Short Circuit 2
Encyclopedia
Short Circuit 2 is a 1988 comedy
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
science fiction film
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
, the sequel to 1986's film Short Circuit
Short Circuit
Short Circuit is a 1986 comedy science fiction film starring Ally Sheedy and Steve Guttenberg and directed by John Badham. Fisher Stevens, Austin Pendleton, and G. W...
. It was directed by Kenneth Johnson, and starred Fisher Stevens
Fisher Stevens
Fisher Stevens is an American actor, director and producer. His most recent successes include the 2010 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for his film The Cove and 2008 Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary Feature for his film Crazy Love...
as Ben Jahrvi (whose surname has inexplicably changed from Jabituya in the first film), Michael McKean
Michael McKean
Michael John McKean is an American actor, comedian, writer, composer and musician, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Squiggy's friend, Leonard 'Lenny' Kosnowski, on the sitcom Laverne and Shirley; and for his work in the Christopher Guest ensemble films, particularly as David St...
as Fred Ritter, Cynthia Gibb
Cynthia Gibb
Cynthia Gibb is an American actress and former model who has starred in film and on television. She is 5'-2" tall.-Biography:...
as Sandy Banatoni, and Tim Blaney
Tim Blaney
Tim Blaney is an American puppeteer and voice actor. He has provided the voices for Frank the Pug in Men in Black and Men in Black II and the self-aware robot "Johnny 5" in Short Circuit and Short Circuit 2.-Filmography:...
as the voice of Johnny 5 (the main character – a friendly, naive, self-aware
Self-awareness
Self-awareness is the capacity for introspection and the ability to reconcile oneself as an individual separate from the environment and other individuals...
robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
). Filming for this film took place in downtown Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Plot
Benjamin Jahrvi (Fisher StevensFisher Stevens
Fisher Stevens is an American actor, director and producer. His most recent successes include the 2010 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for his film The Cove and 2008 Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary Feature for his film Crazy Love...
) has moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
where he is selling toy versions of Johnny 5 on the street. Struggling department store buyer Sandy Banatoni (Cynthia Gibb
Cynthia Gibb
Cynthia Gibb is an American actress and former model who has starred in film and on television. She is 5'-2" tall.-Biography:...
) sees the toys and orders 1,000 units. Ben is helped by con artist Fred Ritter (Michael McKean
Michael McKean
Michael John McKean is an American actor, comedian, writer, composer and musician, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Squiggy's friend, Leonard 'Lenny' Kosnowski, on the sitcom Laverne and Shirley; and for his work in the Christopher Guest ensemble films, particularly as David St...
) with the project. Fred borrows money from a loan shark for equipment, hires temporary workers and rents a warehouse to build the toys.
Unfortunately, the warehouse is the base of operations for a couple of thieves hired by bank teller Oscar Baldwin (Jack Weston) to tunnel into the bank vault across the street. They plan to steal a set of jewels known as the Vanderveer Collection, worth $37,862,000.17. The thieves try to scare off Ben and Fred, trashing their equipment and chasing away their temps which makes it impossible to meet the deadline.
A large crate arrives from Ben's friends Stephanie and Newton, containing Johnny 5, sent to help Ben with his business. Johnny can build the toys rapidly, giving Ben time to study for his U.S. citizen's test. Considering Johnny's thirst for data, Fred is sworn not to reveal their location to Johnny, believing that the robot would go nuts if he knew he was living in a major metropolis.
When Fred accidentally lets it slip to Johnny that he is in the city, the robot leaves the warehouse to explore the city, and inadvertently makes friends with Oscar himself.
Fred, having learned that Johnny is worth $11 million, tries to sell the robot to a few businessmen. When Johnny learns that Fred plans to sell him, he escapes and wanders through the city. Johnny soon realizes just how lonely he is because of his inability to convince anyone that he is alive. Johnny is later found and retrieved by Ben from the NYPD's stolen-goods warehouse. The two have a heart-to-heart conversation, and Johnny encourages Ben to ask Sandy out on a proper date. After an awkward start, Ben and Sandy make a connection.
The thieves, pressed for time, lock Ben and Fred in the freezer of a Chinese restaurant, while Oscar persuades the overly trusting Johnny to help finish the tunnel leading to the bank. Johnny completes the tunnel, breaks into the safe, and unlocks the safe deposit box that holds the Vanderveer Collection. Johnny figures out Oscar's true intentions, but after being chased through the city, he is savagely attacked and severely damaged by the thieves.
