At A Glance While it has taken four years for a sequal to "The Whole Nine Yards" to make its way onto the big screen the idea for it actually came about before the original 'yards' film was even released. "The cast started kicking around ideas for another movie even before the first one came out," says producer David Willis, "It started all of us thinking along the same lines." And even though "Most had not seen each other in the interim they immediately fell into their former rapport and began to reminisce about the good times they had together shooting the film and developing their quirky characters. They imagined the kinds of situations these characters might find themselves in if there was a second installment to the story." With the main stars so willing to do a follow-up [or sequel] the next step was the script. That job went to screenwriter George Gallo whose work includes the Robert De Niro comedy "Midnight Run" and another big sequel, "Bad Boyz II". "The trouble with some sequels is that they almost do the same movie over again," says Gallo. "People change over time, and I wanted to know what happened to them since the last movie ended. Jimmy has retired and moved to Mexico where he has time to examine his life, have some kind of nervous breakdown and then develop this domestic passion that, presumably, keeps his old demons at bay, but barely. His former protégé, Jill, is now his wife and trying to launch her own career as a paid assassin but she's not very good at it. Plus, she really misses their old life." While George Gallo had brought the characters and story created by Mitchell Kapner up to date, it's true to say, they are still in essence the same whacky onscreen people we knew in the original. Dentist Nicholas "Oz" Oseransky is still the same bungling, nervous character only this time he is married to Jimmy's ex Cynthias and lives in fear in a house which features numerous security devices. As for Jill and Jimmy, well there happilly hidden away in Baja, Mexico. Jill is still pursuing her dream to actually kill some one in a 'hit' and Jimmy "The Tulip"? Well he's been domesticated. He's become totally house proud and raises chickens. Chickens he knows by name. Those who know Jimmy wouldn't dare laugh at the thought of a hitman who loves his chickens. "The thing about Jimmy," director Howard Deutch explained, "is that he's funny and it's okay to laugh at him and sometimes he's laughing right along with you but you know he'll kill you. Seriously. He will kill you. It's what he does." Yes, but what about the transformation from cold blooded killer to obsessively house proud? According to Bruce Willis who plays Jimmy, "he's given up the life of crime and is living in Mexico with his wife where he's indulging his domestic side and his love for gardening." And producer Arnold Rifkin points out that when it came to playing the character of Jimmy Bruce really did want "to have fun with it. To get back to a character he really enjoyed playing, a bad guy who's really not so bad, and to work with a talented ensemble cast he knew could lob the ball back from wherever he might hit it." It's not hard to imagine the fun the cast has making this one and that there's a lot of chemistry between Matthew Perry and Willis. "I think he realizes that the chemistry between him and Matthew is unique. He wants to laugh, and nobody makes him laugh like Matthew. And frankly, nobody makes Matthew laugh like Bruce," notes Howard Deutch. "Jimmy and Oz are opposite in every single way, North and South Pole, nitro and glycerin, and just as combustible. When you have these total opposites colliding there's going to be an explosion." The two stars agree with that observation. "Matthew and I have exceptionally good chemistry," says Willis. "It's easy to crack jokes with him and fool around with the material. He has an innate comic sensibility that really comes through on film." The former "Friends" star agrees with Willis. "We bounce off each other easily," adds Perry. "I know what his reactions are going to be and he knows mine." Returning for a second bite at the cherry is Kevin Pollak who played Yanni in "The Whole Nine Yards". In this sequel he plays Yanni's father and leader of the gang, crime boss Lazlo Gogolak. Deutch, who directed Pollak along with Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau in "Grumpier Old Men" reveals that "It was Bruce who suggested we have him back by casting him as Yanni's father. But for the record I'd like to take credit for that idea right now." Producer David Willis recalls breaking the good news and the bad news to Pollak. "I told Kevin that we had good news and bad news. The good news was that we figured out a way for him to be in the sequel. The bad news was that he would need to have four hours' worth of prosthetic makeup applied every day in order to do it." Pollak admits he was a little jealous of the other cast members when he heard there would be a sequel. After all, he had a lot of fun playing Yanni in the original movie. So what went through his mind? "At first I thought, 'wow, that's great,'" Pollak confided, "because I was a little jealous initially when I heard they were all going to do a sequel. And I stared to feel better until I realized how much crap they were to going to put on my face." But the transformation is so well done and your virtually unrecognizable in the role, aren't you? "It completely transforms me. Wesley Wofford did a remarkable job and Vicki Phillips made a great white shock wig." The transformation didn't end there. Pollak had some outside help from a close source. Where did it come from? "My wife suggested the giant Lew Wasserman glasses." Was he happy with that? "What can I say? - it's a look." And does he mind the fact that most people won't recognise him as Lazlo Gogolak? A look that Bruce Willis describes as "a cross between Liberace and Cesar Romero from his days playing The Joker on the original Batman series." Not in the least. "Honestly. I was tempted to not put my name in the credits and just have people wonder 'who is that guy?'", he said. Cast & Crew Bytes "THE WHOLE TEN YARDS" was ........
directed by Howard Deutch ["Pretty In Pink", "The Great Outdoors", "Grumpier Old Men" and "The Replacements"]; the producers include Arnold Rifkin ["The Kid", "Bandits", "Hart's War" and "Tears of the Sun"]; from the story by Mitchell Kapner ["The Whole Nine Yards" and "Romeo Must Die"]; the screenplay by George Gallo ["Wise Guys", "Trapped in Paradise", "Bad Boyz I & II" and "See Spot Run"]; edited by Seth Flaum ["The Guardian", "Grumpier Old Men", "The Replacements" and "The Country Bears"]; costume design by Rudy Dillon ["Double Jeopardy", "Breakfast Of Champions", "Heathers" and "Passionada"]; original music by John Debney ["The Scorpion KIng", "Bruce Almighty", "The Passion of the Christ" and "Raising Helen"] and cinematography by Neil Roach ["Silent Rage" and "Harvest of Fire "].
"THE WHOLE TEN YARDS" stars ........
Bruce Willis ["Pulp Fiction", "The Fifth Element", "The Sixth Sense", "The Jackal" and "Unbreakable"]; Matthew Perry ["Fools Rush In", "Almost Heroes", "Three To Tango" and "Serving Sara"]; Amanda Peet ["High Crimes", "Changing Lanes", "Identity" and "Igby Goes Down"]; Natasha Henstridge ["Ghosts of Mars", "Bounce", "Beauty and Power" and "Species"]; Frank Collison ["Wired To Kill", "Mobsters", "The Lawnmower Man" and "The Village"]; Johnny Messner ["Dancing in September", "The Sweetest Thing", "Tears Of The Sun" and "Spartan"]; Silas Weir Mitchell ["Private Parts", "The Patriot", "Bingo" and "Rat Race"]; Tasha Smith ["Twin Sitters" and "Playas Ball"]; Tallulah Belle Willis ["The Scarlet Letter", "The Whole Nine Yards" and "Bandits"]; Johnny Williams ["The Mask", "Victim Of Desire", "Virtual Combat" and "Whacked!"] and Kevin Pollak ["Willow", "Avalon", "A Few Good Men", "Grumpy Old Men", "Casino" and "Hostage"] as Lazlo Gogolak. The Story Jimmy "The Tulip" Tudeski has escaped a life of crime as a hit-man and is happily retired in Baja. Thanks to some creative dentistry by his pal Nicholas "Oz" Oseransky, the police are convinced that the remains they found in a burnout vehicle are those of the hit-man. But not everyone is so convinvinced. Jimmy double crossed the Gogolak gang, put a bullet through Lazlo Gogolak's son Yanni. Now out of jail, Lazlo Gogolak wants Jimmy's blood. Jimmy couldn't care less. He's too busy keeping house, cleaning, cooking and decorating his and Jill's hideaway. Then "Oz" turns up with news that the Gogolak's have kidnapped his wife, who just happens to be Jimmy's ex-wife. But surprisingly, Oz's pal Jimmy doesn't seem concerned at all. He's more interested in getting his latest culinary delight on the table before it is ruined. That is until their lunch is interrupted by a hail of bullets from armed goons Gogolak has sent to Mexico. The Verdict "While "The Whole Ten Yards" is not the funniest film I've seen, those who saw "The Whole Nine Yards" will still get plenty of kicks out of this slapstick, loud, dark, three stooges style comedy. It's not hard working out just where "The Whole Ten Yards" is heading but there definately is some fun in getting there. A bit of a diversion, "The Whole Ten Yards" isn't everyones cup of tea. Fans of Bruce Willis and former "Friends" star Matthew Perry should find this just satisfying enough." The Cast

