Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...
A bunch of AICN’s friends were going to go see this one, but illness and car problems and a number of other unexpected obstacles stopped them all. All but one, that is. Lucky Pierre lived up to his name by being the one guy who made it to the screening and who got in, and it sounds like it was worth the effort. I hope so... done right, it could be a lot of fun with these people involved...
Howdy, Sir! Lucky Pierre here, reporting to you about a screening that was held in Northridge, CA this past weekend. Many thanks to our friend Frosty Skywalker for providing admission to this event! And away we go!
What's It Called? STARSKY & HUTCH
Who's In It? Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Snoop Dogg, Vince Vaughn, Will Ferrell, Juliette Lewis, Carmen Electra, Jason Bateman
Who Made It? Todd Phillips is the Director, Several THE STATE cast members wrote it, and Warner Bros is releasing it.
What's It About? Based on the 70s cop drama of the same name, the basic plotline of this flick involves Vince Vaughn and Jason Bateman as drug dealers who have created a new form of cocaine. Odorless to drug-sniffing dogs and tasting like artifical sweetener, they're set to start raking in the cash. That is unless Bay City Coppers Starsky & Hutch can put them behind bars first! And yes, the film is set in the mid 70s, allowing Snoop Dogg to wear some of the hippest pimpwear available. Not that it stops him now in the present, anyway...
So What Did You Think? Wisely, the skeleton of a story is expositioned within the first five or ten minutes. The rest of the film is filled with uptight straight cop Starsky (Ben Stiller) and playfully crooked cop Hutch (Owen Wilson) trying to find the murderer of a man who washed up in the bay. (Hutch's proposed solution: find a stick and push him back out in the hopes the tide will take him.)
This was definitely funnier than either of director Todd Phillips' previous efforts (Road Trip & Old School.) There were at least 5 or 6 times when the audience was roaring so loudly I wished there was a 'rewind' option. One of my favorite bits involved Will Ferrell as a homo-erotic biker behind bars who offers information in exchange for Starsky & Hutch's performance of a 'dragon' routine. I won't go into detail on what that involves, suffice to say it gets caught on the prison's security camera for a few more laughs later on. Another highlight involved Starsky playing Russian Roulette with a would-be assassin wherein Starsky thinks he's slipped the bullet into his sleeve... but it drops back into the chamber when he goes to close it.
The film moves pretty quickly and there weren't many moments when the audience wasn't at least chucking. I was glad to hear others in the audience laughing at some of the wittier asides (like the homage to Easy Rider and Owen Wilson wooing two cheerleaders by singing "Don't Give Up On Us" which was a big hit for the original Hutch actor, David Soul, in the late 70s.) Vince Vaughn isn't given much to do except be the bad guy although his rendition of 'My Eyes Adored You' is disturbingly noteworthy as he's singing it to his character's daughter in the film. Juliette Lewis is pretty much wasted and I can count her lines on one hand. I'm undecided on whether or not the 70s setting worked... despite the perm haircuts, afros, and big Chevys, I never really got the impression of being IN the 70s. Oh well. If that's my only complaint, then I truly have none.
Will You Go See It? Hell yes. I honestly cannot remember the last movie I walked away from, remembering every joke, still laughing at parts the next morning... this one's a keeper and I sorely hope it does well enough to warrant a sequel.
Look for this one in 2004!!
-LP
Thanks for the review, man. Glad you enjoyed it so much. Sounds like you had a lot of fun.
"Moriarty" out.
