What Works and What Does Not (Possible Spoilers)

What works:

1) The cinematography is first class through out, and the multiple formats and aspect ratios make for a very interesting experience.

2) Lemat, Smith, and Williams give solid performances.

3) Ron Howard is actually quite funny in a few scenes.

4)All the segments look quite accurate give their time periods.

5)Even the minor characters, for the most part, are well cast.


What doesn't:

1) Richard Dreyfuss is not in this film.

2) Candy Clark's transformation from ditz to flower power chick is totally unbelievable, and rings false from the get go. Her body language, speaking style, and overall performance are so different, that it seems as if she is playing a totally different character, and not a particularly interesting one at that. She also seems somewhat brighter. It's the film's worst performance, and it severely damages the film.


3) Far fetched plot lines. So Toad lives? And just where is he going to? Is he going to live in the Jungles in Vietnam for the rest of his life? He's OK with his friends and relatives believing he is dead???? He could have shot himself in the foot at any point and been sent home, but instead we see a series of comic vignettes where Terry flubs injuring himself.


4) Milner's Icelandic love interest. Another character might have worked better. Knowing what will happen to John Milner, coupled with LeMat's strong performance make this very tragic and haunting however.


5) The whole Debbie storyline is very predictable. The untrustworthy, worthless boyfriend scenario has been done to death in countless films including recent films like 'Legally Blonde' and 'Bring It On'. The payoff here is especially weak when Clark discovers her boyfriend dancing with a bizzare white haired troll, and punches him out (oh the comedy!). All ends well when she ends up in the arms of 42 year old hippy musician Scott Glenn who seems embarrassed here. Given that Debbie was a supporting character in the first film, and given that Dreyfuss is absent we are left with this regrettable episode.