One out of
Five stars
Running time:
107 words
The world's least funny comedian returns in this lazily written, pointless and painfully laugh-free threequel to the Big Momma's House franchise that should be avoided at all costs.
What's it all about?
Directed by John Whitesell (who also directed - yes! - Big Momma's House 2), Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son is the third installment in the Big Momma series, where Martin Lawrence reprises his role as fat-suit-loving FBI agent Malcolm Turner (no relation), and trys to persuade his 17 year-old son Trent (Brandon T. Jackson, 27 and looking it) to postpone his dreams of rap stardom and go to college instead.
However, when Trent witnesses a murder, Malcolm enrolls him in an all-girl performing arts school and the pair don fat suits and dress up as women – Malcom as house mother Big Momma (any excuse, basically) and Trent as chunky student Charmaine – in order to a) hide from the killer (Scotland's own Tony Curran – Russian thugs a speciality) and b) ascertain the whereabouts of a flash drive conveniently stashed in the school by a snitch. Meanwhile, Trent falls for music-loving fellow student Haley (Jessica Lucas), while Malcolm has his hands full fending off the attentions of hulking janitor Kurtis Kool (Faizon Love).
The Bad
The best thing you can say about Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son is that at least it's not as bad as Big Momma's House 2. That said, Lawrence is as charisma-free as ever and Jackson seems constantly panicked, like he's trying way too hard in each scene and over-doing it as a result.
The script is shockingly lazy, even by the atrociously low standards of its own franchise – the supporting characters are paper-thin stereotypes and the humour never rises above the level of fat-suit-based humour (Big Momma dancing, Big Momma playing Twister with a fat man, etc). There's also a baffling scene where Big Momma poses nude for a life-drawing class and everyone reacts like she's real – surely no fat-suit in the world is that realistic?
The Worse
This is the sort of film where you end up feeling desperately sorry for the supporting cast, particularly Ugly Betty's Ana Ortiz, Doctor Who's Tony Curran (he played Van Gogh) and Youth In Revolt's Portia Doubleday. There's also an offensive streak of leery sexism running through the whole film, with Trent exclaiming “Daaaamn,” every time he spots a scantily-clad young lady.
Worth seeing?
This is an exceptionally tedious, frequently flat-out boring comedy with lazy plotting, irritating characters and desperately unfunny fat-suit jokes. One to avoid.