Although Johnny manages to get away, he is leaking battery fluid and losing power. Ben and Fred manage to escape from the freezer with Sandy's help, but when they return to the warehouse, Ben and Sandy are captured by the police mistaken them as robbers for the robbery. Fred escapes, though, and attempts to find Johnny. After a long search, Fred finds Johnny in an alleyway. Fred is startled by how damaged Johnny is, and helps patch him up enough to reconnect his main battery and memory, just enough for Johnny to make the remaining repairs himself. It isn't until Johnny learns from Fred that he and Ben were locked up in a freezer, that the robot becomes enraged at the fact that they were simply locked up and he was attacked by Oscar's gang after being merely used and seeks vengeance on Oscar.
Despite his injuries, Johnny is determined to bring Oscar and his gang to justice. After a chase he corners them at a construction site near the Hudson River. Oscar's gang is captured, but Oscar himself flees by stealing a boat. Johnny uses a crane to capture Oscar from the moving boat, who is then arrested and the diamonds are returned. The effort drains Johnny's remaining power reserves and kills him, causing Ben (who was release along with Sandy by two police officers who found Johnny after hearing the police arrest the wrong suspects) to frantically use a defibrillator in an effort to save Johnny. Ben succeeds, and manages to keep the robot running long enough to make full repairs.
The final scenes show Johnny has become a celebrity, his face on the front pages of newspapers and magazines everywhere. As a result of this newfound fame, his look-alike toys have become a hot commodity, allowing Sandy, Ben, and Fred to go into business for themselves. The film concludes with Ben becoming a US citizen, which he shares with a newly-restored and gold-plated Johnny, officially recognized as a living, thinking citizen with all the associated rights and privileges. Asked how he felt about his new status, Johnny enthusiastically jumps into the air, shouting that he feels "alive!"
Cast
- Tim BlaneyTim BlaneyTim Blaney is an American puppeteer and voice actor. He has provided the voices for Frank the Pug in Men in Black and Men in Black II and the self-aware robot "Johnny 5" in Short Circuit and Short Circuit 2.-Filmography:...
as the voice of Johnny 5 - Fisher StevensFisher StevensFisher Stevens is an American actor, director and producer. His most recent successes include the 2010 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for his film The Cove and 2008 Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary Feature for his film Crazy Love...
as Ben Jahrvi - Michael McKeanMichael McKeanMichael John McKean is an American actor, comedian, writer, composer and musician, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Squiggy's friend, Leonard 'Lenny' Kosnowski, on the sitcom Laverne and Shirley; and for his work in the Christopher Guest ensemble films, particularly as David St...
as Fred Ritter - Cynthia GibbCynthia GibbCynthia Gibb is an American actress and former model who has starred in film and on television. She is 5'-2" tall.-Biography:...
as Sandy Banatoni - Jack Weston as Oscar Baldwin
- David HemblenDavid HemblenDavid Hemblen is an English-born actor who frequently works in Canadian film, television and theater. He was a mainstay on the television series Earth: Final Conflict, playing Jonathan Doors, and played recurring roles in A Nero Wolfe Mystery and La Femme Nikita . He voiced Magneto on the popular...
as Jones - Don LakeDon LakeDon Lake is a Canadian actor, film and television writer, and television producer. He is frequently cast by director Christopher Guest, and is also a close friend and the collaborative partner of Bonnie Hunt....
as Manic Mike - Ally SheedyAlly SheedyAlexandra Elizabeth "Ally" Sheedy is an American film and stage actress, as well as the author of two books. She is best known for her roles in the Brat Pack films The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire.-Early life:...
, who played main character Stephanie Speck in Short Circuit, lends her voice to one scene (Sheedy is uncredited).
Reception
Siskel & Ebert gave the film "two thumbs up" and called the film "even better than the original." In a 1988 Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
article, the review noted that "Wilson and Maddock have improved considerably here....Their construction is more deft, their dialogue is better, and they make Number Five come more alive..." Rita Kempley of the Washington Post scored the film 6/10 saying, "...[Director Kenneth] Johnson pulls heartstrings with the best of them—or the worst, if you hate that sort of thing... if you're a kid, or an adult with an Erector Set
Erector Set
Erector Set is the trade name of a toy construction set that is popular in the United States.It consists of collections of small metal beams with regular holes for nuts, bolts, screws, and mechanical parts such as pulleys, gears, and small electric motors.The brand name is currently used for...
, you might just enjoy this summer-weight caper." It is rated 38% on Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
.