Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Dreadful sequel to romance tale has language, sex.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Taming of the Shrewd 2
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In THE TAMING OF THE SHREWD 2, Kasia (Magdalena Lamparska) is a frustrated scientist (but there is no way of knowing this unless you saw the prequel, The Taming of the Shrewd). She lives in rural Poland for reasons this film doesn't bother rehashing, so, again, anyone who hasn't seen the earlier film will have no context for her behaviors. She's going to the United States to receive an award. Villagers worry that when she's away she will take up again with Bob, a man she'd dumped. This is also information only available in the previous film. Her current boyfriend is Patryk (Mikolaj Roznerski), someone she was tricked into falling for in a financial plot, also in the previous film and unexplained here. An unrelated young couple traveling in an RV through the area fall out over a contrived conflict (Kacper wants to get married, Wera not so much). The rift throws Wera into the arms of Patryk and Kacper into the arms of Kasia, but not really. A baptism of an almost entirely absent baby plays an unexplained role, as does stolen alcohol, both somehow culminating in a kidnapping, and generally adding to the confusion.
Is It Any Good?
If only there were a single person here with a brain large enough to qualify as "shrewd. The Taming of the Shrewd 2 is dreadful by any set of metrics, with a screenplay interesting only for the fact that anyone would be so bold as to admit to its authorship. The plot is a series of creakily contrived, inorganic developments -- concerning annoying and largely unlikable characters -- that strain credulity when not boring the audience into a comatose state. Patryk seems to think he is charming but is actually just smarmy. This movie is directed by the sadly prolific Filip Zylber, also responsible for the equally painful-to-watch Squared Love franchise.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why sequels of bad movies might get made. What merits, if any, do you think might have motivated spending time and resources making this?
Did the plot seem confusing? If yes, what developments could have been made clearer in this script?
Were the characters realistic? Does it matter if they weren't?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : December 20, 2023
- Cast : Magdalena Lamparska , Mikolaj Roznerski , Agata Turlot
- Director : Filip Zylber
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Romance
- Run time : 99 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : January 16, 2024
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