Starsky & Hutch

A funny and thoroughly enjoyable spin on the overused cop-buddy formula, "Starsky and Hutch" is one of the most entertaining films of 2004 -- even if it's nothing more than just that.

With a fair share of laugh-out-loud moments, and more than a handful of in-joke references to '70s pop culture (including the original source material: "Starsky and Hutch" the TV show), it also boasts a fine comedic cast with talented performers: Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Snoop Dogg, Chris Penn, Amy Smart and some uncredited cameos by the likes of Will Ferrell -- and yes, even the original Starsky and Hutch. But their shared appearance is one best left open. ("I get a good vibe from these guys," the younger Hutch exclaims in one of the film's most savory self-referential moments.)

The film takes place in Bay City, "sometime during the '70s," when David Starsky (Stiller) -- a by-the-numbers police officer who spends his entire day chasing small-time crooks -- is paired up with a new partner, the reckless Ken "Hutch" Hutchinson (Wilson). Starsky and Hutch don't get along at first -- their mixed personalities collide, resulting in uncomfortable tension. Placed on an assignment involving an alleged drug lord (Vaughn), who has managed to create undetectable cocaine, Starsky and Hutch find themselves in a number of awkward situations: getting a statement by Big Earl (Ferrell), a dragon-obsessed inmate with some major issues; the usual tidbits of information from Huggy Bear (Dogg), a friend and informant of Hutch's; and of course the mandatory romantic subplot involving a pair of sexy cheerleaders.

The contrast of Starsky and Hutch is handled deliberately blunt: this comedy isn't as much a victim of the cop-buddy genre as it is a dead-on spoof. Hutch is a self-described "realist" -- during his introductory sequence he is shown fleeing the scene of a robbery with a stash of money. We assume he is undercover, and that's what he tells the cops when they try to arrest him. However, he's just using his badge as an excuse to commit crimes -- and get away with them.

I asked myself if it was as possible as the film implies, but then the Constantly Yelling and/or Upset Police Captain (another clichéd role that happens to show up in all these movies) tells Hutch that it's the seventh time he's been arrested for robbery, and Hutch tells him that he's undercover -- trying to work his way in through the criminal underground. The joke, of course, is that we find out the robberies are all totally unrelated and bear no significant to a criminal underground of any kind.

There are a few sequences in the movie that deserve a description of their own, such as when Starsky accidentally consumes a large amount of cocaine and works himself into an ultimate-high-frenzy, battling on the disco floor of a nightclub for short-lived glory. After his opponent is unjustly awarded the gold medal, Starsky pulls out his gun and from there on the entire situation escalates into one of those scenes that -- like parts of Stiller's "There's Something About Mary" -- last on in viewers' minds even after the film itself fades away. The sort of sequence you might chuckle about to yourself as you drive home and recall certain moments from the film.

Stiller and Wilson -- presently two of Hollywood's most famous odd couples who have united together for a number of projects over the years -- are always likable in their films and nothing changes here. Wilson uses his sarcastic quips to an advantage, coming across as the smoother of the two, whereas Starsky is the bumbling and self-conscious idiot who is both over-protective and over-zealous.

The movie is at its best when it is cleverly satirizing the genre. Most of these films always include a sequence where the police captain will suspend the movie's protagonist and frown on him, saying something cheesy like, "Your father, who spent years on the force and was one of the highest-decorated officers, would be ashamed of you!" Instead, the police captain tells Starsky that his mother would be ashamed of him. And then after being suspended, Starsky takes a visit to his mother's grave and places a glazed donut on the headstone (she was the highly decorated cop in the family, apparently).

The film was directed by Todd Phillips, whose resume includes such raunchy efforts at comedy as the crude-but-enjoyable "Road Trip" and surprising "Old School." The latter film starred Ferrell and Vaughn and contained a cameo appearance by Snoop Dogg (as himself), so obviously these guys enjoyed working with Phillips and, I'm sure, agreed to contribute to this movie just for the heck of it.

