Big Momma's House 2
Martin Lawrence serves up a stale second helping of sass in the only fitfully funny "Big Momma's House 2" (20th Century Fox).

The sequel -- think "The Pacifier" meets "Mrs. Doubtfire" -- finds Lawrence's master-of-disguise FBI agent, Malcolm Turner, once again donning wig, support hose and quite a bit of foam latex as the plus-size Southern granny, affectionately known as Big Momma.

Retired from the field, Malcolm now serves the FBI by giving public safety demonstrations to schoolchildren while anxiously awaiting a child with wife Sherrie (Nia Long). But when his ex-partner and mentor is killed, Malcolm, unbeknownst to Sherrie or his superiors, goes undercover to investigate the murder, posing as a nanny to the three children of a software designer (Mark Moses) suspected of compromising national security.

In between solving the case and household chores, Big Momma also manages to bring the family closer together and fix some of their dysfunctional dilemmas, including imparting dating advice to rebellious teenage daughter Molly (Kat Dennings); choreographing a cheerleading routine for kid sister Carrie (Chloe Grace Moretz); getting self-destructive toddler Andrew to utter his first words ("Big Momma," of course!); and perking up the family's lovelorn Chihuahua from its doggy doldrums.

During a heart-to-heart with Molly, Big Momma, explaining how the dynamics between boys and girls were no different in her day, quips, "The play has changed but the game remains the same." Ditto for this movie.

As directed by John Whitesell, this "House" is built on the same shaky slapstick foundation as the 2000 original, with the perfunctory plot an afterthought to Lawrence's Flip Wilson-inspired shtick. And while Lawrence is affable as ever, most of the movie's comic antics are, as Big Momma would say, "stuck on stupid."

There are quite a few risque jokes for a PG-13 film, including a bawdy sequence in a posh spa and an eyebrow-arching scene in which Carrie and her prepubescent cheerleading squad perform some age-inappropriate Britney Spears booty-shaking. (These questionable elements are hardly redeemed by the film's tacked-on family values message.)

A closing line suggests we haven't seen the last of Malcolm's matron, "You never know when Big Momma might be back." One can only hope not soon.

The film contains comic violence, some gun waving and an implied shooting, some crude and sexual humor and innuendo, a brief drug reference, age-inappropriate suggestive dance moves involving young children and scattered crass expressions. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

End of the Spear
In 1956, five American missionaries were killed by an Amazonian tribe -- the Waodani -- with whom they had been trying to make contact. The tragedy, which generated a spread in Life magazine and later inspired a book and documentary, is now recalled in "End of the Spear" (Every Tribe Entertainment).

Directed by Jim Hanon, this visually lovely but tepid retelling opens in 1995 with two figures -- Steve Saint (Chad Allen), the story's narrator, and Mincayani (Louie Leonardo), a Waodani -- paddling down the Amazon, the poignancy of which will crystallize during the film's climax.

Flashing back several decades, we see how, as a boy, Mincayani witnessed the slaying of kin by a rival clan. Later, a grown Mincayani continues the Waodani's legacy of violence during the deadly encounter with the missionaries, among them Steve's dad, Nate (also played by Allen), who pilots the men to the remote location aboard a bright yellow airplane, providing the film with some picturesque aerial shots of its lush rain-forest setting (Panama standing in for Ecuador).

The massacre -- brutally but bloodlessly re-created -- forms the emotional axis around which the narrative revolves, as Mincayani wrestles with mixed feelings about his hand in the slaughter and the Waodani's violent ways. His resistance to change begins to show cracks when the martyrs' widows and children (including Steve) decide to live among the Waodani in the hopes of realizing the end of bloodshed (i.e., the spear).

Ultimately, Mincayani (baptized and dressed in a denim shirt and jeans) returns with Steve to the site of the murders, before closing on a moving reconciliation.

Though well-intentioned, the movie is handicapped by an unfocused script and underdeveloped characters. A much fuller account is given in the compelling 2005 documentary "Beyond the Gates of Splendor," which -- like this film -- was based on the memoirs of Elisabeth Elliot (one of widows).

Still, despite these flaws and occasionally being overly sentimental, the earnest film is a stirring testament to the healing power of faith and forgiveness to overcome anger and violence, making for worthy viewing.

The film contains some scenes of violence, including several spearings, limiting its suitability to older adolescents and up. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Hoodwinked
"Hoodwinked" (Weinstein) is an intermittently amusing computer-animated comedy directed by Cory Edwards that sets out to reveal the "real story" behind the well-known nursery tale of Little Red Riding Hood.

Each character --- including the scarlet-clad heroine (voiced by Anne Hathaway), her extreme sports-loving granny (voiced by Glenn Close), the wolf (voiced by Patrick Warburton) and a brawny woodsman (voiced by Jim Belushi) --- is grilled by police responding to a domestic disturbance call. Despite sporadic bursts of wit and a clever "Rashomon"-style structure, the wacky proceedings are handicapped by a laugh-lean script and unimpressive animation.

The film contains cartoon action violence and mildly crude humor. The USCCB classification is A-II --- adults and adolescents. The MPAA rating is PG --- parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

David DiCerto is on the staff of the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.