Suspending disbelief is both a requirement and a challenge in the action comedy “Heads of State”. Premiering worldwide on Prime Video, “Heads of State” is a big-budget summer popcorn movie in every sense of the term. Rather than taking it to theaters, Amazon MGM Studios elected to make it one of their big summer streaming releases. It’s an utterly preposterous concoction. But there is just enough scenic globetrotting, crazy action, and wild set pieces to keep your attention.

The movie stars Idris Elba and John Cena and it wastes no time challenging its audience. Elba plays U.K. Prime Minister Sam Clarke, a bit grumpy and cynical but believable as England’s head of government. Much harder to buy is Cena playing United States President Will Derringer, a former underwear model, turned action movie star, turned America’s Commander in Chief. Both actors put in the work. But while Elba’s sophistication and charm clicks, Cena is less convincing – endlessly oscillating between inspiring world leader and all-out goofball.

A petty (and at times almost juvenile) rivalry has formed between the two heads of state. Clarke is a six-year incumbent with sagging approval ratings who doesn’t like Derringer’s image-first celebrity politician status. Derringer still holds a grudge for Clarke endorsing his opponent via a highly publicized fish and chip dinner. It comes to a head during a press conference as the two prepare to depart London for an important NATO meeting.

Seeing the need for some good press, their chiefs of staff (played well by Sarah Niles for the Yanks and Richard Coyle for the Brits) concoct a relatively simple PR scheme. They reluctantly agree to fly together on Air Force One in an effort to show solidarity. But while in Belarusian air space, their plane is attacks by terrorists loyal to Russian arms dealer Viktor Gradov (Paddy Considine). Clarke and Derringer manage to parachute out as the plane crashes. And while the rest of the world believes them to be dead, the two are forced to put aside their differences and work together if they want to get to safety.

“Heads of State” comes from director Ilya Naishuller who is perhaps known for the considerably better “Nobody” starring Bob Odenkirk. In his defense, this is a much different movie with a much different aim. The screenwriting trio of Josh Applebaum, André Nemec, and Harrison Query lean heavily on comedy which both helps and hurts their movie. It unquestionable shows the film doesn’t take itself seriously (as it shouldn’t). At the same time, the constant petty arguing, the slew of overly corny jokes, the goofy needle drops – it starts to wear thin pretty quick.

Yet the cast works hard to make the movie more entertaining than it has any right to be. It gets a boost from Priyanka Chopra who plays MI6 agent Noel Bissett. She’s a former love interest of Clarke thought to have been killed after a botched operation in Buñol, Spain. Chopra adds some unexpected punch to the action. Equally fun is Jack Quaid who gets a small part playing a goofy yet endearing CIA operator in charge of a Warsaw safehouse.

Even with what seems like stretches of self-awareness, the absurdity of “Heads of State” can be tough to look past. It’s not helped by Cena’s casting, jokes that frequently miss their marks, or the dopey occasions where the movie tries to say something serious. But it’s somewhat saved by Idris’ charisma, Chopra’s grit, and a handful of impressive high-dollar set pieces that energize the movie when it needs it most. Is that enough to justify the potential sequel that is teased at the end? For some, perhaps. For me, probably not.

VERDICT – 2.5 STARS

Way back in the 1990s Adam Sandler had a breakout run of movies that transformed him from a Saturday Night Live cast member to a big screen star. Among them was 1996’s “Happy Gilmore”, a silly but endearing comedy about a rough around the edges hockey player who shakes up the prim and proper world of golf. The film didn’t blow up the box office but it was a commercial success. Even more, it gained and has maintained a loyal and vocal cult following.

Since then, Sandler movies have slid into a frustratingly redundant but undeniably lucrative routine. They’re often lazy exercises that recycle the same humor and are stuffed with nonstop cameos from the actor’s many friends. Nevertheless, there apparently remains a demand for these movies as evident by the enormous deals Sandler has made with Netflix. And that leads us to their latest collaboration.

“Happy Gilmore 2” arrives nearly thirty years after the original film released. At its core is a fairly basic feel-good comeback story with occasional scenes that tease a beating heart. But Sandler and director Kyle Newacheck drown their story in nostalgia, flooding the movie with constant callbacks. Far worse, “Happy Gilmore 2” is plagued by some of the worst tendencies from the more recent Sandler movies. In other words, it smothers out the few good gags with waves of unfunny low-bar humor. And it wedges in endless cameos that leads to one embarrassingly bad scene after another.

For Sandler’s Happy Gilmore, a lot has happened since winning his first championship in 1996, A ridiculous narrated prologue tells us Happy would go on to have a successful professional career, winning five more titles. Meanwhile at home, he and his wife Virginia (Julie Bowen) had five children together. But everything changed in 2014. While playing in a Mother’s Day golf tournament, Happy shanks a drive which ends up striking Virginia in the head, killing her.

Left alone to raise their five kids, a (supposedly) devastated Happy quits golf and drowns himself in booze. He ends up broke which leads to him losing everything including their home. Still he refuses to get back into golf, instead taking a job stocking produce at a local supermarket. But then his lone daughter Vienna (Sunny Sandler) is offered a spot in an exclusive $75,000 a year ballet school in Paris. Determined to help her realize her dream, Happy dusts off his clubs and heads back to the Tour.

The film’s big bland baddie is Frank Manatee (Benny Safdie). He’s the CEO of the Maxi Golf League, a raucous reimagining of the game of golf. Manatee approaches Happy about joining his tour but Happy declines. This inspires an angry Manatee to seek out Happy’s old rival Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald) who has spent the last 29 years in a mental institution. Manatee’s plan is to railroad Happy’s comeback and catapult Maxi as the world’s premiere golf league.

For reasons that are never really explained, golf’s future suddenly hangs in the balance. And it will be decided by a tournament pitting the five top Maxi golfers against the five top Tour golfers. It all leads to a chaotic final act that stands out most for its haphazard directing and editing. For a stretch it frantically bounces all over the place before finally settling down for an attempt at an emotional payoff that it never quite earns.

To no surprise, the movie is littered with bad performances, mostly from nonprofessional actors who are just there to be recognized. Others like Safdie, Bowen, Steve Buscemi, and Margaret Qualley do what they can while being handcuffed to bad material. Meanwhile Sandler is solid enough in a familiar role he can do in his sleep. If there is a standout, it has to be McDonald who has a lot of fun bringing back Shooter McGavin.

“Happy Gilmore 2” throws so much at the screen that die-hard fans are sure to find something they’ll enjoy. But no matter how much nostalgia Sandler and company employ, this mostly uninspired and imagination-free sequel lacks the spirit and charm of its predecessor. It’s a half-hearted effort that attempts to find humor in running jokes about alcoholism, dopey bare butt gags, and celebrity non-actors saying and doing silly things. The results are mostly witless, crude, and borderline humiliating. But at least they had a better time making it than I had watching it. “Happy Gilmore 2” is now streaming on Netflix.

VERDICT – 1.5 STARS