American Psycho 2 (2002)

The Story: Sociopathic college student knocks off her rivals for a Teacher's Assistant position.

Way back in the early 90's, a book came out that caused quite a stink amongst both critics and readers. American Psycho, a scathing commentary on the money hungry, image conscious and excessive late 1980's was accused of being misogynistic, vulgar and was even dubbed by one critic as a handbook on murdering women. These people obviously didn't get the joke, and neither did the filmmakers behind this sequel.

Rachael Newman managed to kill the original American Psycho, Patrick Bateman, as he was carving up her babysitter when she was twelve. Investigators dubbed the crime unsolved (because like any other twelve year old, she was a criminal genius, it seems). Now a college student, Rachael seems a shoe-in for the coveted Teacher's Assistant position to legendary FBI investigator turned college teacher, Professor Starkman . Nine out of his last ten T.A.'s have gone on to be accepted by the FBI, and Rachael wants badly to be part of the FBI's Behavioral Science unit. But her murderous deed so many years ago has left her an unscrupulous sociopath, and she decides to rub out her closest rivals.

Kindhearted psychiatrist Dr. Daniels is inadvertently thrown into a game of catch-up when Starkman's assistant is found hanged in her room, because he's been led to believe the dead student was Rachael. Imagine his surprise when Rachael shows up for her shrink appointment.

Eventually Rachael drops not-so-innocently veiled threats towards the good doctor, and the cat and mouse game is on. Will Dr. Daniels be able to take her down? Does Rachael get the position she longed so much for? The answers to these questions are about as interesting as watching grass grow.

What we have here is a pathetic attempt at cashing in on the title American Psycho. The screener I received had a cover blurb which read, "The sequel to the box office sensation that grossed $37 million worldwide and killed on video". Yes, you read that correctly, "world wide." Hell, the pathetic Scream 3 made that much on its opening weekend, and that was just in the states. So why would anyone want to make a sequel to a movie that for all intents and purposes bombed? I can't answer that question; I'd have to lower my IQ by about 113 points. I can't afford to do that, I'm only packing about 75 as is. :^P

The first American Psycho, despite its terrible box office, is one of the best psycho-drama/satires of the last twenty years, and this ridiculous sequel is an insult to it. What made the first work so well was its blending of its main character's reality with his own delusions, its poking of fun with a bloody knife at 80's conventions and it's superb lead performance. American Psycho 2 has none of these. It's a completely unnecessary, useless sequel, and could easily have been made with a different title as it has almost no resemblance at all to the first American Psycho other than the gone like a fart in the breeze story point involving the original's yuppie slasher, Patrick Bateman.

The only good things about this film are Captain Kirk and the Forever Knight themselves, William Shatner and Geraint Wys Davies. Shatner is quite good as the elder Professor Starkman, and Davies is sympathetic and believable as Dr. Daniels. Kunis shows why her acting "ability" is limited to the small screen, and the supporting cast are your usual pretty faces with not a lick of talent.

From the less than capable lead performance to the totally inappropriate and out of place "happy" musical score, American Psycho 2: All American Girl is a film that's about as necessary as a third nipple. Shatner and Davies deserve much, much better.

If you're still at all interested in picking this DVD up (and shame on you if you are), extras include Production Commentary, Director Commentary, Deleted Scenes, Trailer, Interactive Menu and Scene Access. At least that's what the box says. My screener didn't have anything except "Play Movie". Maybe there's something in the extras that could shed further hidden meaning in regards to the film, but now that I've seen it I have no interest in finding out. Lame movie, but at least now I have a shiny new coaster for my living room table.