The result is a very goofy, entertaining summer flick that never tries too hard and invariably never falls too hard, either. It does fall sometimes, but even then it usually takes its screw-ups with a pinch of salt. This is the sort of movie worth the price of admission -- just to sit back, forget your worries, and watch a couple of clowns bumble their way through an enjoyable farce of the '70s. It's not the kind of movie you'll be talking about after you see it -- just a simple popcorn flick. If you're out and about and you happen to stumble into a theater showing this film, you'll find your money well spent. I won't praise "Starsky and Hutch" for being a brilliant tongue-in-cheek spoof of the cop-buddy films -- I'll merely say that, for what it is, "Starsky and Hutch" is well-made and funny -- a surprisingly simple movie that is everything it pretends to be. The majority of films that use this approach suffer because they fall victim to their targets, especially most released this year, but where the others have failed "Starsky and Hutch" succeeds.

Silly comedy. Silly jokes. Ok enough to watch it till the end, but nothing above average. Think of the usual Will Ferrel and Vince Vaugh kids humor and then you will know what to expect.

Cant imagine anyone being interested in the story because there basically is none. It's just a contineous silly parody on narcotic cops investigating drugdealers.

Continuing the recent success of comedies starring Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughan et al "Starsky and Hutch" is an immensely creative, though sometimes annoying, comedy about two cops with totally opposite characters after a rich drug dealer. Quite clearly, the point of the movie isn't the crime detection at all... the film becomes a hilarious spoof of the 70s culture, still paying homage to the original TV show.

And the comedy is pretty evident. Starsky and Hutch may be of opposite personalities but they have one thing in common, they are buffoons. And with Stiller and Wilson playing them, it's just fun to watch them embark on all those hilarious mishaps. The role by Snoop Dogg is also a hit. Vaughan plays the no-nonsense drug lord with a brilliant serious air around him. Carmen Electra, Amy Smart and Juliette Lewis only add to the fun with their 70s-type 'brainless babe' roles.

It'd take a long time to mention the funny scenes, because they are plenty. I'd rather point out the ones that I found rather annoying... like the mime act scene or the jail interview scene. But that's okay, these films are supposed to have few shots of such crude sense of humor and I've known many who'd actually like them. The story, by the way, could have been a bit more dramatic. Besides these minor complaints, 'Starsky and Hutch' scores good.

Of all the recent buddy-cop movies, released lately this is one of the better ones.

Biggest strength of this movie is in the two main characters played by Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson. They are such a great screen duo together and have some great team chemistry on the screen. The movie is filled with many other great comical talented actors such as; Vince Vaughn as the main villain, Snoop Dogg and Will Ferrell and some smaller roles for famous names such as; Chris Penn, Carmen Electra, Amy Smart and Juliette Lewis.

But the movie is more then just an ordinary buddy-movie, it also is a priceless parody of '70's TV-shows in general. It uses some of the same camera-positions and style of editing at times, especially in the action sequences. But also the way of acting, dialog and costumes perfectly spoof all those silly '70 TV-series. I'm not sure if everybody catch or understood this but I really laughed out loud at some moments.

The comedy can be put in the category silly, so this movie is clearly not suitable for everyone. The humor is really over-the-top but I for one really enjoyed that. The characters are really silly but the professional comedy actors portray them extremely well and likable.

A perfectly fun comedy to kill some time with.

7/10

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Ben Stiller had four movies come out in six months and this one was the best. He teamed up with Owen Wilson and together they make a very funny team. Based on the popular 70's action show of the same name, Starsky and Hutch re teams Detectives David Starsky and Ken Hutchinson, this time played by long-time buddies Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson. This "prequel" to the television show presents the origins of their long running partnership, as they are thrown together on a case involving a shady entrepreneur (Vince Vaughn). Stiller makes up for Envy and brings out the laughs with a great cast. I never saw the series but I am willing to bet that the movie is a lot better and this is more of a parody of the series. The story was funny sure it was nothing new but they still make it work. Stiller and Wilson have a great backup cast in this including Vince Vaughn, Amy Smart, Jason Bateman, Juliette Lewis and Carmen Electra. They all bring humor into the movie and they play their roles well. Snoop Dog played his role decently but they could have found someone else to play Huggy Bear. Todd Phillips directs and he has made some funny comedies in the past including Old School and Road Trip. Vince Vaughn has moved on from being a serious actor to being a comedian and the transition worked in Old School and it works in this movie. The film is 100 minutes long so its hard to put in enough jokes to sustain its running time but for the most part the film is pretty entertaining. Rating 7/10 I recommend you see this movie if your looking for a good comedy or if your a fan of any of the stars.