THE SUTSTITUTE 2: SCHOOL'S OUT (1998)
Starring: Treat Williams (Carl Thomesson), Susan May Pratt (Anya), B.D. Wong (Warren Drummond), Michael Michelle (Kara), Angel David (Joey Six), Edoardo Ballerini (Danny)
Directed by: Steven Pearl, Written by: Roy Frumkes & Rocco Simonelli (who are probably really, really embarrassed)
Reviewed by Doug Skiles
It probably goes without saying that this "film" is a piece of frozen crap...
What do you expect when the biggest names in the movie are Treat Williams and B.D. Wong? Most people don't even know who Wong IS. He's probably best known for playing Howard Weinstein in FATHER OF THE BRIDE (1991) and FATHER OF THE BRIDE PART II (1995), or perhaps for his small role as Dr. Henry Wu in JURASSIC PARK (1993).
Treat Williams is a likable guy though. He always has a nice presence, and that presence is the only thing good in this movie. He doesn't even get to show much of it here. He was a lot more interesting in THE DEVIL'S WON (1997), THE PHANTOM (1996), THE LATE SHIFT (1996), and hell, he was even more interesting in DEEP RISING (1998). In this movie, he doesn't really get to show off his skills, and, as a result, he barely has more presence than he did in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980). That, of course, was the best film he's ever been in, and it's not saying much when his best role was an uncredited cameo.
For those who you didn't care - and who can blame you - THE SUBSTITUTE (1996) featured Tom Berenger and Ernie Hudson in a story of Berenger, who played John Shale, infiltrating a high school in Miami as a substitute to try to bring down the drug ring being run through the school and catch the men who assaulted his girlfriend, played by Diane Venora. A little personality from Berenger (far from the days of PLATOON (1986), a touch of charisma from Hudson (forever thought of by most moviegoers as "the fourth Ghostbuster"), and a mildly amusing plot pretty much carried the film - or tried, since it sure as hell wasn't carried very far. It was another example of an action film as strictly below-average entertainment. The movie tanked at the box office, and rightfully so. However, apparently it doesn't take much money to get Live Entertainment pleased enough to make a sequel, and here it is, appearing on HBO. It's a little questionable why they funded the original, and even more curious why in the hell they paid for this pile of cow droppings. Maybe they plan to continue the series endlessly, so that every actor who's left with nothing else to do can join in and kick around some gangs.
This time around, Carl wants revenge when his brother Randal (Christopher Cousins) is killed by gang members in New York City. So naturally, he travels to New York to track them down. Yawn.
Stuck at home with nothing interesting on TV on a Friday night, I got roped into watching this mindless sequel, and, upon seeing the name of the charasmatic Williams in the lead, had a blink of hope. No go. A couple of somewhat amusing scenes (such as Williams wielding a yo-yo as a weapon in a classroom) don't make up for a strong dose of unoriginality and a lot of boring action.
Incidentally, though this is supposed to be a sequel to THE SUBSTITUTE, the only character to return from the original is Joey Six, who has a larger role here, but still remains strictly a supporting player. Berenger and Verona's characters are only briefly mentioned. Six was played by Raymond Cruz in original, and is here replaced by Angel David, who is moderately likable, if nothing else. Cruz has since been seen in last November's excellent ALIEN RESURRECTION (1997).
In the end, the movie stays short, approximately 90 minutes, but it still isn't worth the time. Viewers who see THE SUBSTITUTE 2: SCHOOL'S OUT show up on HBO as they flip through the channels will do best to just keep on flippin'. I certainly hope that Live Entertainment isn't planning on subjecting anyone to THE SUBSTITUTE 3: THE LUNCHROOM with Tom Selleck, or some other such crap, any time soon.
Rating: 1/2 a star
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