A regular family life and then still secret missions – a challenging mix: This was recently shown not only by Cameron Diaz, who even returned from acting retirement for the humorous Netflix actioner “Back In Action”, but also by Mark Wahlberg in “The Family Plan”, in which he had to defend himself against bad guys in the merciless “John Wick” style as a secret agent with a baby in front of his stomach. The reviews were poor with only a few exciting gags and a rather poor plot (we also gave it “only” a moderate 2.5 stars), but on Apple TV the action comedy, which was released just in time for Christmas in 2023, still became the most-watched film on the streaming platform up to that point.
That's why it's anything but surprising that Apple TV announced a sequel in October 2024, for which everyone central to the predecessor would be brought back on board – from director Simon Cellan Jones (“Arthur the Great”) to screenwriter David Coggeshall (“Prey”) and large parts of the cast. In “The Family Plan 2”, this continuity of personnel ensures consistency in the chaotic everyday life of the Morgan family – but the weaknesses of the first film could not be eliminated despite the events being relocated from the USA to London and Paris.
In the sequel, security expert Dan (Mark Wahlberg) ends up in London and Paris.
The Morgan family would love to just celebrate Christmas at home in Buffalo, New York. But because daughter Nina (Zoe Colletti) is now studying in London and father Dan (Mark Wahlberg) and his security company happen to get a job in the British metropolis, the holiday plans are quickly thrown out the window. But with peace and contemplation it probably wouldn't have come to anything anyway: Dan's half-brother Finn Clarke (Kit Harington), who has always been neglected, is after the fortune and power of their mafia father (Ciarán Hinds), who died in the finale of the previous film – and Dan and his family are standing in his way…
Tired clichés, semi-spectacular action
Right at the beginning, Dan climbs the facade of a hotel while talking on the phone with his elegantly dressed wife Jessica (Michelle Monaghan). Has she now also entered the espionage business? Far from it, the conspiratorial scenario instead turns out to be a long-planned romantic evening for two, which is suddenly interrupted by an urgent phone call. David Coggeshall's script is full of half-baked punchlines that rarely live up to their potential. This is particularly noticeable with Nina's shirtless boyfriend Omar (Reda Elazouar from the series “Sex Education”):
Initially good for a gag as an “intruder” showering in Nina's apartment, the hobby tracer from then on constantly calls Dan “Daddy” – which just seems very strange, but then again running gag not good at all. The appearance of Sidse Babett Knudsen (“Borgen – Dangerous Ropes”) as agent Svetlana Romanova, who provides temporary shelter for the Morgan family, is also wasted: with her strong accent, a penchant for hard liquor and her pride in her freshly cooked borscht, she gets stuck in tired Russia clichés.
After fighting with his father in the first part, Dan is now at odds with his half-brother (Kit Harington).
Half an hour of film passes before the first major action scene – and it turns out to be anything but spectacular, with a rather unimaginatively choreographed fight on the deck of a London double-decker bus. Much more successful is a chaotic chase in a Trabi, accompanied by driving beats, through the hilly artists' district of Montmartre past the Sacré-Cœur basilica, before the antique, gilded interior of a sophisticated Parisian villa is gleefully dismantled as numerous killers fight against the Morgans. Because of similar (tourist) locations including a more family-friendly variation of the “one man against a host of killers” scheme, the comparison to the virtuoso action capers in “John Wick: Chapter 4” (2023) is particularly obvious. But “The Family Plan 2” can never withstand that with its only semi-spectacular choreographies and a tough production with a lot of idle time.
At least all family members can use their skills, some of which were briefly teased in the first film, on their joint but rather unimaginative mission against Finn: Jessica draws on her experience as a college decathlete when she has to jump between widely spaced roofs – and Kyle (Van Crosby) competes with Luther Stickell from the “Mission: Impossible” film series with his hacking skills. A nice, even appropriately Christmas idea, even if the action-comedy scenario still lacks any real unique selling points.
Conclusion: A few pretty postcard views of Paris and London, but little else new from the Morgan family. As if it were staged with the handbrake on, “The Family Plan 2” once again lacks rousing esprit and brilliant gags.