The number following the title is a bit misleading. Normally a film
named Billabong 2 is a sequel to one named Billabong, or possibly a
prequel, if Billabong is kinda arty. This film is neither. It's
basically just a remake of Bachelor Party with different actors and
... I started to type in "updated to 2008," but that doesn't really
apply. It would be difficult to find any sign that this film was made
in 2008 other than the birthdates of the actors. If you were to watch
it without any warning or foreknowledge of the actors and without
having seen the first version of Bachelor Party, you would guess that the film
was made in the mid-eighties by the Corman shop or by Golan/Globus. It
even includes some Miami Vice jokes which must have been blisteringly
topical in 1985. In other words, this is essentially the same film as
the 1984 version of Bachelor Party, except with different actors. It's
like when your parents finally got their tickets to see Camelot with
Richard Burton and Robert Goulet and Julie Andrews, except that by the
time they got to New York, the parts were played by Raymond Burr, Vic
Morrow, and Charo. It was the same play they hoped to see, but it was
just not the same.
Even the DVD box covers are essentially the same:
As in the 1984 version, our hero has to make it through the
debauchery of his bachelor party without being unfaithful to his
incredibly cool and beautiful betrothed. Temptation is thrown at him
constantly. His fiancée finally decides to sneak into the party to see
for herself what's going on and she eventually catches him doing
something which looks inappropriate. Needless to say, appearances are
deceiving. He has remained stalwart and wins her back with true love
and a facile explanation.
The only meaningful change from the first version is an expansion
of the actual bachelor party to a three-day affair in Miami. During
those days our partiers encounter rivers of booze, rock music, sex
addicts, seductresses, wet t-shirt contests, strippers, naked caddies,
naked stewardesses, naked Nazis, and all the other things that make
life worth living - except firearms. The script doesn't have many
subtleties or even many jokes, and you've seen all of these these
characters before. The plot exists basically as a vehicle to carry the
film between the topless scenes.
If the film doesn't meet your FDA minimum requirements for breasts
and locker room humor, there are eighteen deleted scenes and a full
length commentary by the cast. There's nothing new here, but it moves
along apace and is good-natured enough. If you can ignore the film's
complete lack of originality, and/or have never seen the first version
with Tom Hanks, you might get a few laughs from the raunchy goings-on.
I can't really recommend it because you'll feel you've seen it twenty
times before, but I found it pleasant and never reached for the fast
forward button. Then again, perhaps I'm just easily amused by raunchy
situations and attractive topless women.
Oh, who am I kidding? There's no "perhaps" involved.
