Big Momma's House 2

BIG MOMMA'S HOUSE 2 — * — Martin Lawrence, Nia Long, Emily Procter; rated PG-13 (language, vulgarity, brief drugs).

Call it Hollywood's greatest growth industry, but someone, somewhere is making big money putting actors into fat suits.

Martin Lawrence dons one for a second time in "Big Momma's House 2," a sequel to the surprise hit from 2000 about an FBI agent named Malcolm Turner who goes undercover by posing as a sassy old lady. Even if you still find the premise funny, how long can you laugh at this same sorry routine?

Here Lawrence's Malcolm must work his way into the confidence of a tech company president (Mark Moses) suspected of selling government secrets. When Malcolm hears that the man needs a nanny, he becomes Big Momma again and lands the position.

You can guess what happens next. Malcolm has absolutely no idea how to care for three children, ages 2 through 15. For breakfast he pours milk into the top of a cereal box and hands a kid a spoon. Faced with transferring laundry from the washer to the dryer, he uses the trash can.

If you still find this funny, then you'll probably like the bit in the fancy spa where Malcolm, still in Big Momma mode, ogles lingerie models and belly flops in a mud bath. You'll roar at the beach scene where Big Momma, in a sexy yellow bathing suit and blonde cornrows, runs in slow motion a la Bo Derek in "10." And don't forget the ubiquitous Jet Ski chase.

Even worse than the comic moments are the sentimental ones, including an unintentionally creepy scene where Malcolm composes a letter in the voice of Big Momma long after his cover has been blown.

The best thing about the movie is Lawrence's getup, which convincingly packs bushels of latex and foam rubber beneath flower print dresses. Amazingly, the special effects team didn't give the same attention to depicting the pregnancy of Malcolm's wife, Sherry, which looks like it was achieved with a couple of throw pillows.

And it's not over yet. While this movie ends with the promise of a third installment, we'll get more comic cross-dressing when "Madea's Family Reunion" opens next month.

"Big Momma's House 2" is rated PG-13 for some language, sexual humor and a humorous drug reference. Running time: 98 minutes.