loosened me up and allowed me to enjoy this bad movie.  Get wasted with some Jäger Bombs for Big Momma's third outing.