Big Momma’s House II

Martin Lawrence returns as FBI agent Malcolm Turner, supposedly working in public relations now that he’s married and his wife (Nia Long) is pregnant—but when his former partner is murdered in an undercover sting, he goes back into disguise as Big Momma again, posing as a nanny in the suspect’s house. Writer Don Rhymer and director John Whitesell take it for granted that we’re so eager to see Lawrence in his fat-lady drag again that we’ll go along with any old excuse to get him there. As a result, they don’t bother coming up with a believable story—or even a convincing makeup job for Lawrence. Lawrence has his moments, mostly when he’s not dressed up as Big Momma; he’s progressed to the point where he deserves a better vehicle than this. Long is wasted, appearing in only a handful of scenes.