This sequel passes the health inspection.
Nickelodeon fans would remember these catchphrases. “Welcome to Good Burger, home of the Good Burger. Can I take your order?” or “I’m a Dude. He’s a dude. She’s a dude. Cuz we’re all dudes.” They would also remember that 1997 family hit “Good Burger” was inspired by the “All That” skit with Kel Mitchell playing Ed, the dumbest but most committed burger employee, and the movie collaborated him and his comedy partner Kenan Thompson. You know as in Kenan & Kel.
Years later, after getting a book sequel, and many, many teases about whether or not a “Good Burger 2” would happen, we finally got one made for Paramount+. I prefer the original film, because the humor here tends to be in the forced tradition of “Dumb and Dumber To,” but there’s still some good nostalgia in for Nick fans of any generation to be involved. It likes to add some orange soda in the mix, cameos (with “All That regulars Josh Server and Lori Beth Denberg and new faces like Pete Davidson, Liza Koshy, and Leslie Jones, etc.), and it is nice to see Kenan & Kel back in their territories.
Years after working at Good Burger, Thompson’s character Dexter is an inventor, who gambled his families’ money on what was supposed to be a fireproof spray, and ultimately burned down his own house in front of his investors. Now, his only hope is to reunite with Ed and work at the burger joint, which is facing some new problems.
His estranged niece Mia (Kamaia Fairburn), Ed’s family is just as dumb, but fast food nostalgic as he is, and a lawyer for the mega corporation “MegaCorp” (Lil Rel Howery) intends to turn Good Burger into a franchise. Dexter convinces Ed to make the deal, but it turns out to be a scam to fire al the human employees and replace them with Ed robots. And the head of MegaCorp (Julian Bell) is out for revenge on our heroes for putting her brother Kurt Boswell in jail. You know the megalomaniac who put illegal substances in his burgers.
I stick to the classics, and I was embarrassed by how Dexter has to put syrup on his face (because Ed is serving pancakes for breakfast and he thought it was bathroom soap) and how the villain has to get covered in mustard and ketchup. But there are kids and Nick fans who need to see some old friends getting back in business. I met Kel Mitchell a few years ago, and I thanked him for making my childhood awesome. I was talking, of course, about the show “Kenan & Kel,” when he thought he could rub icicles to start a fire or did an orange soda rap. And back in the role of Ed, he seems to be enjoying himself in his mid40s.
Is “Good Burger 2” a stupid movie? Yes, it is. But it isn’t made by stupid people. It’s made by fun people who need a good burger every now and then. Pun intended. And plus, we’re all dudes. So, why not give it a shot for nostalgia sake?
Streaming on Paramount+
