Short Circuit 2

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Short Circuit 2
Promotional one-sheet poster.
Directed by	Kenneth Johnson
Produced by	David Foster Gary Foster Lawrence Turman
Written by	Brent Maddock S.S. Wilson
Starring	Tim Blaney (voice) Fisher Stevens Michael McKean Cynthia Gibb Jack Weston Tim Blaney
Music by	Charles Fox Jim Steinman (song: Holding Out for a Hero)
Cinematography	John McPherson
Editing by	Conrad Buff IV
Distributed by	TriStar Pictures
Release date(s)	1988
Running time	110 min
Language	English
Preceded by	Short Circuit
Followed by	Hot Cars, Cold Facts
IMDb profile

Short Circuit 2 is a 1988 motion picture, sequel to Short Circuit directed by Kenneth Johnson. It starred Fisher Stevens as Ben Jahrvi; Michael McKean as Fred Ritter; Cynthia Gibb as Sandy Banatoni; and Johnny 5 (the main character - a very friendly, self-aware robot), voiced by Tim Blaney.

[edit] Plot

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After an undisclosed amount of time after the first movie, Stephanie Speck and Newton Crosby are hiding out with the robot Number 5 (who has since rechristened himself Johnny 5), while Newton's co-worker, Benjamin Jahrvi, moves to New York City, New York in order to try and start a booming business selling toy versions of Johnny out on the street. One such toy makes its way into a nearby department store, where it's spotted by struggling associate saleswoman Sandy Banatoni. Enraptured by the ingenious little gadgets, Sandy works out an order for 1,000 of them with Ben with the help of nearby street hustler Fred Ritter, who uses a loan shark to gain the equipment, temps, and housing needed to complete the order on time.

Unfortunately for the two reluctant business partners, the warehouse that Fred chose for them is the base of operations for a duo of thieves hired by bank teller Oscar Baldwin to tunnel underground to his bank's safe across the street; a $37,862,000 set of jewels, known as the Vanderveer Collection, is going on display in a week, and until the exhibit opens, they'll be housed in the bank for safe-keeping. As Fred's loan of the building for Ben's fledgling business will slow them down, the thieves attempt to scare the duo off by trashing their equipment, making it impossible for them to meet the deadline.

Fortunately for Ben, a large crate arrives from Stephanie and Newton, containing Johnny 5; wanting to help Ben with his business, they decided the best way would be to send Johnny, but warns him to keep an eye on the input-hungry robot. On cue, Johnny demonstrates how he can build the toys in rapid time, and both Ben and Fred are happy to let Johnny do all the work, allowing Ben free time to study up for what he would need to become a U.S. citizen. However, keeping in mind Johnny's thirst for knowledge, Ben makes Fred swear not to reveal the nature of their location to Johnny, believing (rightfully) that the robot would go nuts if he knew he was living in a major metropolis filled with input.

Learning of Johnny's presence, and his impact on their plans, the thieves attempt to destroy Johnny, but the former military robot proves too strong. To make matters worse, Fred accidentally lets it slip that Johnny is in a city the next day, and during his wild romps through the metropolis (including being duped into helping a gang steal car stereos), inadvertently makes friends with Oscar, himself. This gives Oscar an idea on how to get the jewels, but contacts his associates to discuss it.

Meanwhile, Fred asking questions about Johnny 5 from Ben, who has fallen in love with Sandy over their business talks, and demands to know why they don't just sell Johnny to take care of their financial problems (as Johnny is worth over $11 million). Ben staunchly refuses, giving a vague "You wouldn't understand" as his explanation, but Fred is left unconvinced. After convincing Ben to ask Sandy out on a date, Fred uses that time alone to attempt to sell Johnny to a few high-profile businessmen (including some with knowledge about the SAINT prototype project). During a short side-trip to a local bookstore, Johnny makes a huge mess, forcing Fred to try to cover for him before they're caught by security. Later, Johnny gets wise to Fred's plan to sell him, and escapes through a window of the office building where Fred's deal was taking place.

