Movie Review: Cars 2

Cars 2 (2011) 

Directed by John Lasseter 

Written by Ben Queen

Starring Larry the Cable Guy, Owen Wilson, Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer

Release Date June 24th, 2011 

Published June 24th, 2011 

Tow Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) cannot wait for his pal Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) to return to their hometown, Radiator Springs. Mater has a whole summer of fun activities for the best friends to play with. However, when Lightning gets talked into entering a special series of global races their plans will be put on hold while they make new plans to travel the globe.

Leaving Radiator Springs for the first time leaves Mater in awe while his typical antics; those that might be charming back home, cause embarrassment for Lightning in front of his fellow race cars. Eventually, however the fish out of water plot is jettisoned for the real plot, a spy story ala Hitchcock, in which the innocent Mater is mistaken for an American super-spy by a pair of British spies, Finn MacMissile (Michael Caine) and Holly Shiftwell (Emily Mortimer).

Mater, Tow Mater

According to the Brits some super-villain is trying to destroy the market for a new kind of alternative fuel that's being used in Lightning's race and to do so the bad guys are targeting the race cars. It will be up to Mater and the Brit spy cars to stop them.

Under normal circumstances, outside of the world of "Cars," I am no fan of Larry the Cable Guy; I find his redneck shtick grating. However, in the role of Mater, Larry is truly amazing. Larry finds a note in Mater's voice that is pitched perfect. Earnest and honest, hopeful and well meaning and when he's injured, Mater's voice takes on a childlike innocence that is honestly poignant.

That's Funny Right There

Oh, and Mater's pretty funny too. A scene in the men's room of the Tokyo race course that could have been a disastrous bit of bathroom humor becomes honestly, outrageously funny for the clever responses of Larry/Mater to the odd, shall we say, 'customs' of this particularly foreign bathroom.

Is "Cars 2" as good as the original "Cars?" No, the sequel lacks the grace notes of the original, mostly due to the lack of Paul Newman's authoritative voice as Doc Hudson. That said, "Cars 2" has its charms thanks to Mater and a really fun spy homage that runs the gamut from Austin Powers to Hitchcock (mistaken identity, a Hitch staple) to, of course, James Bond.

Too Many 'Car' Chases?

The plot lacks depth but it makes up for it by being exciting, if a tad repetitive. It sounds ridiculous to say that "Cars 2" has a few to many car chases but it actually does overdo it a bit on the number of times cars chase after each other through the foreign streets of Tokyo, Rome and London.

"Cars 2" may not rank among Pixar's finest, and it surely doesn't have the polish of the original, but it finds enough fun and adventure for me to recommend it for all audiences. Kids will love it and mom and dad won't be bored. By the way, be sure to show up on time at the theater; "Cars 2" is preceded by a "Toy Story" short film called "Hawaiian Vacation" that is rolling in the aisles funny. The "Toy Story" gang alone would be worth the price of a ticket to see "Cars 2," even at the 3D prices.