Super Tiras

I have seen this movie about 25 times and it is absolutely one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. The comedy is fresh and deep at times but if you have any sort of a sense of humor...you'll love it. The characters are built well and the film flows evenly until the end. Farva is the funniest character and works well with the others.

Buy it!

The ensemble cast in this film takes the just above average drug humor and turns it into a laugh festival. I rate this movie as funny as Animal House.

The Local Highway Troopers are hapless, hopeless, and not anyone you want on YOUR highway, but man are they funny! You truly find yourself loving this crew as they struggle to keep their station open in the face of budget cuts.

The characters are so widely diverse yet so believable from the ethnically questionable leader of the crew Arkot Ramathorne (Thorny) whose girlfriend runs a head shop to the adorable and insane Mack whose wild stunts steal the show on a regular basis.

'Super Troopers' has taken the 'Police Academy'-films and changed it into something funny. One of the differences is that the State Troopers in this movie want to be funny, things are not simply happening to them. The Troopers are Thorny (Jay Chandrasekhar), Mac (Steve Lemme), Foster (Paul Soter), a rookie named Rabbit (Erik Stolhanske) and the weird outsider Farva (Kevin Heffernan), all under the leadership of Capt. John O'Hagan (Brian Cox). The movie is set in Spurbury, Vermont where so little is happening they play games to have some fun. Their victims are the people they turn over. They also have a constant battle with the local police.

There is a story, although it is more like a framework for gags. The Spurbury State Trooper department is about to be closed due financial problems. A dead body is found and it seems that there is a connection with some drugs, found in a truck. A great bust could help the Troopers. Of course the local police wants the same bust causing more problems between the two departments. A sub-plot involves Foster and a girl from the local police, Ursula (Marisa Coughlan), who are dating although that is against the rules. Of course Ursula might come in handy when it comes to who will solve the crime first, the Troopers or the local police.

But like I said, the story does not really matter here. It is divided in funny segments, one a little funnier than the other, but all quite entertaining. Especially the verbal jokes dealing with some drivers they have pulled over will give you some great laughs. It is especially funny because at first we think the Troopers are just very dumb and talk in clichés. But then we learn that before they walk up to a car they decide which joke they will try, simply for their own amusement. Of course the movie goes over the top at some points, especially with the Farva-character, but it is not distracting because almost every comedy these days has a character like his.

This may not be a great movie, but is an entertaining from start to finish. It made me want to see the other films from these comedians, their group is called "Broken Lizard", including 2004's 'Club Dread'. Since it is hard to top this movie at least in this particular genre, I am not sure whether I should, but that says enough about 'Super Troopers' itself.

Super Troopers? Never heard of it. Then I saw it. Then I hit play again and watched it twice in a row. Sitting in an Airbase in Turkey, I knew I had found what would be our number one "cruise flick." The movie that all the officers of Fighting VAQ-134, could watch together, then spend the next few weeks quoting. One guy even got a callsign, "Farva." Perfect. There is a lot of great material to chew on all through the movie. The rivalry, pranks, and rookie bashing are things we cherish. And we can all relate to having that one guy around who drives you crazy. Many of my peers have already purchased the movie. And we have incorporated many of the quotes into our cinematically based lingo.

My recommendation is to grab a bunch of friends, maybe some cold beverages, and have a good time. You just may want to become a Highway Patrolman.

Not many movies keep on getting better and better as you watch them for the 5th, 6th or 7th time, especially comedies. The first time I saw this movie in the Cinema it didn't blow me away, and most people I know who have seen this movie only once do not rate it very highly. After seeing it a few times I rate this movie as high as Fletch and other classic comedies, probably higher.

There is so many worthwhile jokes that I think it must have taken quite a while to write - if you don't have a similar sense of humour you would probably think they had written it all in one night which clearly wasn't the case. There is not a lot to complain about with respect to the acting either - their style suits the movie perfectly.

Remember that it is a comedy first and foremost - if you are looking for an clever story you have the wrong genre. Criticism of the movie being a series of sketches or jokes is really irrelevant - one look at the cover or preview tells you exactly what kind of movie it is. Regardless, there is nothing wrong with the plot and if you appreciate/comprehend the jokes the movie flows just fine.

If you are going to watch it, watch it 2 or 3 times.