Men in Black 2 Parent Guide

Parent Movie Review
by Kerry Bennett

The men in black suits are back—ready to keep the world safe from invading aliens of the extraterrestrial type and a close eye on the ones who live among us.

Following Agent Kay’s (Tommy Lee Jones) retirement from the secret Men in Black government department, Agent Jay (Will Smith) has been through a handful of partners, including an oversensitive recruit (Patrick Warburton) and a talking pug named Frank. Then an alien murder investigation uncovers an evil Kylothian intruder who has landed on Earth. Disguised as a lingerie model for Victoria’s Secret, Serleena (Lara Flynn Boyle) is looking for a “light” hidden on the planet. Using her snake-like tentacles, she pulls intelligence out of the most reluctant informants in a rather unsavory manner.

But the only man who knows the whereabouts of the “light” is former Agent Kay, now a grumpy Massachusetts’ postmaster who’s mind has been wiped clean. Under orders from Agent Zed (Rip Torn) the Head of Operations at MiB, Agent Jay is sent to bring in the letter carrier, restore his memory and find the hot commodity before the sultry seductress and her two-headed sidekick (Johnny Knoxville) get their hands on it.

All this gets complicated when the smooth talking Agent Jay fails to erase the memory of a pretty pizzeria employee (Rosario Dawson) that witnessed the murder. Going against all policy procedures and the better advice of his stoic partner, he allows himself to fall for the girl and in turn endangers their mission.

Not unlike the original film, Men in Black 2’s plot takes second billing to the special effects, glitzy, silver weapons and bizarre-looking aliens that inhabit the city. While there is more focus on the agents this time, ample amounts of alien blasting and more than a few gross out sequences still fill up the screen. Considering Serleena’s earthly occupation, parents can also expect their kids to be exposed to some minimally covered cleavage and buttocks as well as frequent sexual innuendos.

With the financial success of Men in Black, this movie will likely have a ready-made fan following, but families may still want to be wary of this alien activity.

Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld. Starring Tommy Lee Jones, WIll Smith, Rip Torn. Running time: 88 minutes. Theatrical release July 2, 2002. Updated July 17, 2017

About author

Kerry Bennett

Kerry Bennett is interested in media from both a journalist and parent perspective. Along with authoring articles for several family-oriented publications, she has written for Parent Previews for over 15 years. As a parent herself, she believes parents play a powerful role in teaching media literacy in their homes.

Men in Black 2
Rating & Content Info

Why is Men in Black 2 rated PG-13? Men in Black 2 is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for sci-fi action violence and some provocative humor

Overall: C

Agent Jay (Will Smith) has to pull former Agent Kay (Tommy Lee Jones) out of the post office and back into their secret government agency when a space intruder posing as a lingerie model infiltrates MiB headquarters and plans to destroy the Earth.  Moving in the same orbit as the original film, Men in Black 2 is splattered with alien innards, sexual content and violent action scenes.

Violence: D+

Spaceship flies through universe destroying planets before crashing into Earth. Man attacks woman and holds knife to her throat. Alien eats man and then vomits (heard not seen). Large alien attacks characters and subway train. Man hits head on ceiling beam. Men held in chokehold; one has snake-like tentacles pushed in ears and nose and other is split in half. Man punched in face. Aliens attack office. Man shaken and thrown about in machine. Character’s head is shot off. Numerous scenes show fighting between aliens and humans including weapons, explosions and hand-to-hand combat. Woman kicked repeatedly in face. Man hit in face with platter. Woman is shot and killed. Man appears to threaten woman with shovel. Aliens are attacked and sliced in half. Gunfire exchanged between characters in building and during chase scene. Man bites character.

Sexual Content: C-

Human and alien characters make sexual comments and jokes throughout the film. Woman wears bikini top. Lingerie advertisement is shown.  Female character wears lingerie in public and later exposes it to man. Man licks woman’s neck during rape attack. Characters discuss man’s divorce. Woman makes comment about her breasts. Character is depicted with testicles hanging from chin. Aliens visit adult movie store. Man kicked in crotch. Woman licks man’s ear. Man falls on woman during turbulent flight. Man briefly describes his sexual encounters. Man seen sitting on another man’s lap. Vague reference to bestiality is made.

Language: C

Includes at least: Three moderate and 24 mild profanities, five rude slang terms and three uses of Deity as an expletive. Several comments include a sexual connotation.

Alcohol / Drug Use: B

Characters are shown smoking and drinking on brief occasions. Man attempts to inject character with drug.

Miscellaneous Concerns:

Men flushed down giant toilet-like object and land in outdoor washroom. Bathroom comments are made.

Page last updated July 17, 2017