Now alone in the big city, Johnny soon realizes through his interaction with passers-by just how lonely he is, because of his inability to convince anyone that he is alive. In an attempt to blend in, he steals a trenchcoat and beanie hat, but is caught by the police, who were informed of his actions in the bookstore. Johnny is later found by an angry and concerned Ben (angry at Fred for attempting to sell Johnny and subsequently losing him, and concerned for Johnny's safety) in the NYPD's stolen goods warehouse. That night, Ben and Johnny have a talk about Johnny's actions in the city and his reasons behind them, which reveals that they are much alike in their situations: Johnny is lonely because no one believes he's alive, while Ben is lonely because he can't seem to attract Sandy's interest, making him feel as if she doesn't see him as 'alive' beyond being business associates. Realizing that his encyclopedic knowledge about dating could help Ben, Johnny offers to help the struggling roboticist with Sandy during their date.

At first, Ben tries to improvise on his date with Sandy, then Johnny gives him prompts via a nearby radio-controlled billboard. Ben fails miserably, and Sandy feels that he is just playing with her head, until he finally comes clean about his and Johnny's ruse and the two lovebirds find something in common to build their relationship around: oldies music.

The next day, Oscar and his goons, pressed for time and running out of options, agree to use Oscar's friendship with Johnny to persuade the robot into helping them finish the tunnel. They also plan to kidnap Ben and Fred to keep them from interfering. The plan works well, with Ben and Fred being transported to a Chinese restaurant across town and locked in its freezer, while Oscar convinces Johnny that the tunnel could be used as an escape route for Ben in case the thieves come back. Johnny completes the tunnel, breaks into the safe, and unlocks the safe deposit box that holds the Vanderveer Collection. Johnny finally becomes aware of Oscar's deception, but after a brief chase through part of the city, Oscar and his goons attack Johnny, and to prevent him being a witness to their crimes, they severely damage him. However, before they can 'kill' Johnny, he takes control of a nearby remote control model aircraft and uses it to chase them away.

Although Johnny manages to survive, he is still slowly dying. He jury-rigs a car battery to himself in order to extend his life. Ben and Fred are also spared their icy fate, after transmitting to Sandy's answering machine directions to the restaurant they are being held in the form of short musical clues. However, when returning to the warehouse to find Johnny, Ben and Sandy are falsely captured by the police, while Fred escapes and manages to find Johnny in an alleyway. Fred, having had a change of heart during his time with Ben at the restaurant, and startled by how smashed up Johnny is, becomes Johnny's novice savior. He uses a nearby Radio Shack and Johnny's typed-out instructions on a computer to patch him up enough to reconnect his main battery and memory, which - along with repairing his broken arm - is enough for Johnny to make the remaining repairs himself.

Things are looking bad for Johnny, however: despite Fred's best efforts, Johnny has still not repaired himself enough to save his power supply from fading within one hour, and Oscar has almost escaped, packing the jewels in plastic dinosaurs for transport past customs and over the border. Despite this, Johnny is determined to bring Oscar and his cronies to justice, and, after a brief chase, finds and corners them at a construction zone near the Hudson River. Oscar and his gang are captured and the diamonds are returned, but the effort drains Johnny's remaining power reserves, causing Ben (who, with Sandy, was immediately released and used to help track down Johnny, after the Radio Shack's owner, Manic Mike, reports having seen them) to frantically use a defibrillator in an effort to save Johnny. Ben succeeds, to everyone's delight, and manages to keep him alive long enough to make full repairs on him.

At the end of the movie, Johnny has become a celebrity overnight, his face and tale with the jewel thieves adorning the front page of newspapers and magazines everywhere. As a result of this newfound fame, his look-alike toys have become a hot commodity, allowing Sandy, Ben, and Fred to go into business for themselves as a successful corporation known as Input, Inc. The movie concludes with Ben's inauguration into U.S. citizenship, which he shares with a newly-restored - and solid gold - Johnny, officially recognized as a living, thinking, citizen with all the associated rights and privileges. Asked how he felt about his new status, Johnny enthusiastically jumps into the air, shouting that he feels "alive!"