Someone talked about The Distinguished Gentleman 2, with Eddie Murphy. I actually liked it better than the first one, but that's just me
Speaking of which, I'm surprised no one has mentioned
Goodfellas: Part 2.
I never understood why the set looked that cheap and so much more like Detroit than an Eastern seaboard city, though doing some research I've found that the budget was slashed and they had to shoot in Michigan which had rather generous fiscal incentives. I know Michigan had tons of money to spend in the 90s, but there's a fine line between "spend" and "waste". Like, spending on schools and wasting in a tasteless, unoriginal rehash of a movie. (Sometimes you can see the Renaissance Center)
Joe Pesci was simply pathetic, though I feel sorry for him because he didn't have much choice; the scriptwriter simply retconned his character back into existence, and he had a contact, so he had to come back. He is pretty much a caricature of the original character.
Having a CGI-generated Robert de Niro voiced by John Goodman after the former quit production was also pretty dumb, if only because it becomes obvious(and sometimes hilarious) that they're just reusing the same frames. Also it got them sued like hell because De Niro hadn't agreed. Of course he had to get into the line because three scriptwriters were already suing. This got so controversial it actually started a minor strike by the SWG, which then turned into the Screen Writer's Strike of 1999-2001. Saying the movie industry still isn't the same as before the strike isn't an exaggeration.
But the stupid cameos by Shaquille O'Neal, NSYNC, a young Eminem and Mikhail Gorbatchev as a russian gangster is what killed it to me. I have something to say to whoever wrote those scenes: a cameo ISN'T A FIVE MINUTE SCENE!
There are, I must say, one or two redeeming elements: The soundtrack isn't all that bad, getting the best out of 90's rap, and the Rap-remix of 99 Luftballons isn't half bad, though I expected more, coming from Michael Jackson. The twist ending is ridiculous, but at least enjoyably so(In case you don't know it, it goes like this:
Michael Douglas' character(you know, the irishman in a fat suit) is actually Ray Liotta's father, and Lori Petty was actually his daughter, which makes them brothers and explains why he tried to murder Liotta for that but just couldn't. He was his son, after all)
All in all, a ridiculous mess, and unfortunately Pesci's career never quite recovered, as we see from him participating in The Distinguished Gentleman 2, or the Mirror's Edge adaptation.
