Summary

Good Burger 2 is a fun nostalgia ride for fans of the original, capturing the same good-natured charm and chemistry between Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell. While the sequel leans heavily on nostalgia, particularly in the first half, Thompson and Mitchell’s Abbott & Costello-style riffing and Mitchell’s lovable portrayal of Ed make it a satisfying watch. Good Burger 2 adds new elements to the franchise, including the use of AI and automation, and brings in fresh characters, while still delivering the silly and charming humor that fans expect.

Belatedly arriving 26 years after its 1997 predecessor, Good Burger 2 positions itself as a fun nostalgia ride for fans of Nickelodeon’s signature All That sketch and the innate chemistry between Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell. Good Burger 2 has just as much good-natured, family-friendly charm as the original Good Burger, but it also leans a bit too heavily into the aforementioned nostalgia, particularly in its first half. However, Thompson and Mitchell’s famed Abbott & Costello-style riffing and Mitchell’s eternally endearing portrayal of Ed still make Good Burger 2 a largely satisfying Good Meal.

Twenty-six years after the original Good Burger, Dexter Reed (Thompson) has become a budding inventor and entrepreneur, but his latest failed endeavor ends up burning his house down with Dexter losing the support of his investors. Needing to get back on his feet, Dexter contacts his old friend and co-worker Ed (Mitchell), who happily welcomes Dexter into his home and sets him up with a job back at Good Burger, which Ed has since become the owner of. Dexter sees a big financial opportunity when MegaCorp lawyer Cecil McNevin (Lil Rel Howery) approaches him and Ed with an offer to franchise Good Burger nation-wide. However, Ed and Dexter discover the fine print a little too late when MegaCorp closes down Good Burger, planning to replace it and all its employees with fully automated robo-Eds under the new chain of Mega Good Burger, all as part of a revenge plot by MegaCorp’s CEO Katt Bozwell (Jillian Bell), the sister of Ed and Dexter’s old nemesis Kurt Bozwell (Jan Schweiterman).

Good Burger 2’s biggest strength — how perfectly it recreates the fun and humor of its predecessor — is also its biggest issue. In many ways, Good Burger 2 hits most of the same major beats of the first Good Burger, such as Dexter being a down-on-his-luck schemer looking to make a quick buck, Ed being an impossibly naive but ridiculously lovable goof who lends Dexter a helping hand, a rival burger chain threatening to put Good Burger out of business, and even a surprise Good Burger delivery to a major celebrity. Good Burger 2’s familiarity to fans of the original, Mitchell’s return in more recent All That sketches, as will cameos by Josh Server’s Fizz, Lori Beth Denberg”s Connie Muldoon, and the original Good Burger’s Shar Jackson (this time, as herself) will surely make them feel right at home, but the adherence to the original’s formula does make the sequel generally predictable.

The silly, charming fun of Good Burger 2 shows that the franchise is still a long way off from going into the grinder.

That’s not to say that Good Burger 2 brings nothing new to the dining table. There’s the hilarious touch of Ed being a father to half a dozen kids, all clad in Good Burger uniforms and donning their father’s signature braids; Ed’s family life also sets up a funny bait-and-switch cameo for the original Good Burger’s would-be seductress, Carmen Electra’s Roxanne. Dexter also has a family story of his own, with his failed business ventures having alienated him from his sister and his niece Mia (Kamaia Fairburn), the latter having become a Good Burger employee before Dexter’s return. In true Good Burger fashion, Ed and Dexter simultaneously haven’t changed a bit and have changed completely since the last time they were on shift.

Good Burger 2 ups the ante on the slapstick and cartoonishness of the first Good Burger — it’s just enough to keep its humor fresh without going overboard. As with the original, Thompson and Mitchell are what make the premise work. Kenan Thompson has refined his deadpan sense of humor greatly in the time between the first Good Burger and his graduation from All That to Saturday Night Live, with his returning Dexter a more confident and less Machiavellian plotter who genuinely values Ed’s friendship and his relationship with his family. Kel Mitchell, meanwhile, hasn’t lost a step with his signature character in the least. Mitchell’s impossible cheerfulness and fun-loving personality alone make Good Burger 2 worth the wait, his Ed still screwing up customers’ orders in the most farcical ways possible. Ed’s relationship with his son Ed 2 (Alex R. Hibbert) also adds to the charm of Good Burger 2, with Ed showing the up-and-coming Good Burger employee the ropes in every comedic way he can.

Aside from its expected comedic hijinks, Good Burger 2 is also on topic regarding the use of A.I. and automation being key elements of Mega Good Burger’s business model. Good Burger 2 has some surprisingly relevant (if not exactly subtle) points to make about robotics and automation potentially replacing human workers in the service industry, most made by Mitchell’s Ed. Naturally, Ed and robo-Ed alike get their thoughts on the matter across in ways that are both convincing and fittingly hilarious.

Good Burger 2 does what every legacy sequel sets out to do — it gives its audience a warm feeling of nostalgia while bringing new characters and concepts into the mix. The film largely succeeds as a goofy family-friendly romp just in time for the holiday season. Admittedly, Good Burger 2 does hew a bit too closely to the basic story structure and overall template of the first Good Burger. In the end, the silly, charming fun of Good Burger 2 shows that the franchise is still a long way off from going into the grinder.

Good Burger 2 is now streaming on Paramount+. The film is 90 minutes long and rated TV-PG.

Good Burger 2 Release Date: 2023-11-22 Director: Phil Traill Cast: Kenan Thompson, Kel Mitchell, Jillian Bell, Lil Rel Howery, Alex R. Hibbert, Josh Server, Lori Beth Denberg Rating: TV-PG Runtime: 106 Minutes Genres: Comedy Writers: Kevin Kopelow, Heath Seifert, James III Studio(s): Nickelodeon Movies, Awesomeness Films Distributor(s): Paramount+ prequel(s): Good Burger