Four years after a man fell in love with a mannequin brought to life, a new story emerges in this sequel that brings back the original’s breakout supporting character.

Jason Williamson has just gotten a new job at Prince and Company, Immediately, he finds himself somewhat on blast from the new store manager, Mr. James. Jason is to work on an upcoming event with Hollywood Montrose. The event involves the 1000th anniversary of a story involving an enchanted peasant girl from Germany whose love for the prince resulted in her being frozen by a sorcerer hired by the queen. If the peasant girl were to find true love within the millennium, she will be brough back to life.

When Jason takes off the peasant girl statue’s necklace, the mannequin comes to life. She is the actual girl in the story, Jessie, who mistakes Jason for her love Prince William, who turns out to be the descendant of the prince himself. Jason and Jessie soon find themselves falling for each other, but the descendant of the sorcerer, Count Spretzle, has learned of the curse being broken and he intends to make sure the curse is never lifted again and will do anything to ensure he brings Jessie back to Germany.

When Mannequin came out in 1987, it was a major hit at the box office, so it was inevitable that somehow, someway, there would be a sequel. Well, sadly, lightning didn’t strike twice as the film was a box office disaster. However, the story seems to be very interesting in terms of who the new mannequin is in this one. From an Egyptian princess who travels through time to eventually find her true love, this one involves a millennial curse in which a commoner who loves a prince finds true love in the descendant of said prince.

Where Andrew McCarthy and Kim Cattrall showed perfect chemistry in the original, there are times when the chemistry between Kristy Swanson and William Ragsdale seems a bit out there. Maybe it’s because compared to the strong will of Cattrall’s Emmy, Swanson’s Jessie comes off a bit too quirky. Then again, the blame isn’t on Swanson, but more the script, which makes Jessie seem more air-headed. Ragsdale on the other hand, is wonderful as Jason, who tries to understand the situation he’s now in and goes with the flow.

Stuart Pankin channels a bit like Mr. Richards, but unlike that character, is more committed to Prince & Company and will do anything to keep the store’s success going. Meshach Taylor triumphantly returns to his role of Hollywood, who is still flamboyant and even gets to see what it’s like to become a mannequin himself in one scene, which does bring a bit of some laughs from Swanson. Terry Kiser brings hilarity to the role of villain Count Spretzle, but he could have done without the three idiotic bodyguards, who are obsessed with going to Bermuda for some strange reason. Finally, there’s a surprise character in Andy, played by Andrew Hill Newman. He is revealed to be the Illustra security guard in the finale of the first film who has jumped ship and even has eyes on perfume counter girl Gail, played by Julie Foreman.

Mannequin: On the Move is not a completely bad sequel. There are a few flaws here and there mainly in the script. However, give credit to Kristy Swanson and William Rasgdale for making the most of the film in terms of their chemistry and of course, Hollywood’s fun and dashing return to help save the sequel from complete and utter failure.

WFG RATING: B-

20th Century Fox presents a Gladden Entertainment production. Director: Stewart Raffill. Producer: Edward Rugoff. Writers: Edward Rugoff, David Isaacs, Ken Levine, and Betsy Israel; based on the original characters created by Rugoff and Michael Gottlieb. Cinematography: Larry Pizer. Editing: Joan Chapman and John Rosenberg.

Cast: Kristy Swanson, William Ragsdale, Meshach Taylor, Terry Kiser, Cynthia Harris, Stuart Pankin, Andrew Hill Newman, Julie Foreman, John Edmondson, Phil Latella, Mark Gray.