Super Troopers (2002)

Starring: Steve Lemme, Kevin Heffernan, Jay Chandrasekhar, Paul Soter, Erik Stolhanske
Director: Jay Chandrasekhar

Rating: R

Studio: Fox Searchlight

Review Posted: 2.17.02

Spoilers: Minor

Rating: 3/4

By Lee Tistaert.

This movie is not going to change anyone's life, but it supplies you with a hell of a fun time, especially if you're searching for some good laughs on a Friday or Saturday night. Quite frankly, I wish there were more movies like this one, because it is fun (on-screen) to watch police officers screw around with everyday citizens in attempt to make their job entertaining at the same time as puzzling the hell out of their victims. It's humorous and depending on the execution of the officer's gags, it can be downright hilarious. In Super Troopers, these cops screw around with their jobs. They're sick and tired, and so they turn it around and have fun while they're pulling people over on the freeway.

Just in case, if you're not the least bit amused by the opening scene, you might as well contemplate leaving the room because a lot of the humor throughout the feature is relevant to that type of entertainment. I myself first saw the opening scene on ifilm.com (where for some films you can view the first eight minutes for free). I thought those minutes were very funny and even viewing it in the theater with an audience was just as entertaining as seeing it on my computer.

Despite the opening scene carrying some of the best moments in the whole film, Super Troopers does supply some genuinely funny gags and jokes here and there. With a comedy such as this, you simply either find it funny or you don't. This is the kind of film you can't necessarily describe in detail and what specifically you enjoyed, because it is all fun and games as a whole. 

I can tell you I enjoyed the fact that the film didn't lighten up in humor after the hilarious opening. Granted, it had a few slow spots in which the humor wasn't exactly top-rate material, but there was enough solid gags to keep the entertainment flowing.

And by God, the stoner actor in the beginning (the one who swallows the drugs in the car) is going places in Hollywood. I can just see it. He's got an on-screen presence like Owen Wilson. You can simply look at his presence and already form a smile, or at least this is the way I felt.

I'd imagine seeing this movie drunk would add to the experience, because it seemed as though some members of the audience (which included roughly 95% college folk and teens) were in such a situation. One group was in constant laughter even when the rest of the audience was dead silent, giving them that "ok...?" expression.

Bottom line, Super Troopers is this: If you want a fun time with a group of cops who poke fun at their jobs, you can step right in.

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