Long before the "Die Hard" films and "Armageddon," Bruce Willis became a TV star in the show "Moonlighting." What made the show so popular, and made it so good, was the ability of the cast, especially Willis, to know the difference between comedy and drama and, when necessary, combine the two. In movies like "Blind Date" and "Nobody's Fool" Willis carried this talent to the big screen. And he continues to shine in "The Whole Ten Yards."

For those who may not know, the film is a sequel to "The Whole Nine Yards." The story of the original film, briefly: Hit man Jimmy "the Tulip" Tudesky (Willis) meets up with nervous dentist "Oz" Oseransky (Perry). Along the way, Oz falls for Jimmy's ex-wife, Cynthia (Henstridge), while Jimmy is smitten with a want to be hit-woman, Jill (Peete). After killing bad guy Johnny Gogolak (Pollak), the two couples drive off into the sunset. The new film opens with Jimmy and Jill now living in Mexico. Jill is having no luck at trying to be a contract killer and Jimmy has taken to cleaning house, baking roasts and naming his pet chickens. In LA, Oz and Cynthia are celebrating the knowledge that they are about to have a child. Unfortunately, Oz is still wary of bad guys and has turned their home into a virtual fortress. He's not kidding when he comments on teaching his new baby how to swim across the moat! Oz has reason to worry because it seems Johnny Gogolak's dad, Lazlo (Pollak again) is out of prison and bent on revenge. Does Oz have reason to worry? Will Jimmy go back to the life he left behind?

I must admit here that I've only seen a handful of "Friends" episodes, so my knowledge of Matthew Perry's work comes mostly from the films he has done. In the past I found him to be adequate at best, but here he pulls out all of the stops. His knack for pratfalls and double takes works well here. Peete and Henstridge are fine in their roles as supporting partners and Pollak is a riot with his bad English and word pauses. Not since Richard Dimitri in "Johnny Dangerously" has a bad guy murdered the language so hilariously. But the star of the show is Willis. His comic timing down to a tee, he moves in and out from "Mr. Mom" to cold blooded killer at the drop of a hat. And it looks like the acorn hasn't fallen far from the tree as Tallulah Belle Willis, Willis' daughter with Demi Moore, has a fun scene as a Buttercup Scout selling cookies.

Funny from beginning to end, "The Whole Ten Yards" is one of the better comedies of the new year. On a scale of zero to four stars, I'm giving it