In the action comedy “Nobody 2” Hutch Mansell (played by Bob Odenkirk) is a “working class” dad who happens to be an assassin. The plot centers on him taking his family on a vacation to Plummerville, a resort area from his childhood with an iconic water park, Wild Bill’s Majestic Midway and Waterpark. However, Plummerville is a stand-in for Wisconsin Dells where Odenkirk took vacations as a child and “Wild Bill” is a stand-in for the iconic Tommy Bartlett who built many of the famous Wisconsin Dells attractions. Nobody 2 wasn’t filmed in Wisconsin Dells though, but near Winnipeg Canada (same as the original) water park scenes being shot at the Lilac Resort in nearby Saint Anne. A carnival was constructed in Winnipeg Beach and these scenes were later stitched together through the magic of editing.

The water park in Nobody 2 is really a central plot element, not just a passing scene like theme parks often are in movies. The synopsis below basically paints the picture of the retired assassin pulled back into the life while on a family vacation. It may not be the most original story-line ever, but that doesn’t mean it can’t provide a couple of hours of fun and entertainment.

Former assassin Hutch Mansell takes his family on a nostalgic vacation to a small-town theme park, only to be pulled back into violence when they clash with a corrupt operator, a crooked sheriff, and a ruthless crime boss.

https://letterboxd.com/film/nobody-2/

Odenkirk mentioned in an interview with Variety that the movie was originally supposed to be centered in Venice, but he didn’t feel the lavish foreign setting was appropriate for his “everyman” character. Instead he drew on his own childhood experiences of going to Wisconsin Dells”

When I was a kid, we went to the Wisconsin Dells, It’s one of the few trips I took. They were filled with these little vacation towns for people who can’t afford to go to Disneyland or somewhere like that.

Odenkirk Interview with Variety

Wisconsin Dells is often considered the “water park capitol of the world”. The Lilac Resort isn’t nearly the magnitude of some of the water parks located in Wisconsin Dells today, but was probably an affordable and available stand-in. Wild Bill’s Majestic Midway and Waterpark appears most like the now shuttered budget property, Riverview Park & Waterworld with its combination of water slides and carnival rides that would have been around in Odenkirk’s childhood. Family Land, which was folded into the Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park, is also a possible inspiration source or it could be he drew from combination of sites. Both of these parks had a mix of both carnival amusement park elements along with the water slides like in the movie, but calling them theme parks would be a stretch. Wisconsin Dells is also home to Noah’s Ark, America’s largest water park, which now owned by Herschend after they Acquired Palace Entertainment’s U.S. Attractions, however, Mr. Odenkirk would have been 17 when this opened in 1979. The other parks began operating in the late 60’s and early 70’s.

The movie also features “ducks” which are former amphibious military vehicles that are famous in Wisconsin Dells in prominent scenes, again drawing from Odenkirk’s childhood. The wild ride through the natural beauty of land and water is what made this area famous before the water parks and the experience is filled with a bunch of equally famous bad puns and jokes, think a Wisconsin version of the Jungle Cruise.

Nobody 2 is somewhat unique taking place in a water park and somewhat of a budget family vacation area, but a theme park is a common setting for a movie. Classics include National Lampoons Vacation and “Wally World” which was actually Six Flags Magic Mountain, Zombieland and “Pacific Playland” which was Wild Adventures and Richie Rich whose backyard coaster was really Iron Wolf at Six Flags Great America.

It’s great to see a water park so central to the plot of a movie and a family budget resort area like Wisconsin Dells. I grew up in Wisconsin going to the Dells and can totally relate to Odenkirk’s experiences. You could get cheap hotels or even camp in the Dells and the attractions were quite affordable. Although there are no specific Dells call outs in the movie, if you grew up going there or a similar area like Pigeon Forge, you’ll feel right at home with Nobody 2.