Bruce Willis Matthew Perry Amanda Peet Kevin Pollak Natasha Henstridge Frank Collison Johnny Messner Silas Weir Mitchell Tasha Smith Elisa Gallay Tallulah Belle Willis Johnny Williams George Zapata Carlo Zapata McNally Sagal Carl Ciarfalio Doc Duhame Buck MacDancer Monte Perlin Ian Quinn Brad Orrison

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Jimmy "The Tulip" Tudeski Nicholas "Oz" Oseransky Jill Lazlo Gogolak Cynthia Strabo Zevo Yermo Julie Anya Buttercup Scout Vito Guy in Trunk #1 Guy in Trunk #2 Maitre D' Goon #1 Goon #2 Goon #3 Goon #4 Goon #5 Goon #6

The Crew Directed by Howard Deutch Characters by Mitchell Kapner Story by Mitchell Kapner Screenplay George Gallo Produced by Allan Kaufman/Arnold Rifkin/Elie Samaha/David Willis Original Music by John Debney Cinematography by Neil Roach Film Editing by Seth Flaum Casting by Nancy Nayor Production Design by Ginny Randolph Art Direction by Sally Thornton Set Decoration by Inga Crest and Peg Cummings Costume Design by Rudy Dillon Rated MA15+ [AUST] Run Time 99 minutes Copyright © 2004 - Warner Bros - All Rights Reserved Copyright Protected © 2004 - Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved