Mark Wahlberg and Kit Harington return in an action comedy that doesn’t solve your life, but guarantees some laughs on Apple TV

“Plano em Família 2” tries to follow the trail of its previous success with the same enthusiasm as someone who insists on repeating a story that has already lost its charm, and it is precisely in this automatic gesture that the film weakens. The narrative follows Dan Morgan, played by Mark Wahlberg, decided to take his family away from the daily chaos and embark on a trip to Europe that should seal, at least for a few days, a truce between obligations and expectations. But Dan has a professional history that insists on returning like an inconvenient shadow, and this baggage manifests itself again at the worst possible moment: when everyone believes they are on the verge of a season of rest. Michelle Monaghan, Zoe Colletti and Van Crosby make up the rest of the family, each trying to react to an avalanche of dangers they didn’t ask to face.

The premise, which could yield an interesting game between domestic intimacy and international pursuits, opts for a path that is too predictable for those who already know the logic of sequences that expand geography but reduce personality. The film focuses on tourist locations as if the change of scenery compensated for the lack of breath in the conflicts. Dan and his children, previously involved in a lighter tone, now move through European cities while trying to escape enemies that sound generic to the point of disappearing from memory before they even leave the scene. Kit Harington enters the plot with promises of being a decisive figure, but the character is underused, orbiting the plot without actually transforming the story or tensioning the Morgans’ journey.

This emptying does not happen due to a lack of talent in the cast, but because of choices that overly soften any chance of complexity. The family dynamics, which could function as an emotional counterpoint to the constant danger, are reduced to quick reactions, as if no one has time to reflect on the absurdity of living out of suitcase in hand while old threats resurface. There are attempts at humor scattered throughout dialogues that seek to alleviate tension, but most of them are lost due to the lack of timing or the script’s rush to move on to the next chase. The result is a film that maintains pace, but does not maintain soul.

Mark Wahlberg still supports Dan as a man torn between protecting who he loves and dealing with past choices, although the script rarely allows this conflict to expand beyond pragmatic phrases. Michelle Monaghan tries to balance toughness and vulnerability, but her character almost always reacts to events rather than directing them. Zoe Colletti and Van Crosby have enough energy to bring lightness, but their most interesting moments are interrupted by action scenes that don’t justify the space they occupy. Everything runs, everything explodes, but little reverberates.

The narrative could explore the contrast between a family trying to preserve its normality and a father trapped by the consequences of a previous life that never dissolved. However, the film prefers not to delve into any of this and settles into a sequence of events that only function as immediate entertainment. The chases are competent but rarely vibrant. Villains come and go without leaving a trace. The supposed great mystery surrounding Dan is handled with a simplicity that contradicts any attempt to create real tension.

One gets the impression that “Plano em Família 2” tries to bring together humor, action and emotional bonds like someone packing a suitcase in a hurry: everything is there, but nothing is organized in a way that creates an impact. The Morgan family even deserves new chapters, just not in such an automatic way, so tied to the formula that empties it. The film is entertaining in isolated moments, but scatters when it tries to justify its existence. And perhaps it is precisely this question, silent and uncomfortable, that accompanies the viewer after the session.