Parents' Guide to

A.R.C.H.I.E. 2: Mission Impawsible

By Renee Longstreet, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 7+

Robotic talking dog joins a carnival; some potty language.

Movie PG 2018 82 minutes
A.R.C.H.I.E. 2: Mission Impawsible Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

  • A.R.C.H.I.E. 2 Movie: A "Cybernetic Organism"
  • A.R.C.H.I.E. 2 Movie: A.R.C.H.I.E. and Sydney the Ventriloquist
  • A.R.C.H.I.E. 2 Movie: Max & Gregory

Community Reviews

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age 6+

Based on 1 parent review

Lebron45James6
Lebron45James6 Adult
October 17, 2022
age 6+

Garbage

A great potential of a movie hampered by lazy writing, ugly graphics, dull characters, bad quality voice acting, and a stupid plot.
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

A carnival has come to the town in which A.R.C.H.I.E., a robotic talking dog (voiced by Michael J. Fox), lives with his people, Paul (Robin Dunne) and Sydney (Sheldon Bergstrom) in A.R.C.H.I.E. 2: MISSION IMPAWSIBLE. Sydney has always wanted to be a carnival performer, so he's excited about the opportunity to audition. Only problem is, Sydney doesn't really have any special talent. His tryout is awful. In a "stroke of genius," Sydney realizes he might be able to pretend that he's a ventriloquist, but he won't have a dummy, he'll work with A.R.C.H.I.E.! It works! Not only do the carnival owners Max (David Milchard) and his son Gregory (Will Mitchell) believe Sydney is a gifted artist, but his first few performances with A.R.C.H.I.E. result in big crowds. Since the carnival was near bankruptcy and now plays to sold-out houses every day, everyone's a winner. Of course, there's a catch. Standing in the way of complete success is a conniving villain who has been stealing money from the business, and who discovers Sydney's secret.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1):
Kids say: Not yet rated

The humor doesn't get any more low-brow than filthy carnival workers with food in their teeth, a female clown who's dumb as a post, and plenty of fart jokes to accompany a generic talking dog. Performances are uneven -- David Milchard is so good it feels like he's come in from another movie set. It's a colorful, good-natured movie that tries to deliver a few righteous messages (e.g., the carnival proudly announces that it would never force animals to work), and there's a solid father-son relationship. A silly story and ludicrous carnival with performers so bad they'd have to pay people to find an audience means there's little to recommend. But talking dogs, Michael J. Fox, and slapstick may be enough for undiscerning viewers.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how many movies use fart and poop jokes as a source of comedy. It's an easy way for storytellers and filmmakers to make sure there will be laughs. What is it about farts and poops that kids find so funny? Do you think it's because potty humor reminds us of our own embarrassment about bodily functions?

  • A.R.C.H.I.E. 2: Mission Impawsible is a sequel. What is a "sequel"? If you didn't see the original movie, A.R.C.H.I.E., were you able to enjoy this one on its own?

  • The movie asks the question "Can you be happy and sad at the same time?" What does this mean? Think of some times in your life you were both happy and sad. Be creative: Write a paragraph about that experience.

Movie Details

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