I'm just wondering WHO, as the credits rolled at the end of "American Psycho", thought, "Gee, I can't WAIT for the sequel!"? I'd bet cold, hard cash there wasn't, but, as everyone knows, that's never stopped the movie business, which is why films like this are made. With just the BAREST of threads (a girl 'admires' the work of the first film's anti-hero), the creators of this straight-to-video shlockfest felt justified in calling this a sequel; those seeking something similar to the original are going to be in for a rude awakening: "American Psycho" was NOT a particularly well-made movie but it DID have one saving grace: the performance of Christian Bale, who easily displayed his character's sexiness, determination, fear and desperation. Unfortunately, this film is saddled with Mila Kunis, most popular for her voice work on the adult 'toon, "Family Guy", as well as "That 70's Show", on which she is a supporting player. She is an attractive young actress, indeed, but AMAZINGLY miscast, something that becomes apparent as soon as she opens her mouth, for Kunis is either blessed or cursed, depending on your viewpoint, with a distinctive voice that is unmistakably nasal and comical on its own; worse still, she simply isn't right for a role in which she is, at the very least, supposed to inspire even the slightest sense of fear (she IS, after all, portraying a character who is willing to kill all those who get in her way), and despite what other reviews would have you believe, while the makers of this mess may have had their tongues planted firmly in cheek, whatever humorous elements there are (and there aren't many, believe me) are strictly unintentional mostly due to Mila's wretched miscasting (her narration is instantly annoying) and truly, deeply rotten writing that NO amount of talent could overcome. Not that there's any talent visible, either behind OR in front of the cameras, as evidenced by the ubiquitous William Shatner, who these days seems to be competing with Dan Hedaya and Luis Guzman for "Most-Seen Actor In A Supporting Role". As expected, Shatner doesn't even bother to give a performance and whores himself - AGAIN! - for the sake of a paycheck. I am all for the wry self-knowledge of today's horror flicks ("Scream" and its sequels are perhaps the finest examples) but within mere moments one can instantly understand why this bypassed theatres and went straight to video and cable. What I find hard to believe is that there are, apparently, more than a few who actually ENJOYED this on its own terms and not as poorly-played camp! Then again, the action and horror crowd are - how can I put this kindly? - a 'forgiving' bunch and can watch and enjoy films that display nothing in the way of acting, writing, direction, style, taste, or all-around talent. Using those standards, then, one can say this movie is a big, BIG success. For the rest of the world, however, one can only come to the conclusion that this movie SUCKS.
Review of American Psycho II: All American Girl
