Bob Odenkirk is well known for his comedic talents, be that on some of the best sketch comedy shows of all time (he’s been involved in several) or as the slippery attorney Saul Goodman on Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. However, in 2021, we saw a different side of the actor when he turned into an ass-kicking assassin in Nobody. Four years later, he’s back for the sequel Nobody 2, which hits theaters on August 15, and while the critics aren’t all in agreement, the consensus is leaning in one direction.
In addition to Bob Odenkirk, Nobody 2 returns many cast members from the first movie, including Connie Nielsen, RZA, Colin Salmon, Gage Munroe, Paisley Cadorath and Christopher Lloyd. New to the cast are John Ortiz, Colin Hanks and Sharon Stone in villainous roles.
CinemaBlend And Others Have No Fun At Nobody 2
While our own Eric Eisenberg picked this movie as one of this year’s flicks to absolutely see in theaters, this ended up being a disappointment. In CinemaBlend’s review of Nobody 2, Eisenberg says Odenkirk’s Hutch is unlikeable and hard to root for, and the plot leaves much to be desired. He rates it a 1.5 out of 5, writing:
It’s made exceptionally clear throughout the brisk 89 minute runtime that Nobody 2 is not a film meant to be taken too seriously (best exemplified in the ludicrous scenery-chewing done by Sharon Stone in her weirdly truncated, one-note performance as the main baddie). But just because a movie is silly doesn’t automatically make it fun, and I definitely didn’t have any fun. It does a lot of what its predecessor did, only worse, and without even being able to activate the well-established charms of Bob Odenkirk, it’s a bad time at the movies.
Mark Kennedy of the AP agrees, giving Nobody 2 just 1 star out of 4 as it hits the 2025 movie calendar. The critic begs, “Somebody, anybody, should drag Odenkirk away from this nobody franchise,” continuing:
Bob Odenkirk makes another awkward stab as an assassin-turned-nice-guy in a sequel that still isn’t funny or stylish enough to be anything but ‘John Wick Lite.’ … ‘You need to have happy memories,’ [Hutch] tells his wife and kids. Unfortunately, no one in the theater will have a happy memory — or maybe even recall that they saw this C-level offering — by the time it’s over, mercifully after less than 90 minutes.
These critics may not have had any fun at the theater, but others found plenty to like.
The Majority Of Critics Find Nobody 2 A Ridiculous And Joyful Summer Flick
Of the 91 critics who posted to Rotten Tomatoes, 84% give Nobody 2 favorable marks, and that includes William Bibbiani of The Wrap, who finds glee in the elaborately choreographed violence. The critic compares the film to National Lampoon’s Vacation, only if Chevy Chase were a mass murderer, saying it’s as awesome as that sounds. Bibbiani continues:
The sequel even goes a long way towards retroactively improving the first Nobody, since it solidifies that the Mansells didn’t solve all their problems with violence. Violence will always be their problem. Whether they’re attacked by the mob or inconvenienced at a grocery store, Hutch will always struggle to keep his work life separate from his home. As long as the cast stays this committed and the writers don’t lose track of that inner conflict, this great sequel could have plenty of great sequels of its own.
Owen Gleiberman of Variety also is able to suspend reality long enough to recognize the upcoming action movie for what he says it is — ridiculous and “preposterously vicious” fun. Nobody 2 is even more heightened than the original, Gleiberman says, writing:
That someone this nerdish could be this much of a secret badass is the joke of the Nobody films, and it’s also what makes them down-and-dirty comic-book fun. Odenkirk comes on like one of those Jekyll-and-Hyde quality-TV heroes crossed with every Sly/Arnold/Bruce Willis/John Wick avenger you’ve ever seen. If that sounds hopelessly gimmicky, maybe it is, but it’s a testament to Odenkirk’s skill as an actor that he makes us buy this cartoon duality.
Eric Goldman of IGN, meanwhile, rates it a “Good” 7 out of 10, saying it’s not quite as strong as the first but still consistently reminds audiences how much fun it is to watch Bob Odenkirk unleash the action hero few expected he had within him. The critic continues:
As is expected from a sequel to a surprise action-comedy hit, Bob Odenkirk’s second round of ass-kicking gets a bit more goofy than the first film, in the process losing some of the charm of the original’s more grounded look at an assassin now living as a suburbanite. But Odenkirk’s commitment to the role and director Timo Tjahjanto’s flourishes make this an entertaining sequel that proves that there is a lot of joy to still be found in watching a legendary comedian turn into a one-man army when he’s pushed too far.
Which of the above critics will you side with? There’s only one way to find out. Nobody 2 hits the big screen on Friday, August 15.
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