Hired killer Tony Castellano (Miguel Ferrer) blows up a safe house barely missing mob case witness Lu Delano (Cathy Moriarty). Chris Lecce (Richard Dreyfuss) and Bill Reimers (Emilio Estevez) are assigned to the D.A. office. They stakeout a house with Gina Garrett (Rosie O'Donnell) and her dog. The cover story is that Gina is Chris' 2nd wife and Bill is his son. Maria McGuire (Madeleine Stowe) breaks up with Chris for not getting married. D.A. Thomas Hassrick is actually working for the mobster. The trio is staking out Brian (Dennis Farina) and Pam O'Hara (Marcia Strassman) in the house next door.The original has some fun with this odd buddy cop duo. Adding Rosie drains whatever fun there is in this franchise. I don't see the point of adding a third. She's a wet blanket. It's a lot of bickering between the three and most of it is annoying. This is not much fun.

Another reviewer said there's a caveat to this film. It's hard to find. Hard, maybe. Impossible, alas, no. Hubby found it, more's the pity.I saw the first Stakeout. It was not bad. Not brilliant, but quite watchable. I am very wary about sequels and rot like Stakeout 2 is the reason. The makers of this film hit on every single cliché with dismal regularity: from the dysfunctional married couple/family to the 'clever woman who kicks dumb men @$$' (hah, hah, hah), to toilet humor, they didn't leave one out. Not one. I don't know who told these guys that people shouting their heads off at each other is funny, but he certainly told them to pitch it strong. The only reason I'm going on is that I cannot submit a review less than ten lines long. Oh, and to add insult to injury, Rosie O'Donnell is in this mess, in all her loud, shrill obnoxiousness (can she be anything else?).Give this one a pass, do your brain cells a favor. Do your laundry, walk your dog, watch the grass on your lawn grow. Anything, but avoid this (bleep).

What's not to love? Dreyfuss, Estevez and O'Donnell all in prime comedic form, taking the buddy cop genre to a whole new level. Rosie paved the way for the likes of Joe Pesci and Chris Rock as being the 3rd or 4th wheel in that "other" (inferior) buddy cop series. And with classic lines like, "Cover me, I'm taking a bath.", this is truly film-making at its finest.Dreyfuss might be better remembered for roles in movies such as Close Encounters, Jaws and What About Bob, this is the role that truly defines him as an actor, a comedian and as an American. Estevez is great in sequels, as Young Guns II, D2: The Mighty Ducks and Another Stakeout are all the superior movie in the series they are in. And it was on the heels of this great performance that he hosted one of the funniest Saturday Night Lives I've ever seen. I believe that this was the apex of Rosie's acting career. After roles in A League of their Own and Sleepless in Seattle, I didn't think she could do any more... but I was wrong, she had enough in her tank for one more amazing performance before her career tail-spinned into obscure talk shows and publicized beefs with Donald Trump.The writing, directing and acting in this movie are all superb, and I was shocked that this movie wasn't nominated for any academy awards!If you haven't seen this movie, rent it today... it will make you laugh, cry (from laughing), and all the emotions in between!

Don't ask me why but when I was younger I would often watch this movie and the first one; "Stakeout". Of those two movies this is the one that has always stayed most in my mind.Basically this movie is just great entertainment. Like all those type of movies from that period there isn't much to the story and the movie is all about its characters and actors playing them. Compare it to the 'Lethal Weapon' movies, minus all of the action.This movie does have some fine characters and actors portraying them. Even better is the chemistry they all have. Richard Dreyfuss form Emilio Estevez a great 'buddy' cop duo and Rosie O'Donnell is also a fine addition to the two, basically since she is such a fine comedy actress. It also sort of makes you wonder why Richard Dreyfuss hasn't appeared in more comedy roles. He obviously has the talent and certainly the right timing for it. Guess he better wants to be remembered as a 'serious' actor and who can really blame him for that. The movie further more features Dennis Farina, Miguel Ferrer and Madeleine Stowe.The movie is filled with some great comedy moments. that mostly, again, work out due to the characters and actors of the movie. The movie has some guaranteed laughs and make this a perfect typical 'no worries' movie. Just sit back and enjoy watching it!It also shows that John Badham is actually a fine genre director! The timing is great and the pace, editing and positioning all make sure that the comedy in the movie works out even better.It's too bad that the story just mostly distracts from the movie and its humor. It's just not anything solid, interesting or something that hasn't been done before. But then again, this is all quite typical for the genre and time period it was made in. Basically if you enjoyed one or more of the 'Lethal Weapons' movies, you'll surely enjoy this movie as well.Guess the movie could had impressed some more by putting in some more and bigger action. The movie now feels quite simple and cheaply made at times, which at times becomes distracting but overall doesn't take away any of the fun of the movie.Great entertainment!8/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/