Sinbad Has A Stealthy Cameo In Good Burger 2, But It Could Have Been Bigger

Millennials rejoice! 26 years later, Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell are once again serving up fast-food morsels in the achingly-awaited (and, for a long time, seemingly improbable) "Good Burger 2." Folks who grew up on Nickelodeon's kid-friendly sketch comedy series "All That" have been clamoring for a return to the chaotically unclean confines of Good Burger (home, don't you know, of the Good Burger), and now that it's here, I'll let those whose satiric sensibilities were partially formed by the original pass judgment on the quality of the sequel (I'm a Gen X-er who turned 50 last month; I have absolutely nothing against "Good Burger" or people who love it, but I do not worship at this church).

I do, however, know Sinbad. A comedic force of nature, I first saw the man rack up multiple wins on the Ed McMahon-hosted talent competition "Star Search" in the 1980s (like I said, Gen-X through and through). I remember watching him besting a young Dennis Miller; this bothered me at the time, but considering Miller's career trajectory, I am firmly in Sinbad's camp. After all, who else possessed the bravery to ask which part of the chicken produced the Chicken McNugget?

In any event, I did see "Good Burger," and I tremendously enjoyed Sinbad's portrayal of Mr. Wheat, a high-school teacher whose car gets busted up by Kenan's fun-loving Dexter Reed. This accident forces Dexter to take a summer job at the title eatery, where he strikes up a friendship with Kel's not-at-all-stoner (he's totally a stoner) cashier Ed.

When you revisit a beloved property like this, it's wise to reinvoke everything people loved about the original. "Good Burger 2" does this with Sinbad. But they actually had bigger plans.

In an exclusive interview with /Film's Ethan Anderton, director Phil Traill and the screenwriting duo of Kevin Kopelow and Heath Seifert (who wrote the first movie) confirmed Sinbad's brief (and credited) participation in "Good Burger 2." Anderton correctly identified the comedian as the man who tells Dexter over the phone that he's out of business.

Sinbad suffered a stroke in 2020, and only recently returned to the screen via a brief cameo during the fourth season of "Atlanta." But according to Kopelow, the primary culprit for the comic's on-camera absence was due to scheduling and the Rhode Island location. Had he been able to make the trip to the Northeast, however, they had a scene for him. Here's what the "Good Burger 2" team told Anderton:

Kopelow: When [Kel] backed into the car [early in the movie,] he was going to pull away and Sinbad was going to be the driver.

Oh man, that would've been so good.

Seifert: Think it when you're watching it.

Traill: But it was great to be able to have him in it, and he was really stoked to be in it. He really enjoyed it.

Seifert: Yeah, it was important for us to have him participate in some way.

So, spiritually, Sinbad is more present in "Good Burger 2" than you initially thought. Just do as Seifert advises, and Mr. Wheat yet lives.