Kevin Hart (center in sun glasses) leads the cast of "Think Like A Man Too."

Story highlights

The film catches up with the couples from the first movie

The movie lacks any actual game plan

Reviewer says it loses by double digits

EW.com  — 

Two years ago, “Think Like a Man” succeeded because of the deliriously funny Kevin Hart and a flimsy but effective storytelling gimmick that used Steve Harvey’s best-selling relationship book to frame the war between the sexes.

Five African-American or mixed-race couples ultimately found love after Harvey’s romantic playbook leveled the battlefield. Nevermind that the message of the movie seemed to be that men are dogs and the best way to bring them to heel is for women to act like their mothers.

“Think Like a Man Too” catches up on the couples’ relationships as they all get together in Las Vegas for the wedding of their most schmoopy couple, Candace (Regina Hall) and Michael (Terrence Jenkins), the idealistic fellow with the domineering mother from hell. Harvey’s book of wisdom is left at home this time. The guys re-enact “The Hangover” hijinks while the ladies enjoy shenanigans familiar to anyone who saw “Bridesmaids” (Even Wendi McClendon-Covey is along for the girls-night-out).

Lacking any real game plan — other than to test each relationship with commonplace conflicts related to parenting, competing careers, and commitment — the film instead doubles-down on Hart, a Tasmanian devil of a performer who can make almost anything funny. Hart, an NBA basketball fan, will understand when I compare his performance to Carmelo Anthony of the woeful New York Knicks. He’s so far superior to everything else in the movie that his ”teammates” just stand around and watch him. Hart has to deliver a spectacular highlight every time he touches the ball for this movie to have any chance, and as a result, he takes some ill-advised shots.

In several instances, you can sense that director Tim Story simply rolled the proverbial ball out to Hart on the court and called the play: Make it funny. Hart scores occasionally, but “Think Like a Man Too” loses by double digits.

EW Grade: C–

See the original story at EW.com.