Life-Size 2
By Emily Ashby,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Lackluster sequel struggles to find appropriate audience.
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Life-Size 2
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Based on 4 parent reviews
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Horrible sequel
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What's the Story?
In LIFE-SIZE 2, toy company heir Grace (Francia Raisa) struggles to resolve her feelings about being left with a Marathon Toys franchise once owned by her mother, Eleanor (Nina Leon), after Eleanor is sent to prison for investment fraud. When Grace dismissively agrees with the company's board to discontinue the iconic Eve doll, her young neighbor Lex (Alison Fernandez) begs her to reconsider and, in a stroke of destiny, discovers a spell book that helps bring Grace's Eve doll (Tyra Banks) to life. With things taking a turn for the worse at Marathon Toys, Eve and Lex set about persuading Grace to redesign the Eve doll to appeal to a new generation and breathe new life into the fledgling company.
Is It Any Good?
Where Life-Size went mostly right, this sequel misses the mark at just about every attempt. A story about a doll that magically comes to life to help her best human friend overcome some real-world troubles seems geared toward a younger audience (like the original film), but there's far too much sexual innuendo and other grown-up stuff in the mix to make it a safe choice for general family viewing. At the same time, the story is too preposterous -- and the adult characters' willingness to accept the magic at play too ridiculous -- to keep teens' and adults' attention for long.
In the category of redeeming qualities, Life-Size 2 turns up one: Tyra Banks. She's a total delight as the naïve Eve, oblivious to real-world social mores but utterly devoted to and a champion for the struggling Grace. She eats butter by the pat, wears her formal evening attire to brunch, and is surprised to learn that not everyone has extendable hair like she does. She's also refreshingly honest and uninhibited, which wins her friends. Banks does what she can with the content she's given, but even that isn't enough to bolster this mostly disappointing sequel.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Grace overcomes the emotions that hold her back at the beginning of Life-Size 2. For what reason, if any, does she blame her mom for her predicament? How does she let that resentment control her actions? How does having a friend like Eve help you persevere in difficult times?
What is this movie's target audience? Does it serve them well? How might the content have been changed to make it more appropriate for a younger audience? Do you think the story is family-friendly overall?
Is subliminal advertising in TV and movies something that people should be concerned about? Do you find that seeing products in this light makes them more appealing to you? Is that necessarily a bad thing?
TV Details
- Premiere date: December 1, 2018
- Cast: Tyra Banks , Francia Raisa , Alison Fernandez
- Network: Freeform
- Genre: Drama
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy , Holidays
- TV rating: TV-14
- Last updated: September 21, 2019
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