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Starsky & Hutch
(2004)
Starring:
Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Snoop Dogg
Director:
Todd Phillips
Rating:
PG-13
Studio:
Warner Bros.
Release Date:
03.05.04
Review
Posted: 03.05.04
Spoilers:
None
By
Craig Younkin
I've had Starsky &
Hutch on the top of my must-see list for a while. The
up-and-coming comic talents of director Todd Phillips (Old School)
and stars Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson made this movie look too good to
pass up. My expectations for it were very high and I think that is
what dimmed my enjoyment of it a little bit. This movie delivers
laughs but nothing more, which may come as just what the doctor
ordered for some and an underwhelming experience for others. I have to
say I was sort of disappointed, but was amused enough to recommend it
as an entertaining night out.
Starsky & Hutch is based on an old television show, and as far
as old TV goes, this is probably one of the best. The movie takes
place in Bay City during the 70's. David Starsky (Ben Stiller) is the
most intense cop on the force; he loves his job and thinks the pay is
decent. Ken "Hutch" Hutchinson is just the opposite; he's very cool
under pressure, thinks the pay sucks, and in the movie's opening scene
he isn't afraid to rob a bank to pick up a few extra bucks. It only
makes sense for these two to be thrown together as partners.
Their first assignment comes when a dead body washes up on a beach.
The deceased just so happens to be a drug trafficker working for Reese
Feldman (Vince Vaughn). Feldman has discovered a way to create a form
of cocaine that is undetectable to drug screens. With the help of a
police informant named Huggy Bear (Snoop Dogg), Starsky and Hutch work
together to bring down the drug kingpin.
Director Todd Phillips and his usual co-writer Scot Armstrong have
made Starsky & Hutch a very free-flowing piece of
entertainment. This movie is concerned less with plot and more with
just being funny, and for the most part it succeeds very well. The
script sends these characters on a series of very funny events,
including one with Will Ferrell (in a cameo), and the laughs appear
consistently to enjoy it.
The primary reason for this is the terrific casting of Stiller and
Wilson, who are really playing to their comic strengths. As the
tightly-wound David Starsky, Stiller displays a goofy toughness that
will have people cracking up in the aisles, while Wilson finds charm
and comedy in the laid-back slacker who just kind of coasts through
life.
Both actors make you wish that the script would give them more scenes
where they play off each other, but as it is, Starsky & Hutch
barely registers as a buddy cop comedy. There is very little sign of
tension contained in the plot and very little comic interplay between
the two mismatched characters. The movie feels very slight overall,
and were it not for the very funny moments it contains, it would not
work as well as it does by a long shot.
Two other big disappointments are the wastes of comic talents Vince
Vaughn and Snoop Dogg. Both make the best of their time on screen, but
their screen time is too limited for them to do anything but get a few
chuckles. Still, Starsky & Hutch is funny and that is more than
you can say for most of the movies that have come out so far this
year.
Film Rating:
κκκ (out of 4)
/ Film Grade: B
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