"That's a nice-a donut."
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Super Troopers
From the wacky minds of the Broken Lizard comedy troupe comes Super Troopers, a funny but unspectacular farce about the hijinks of a small state police highway patrol unit in Vermont. The five or six officers are there not to bring peace or justice to their community, or even to bring home a regular paycheck, but seem to be working mainly just to have fun. They play pranks on each other, play games with motorists that they pull over, love to drink syrup, hit on rival police officers, avoid getting suspended, and generally screw around.
The main plot of the movie reminds me (in an off-hand sort of way) of two other comedies, one a classic and one not so much: Animal House and Police Academy 3: Back in Training. There are possible budget cuts that have put the inept department at risk. They are now competing with the local police department to crack open a drug smuggling problem in the area, which may possibly be linked to a recent murder. So the super troopers try to get their acts together before they find themselves out of a job. Alas, they're having just a little too much fun...
Though Super Troopers isn't so much a satire as Broken Lizard's next (and somewhat better) effort, Club Dread, they are trying to fire on all cylinders with the jokes, gags, and zingers. With some of the them they are definitely firing blanks (such as a scene involving the pretend sodomy of a fake bear) but some of them are quite funny. A few of the lowbrow antics are so outrageous that it almost feels like "Candid Camera: The Movie (State Police Edition)", especially a scene where one of the troopers randomly says "Meow" while talking to a driver that has been pulled over. The actors all do a credible job too of playing things for laughs and playing it straight when needed - often both at the same time. Brian Cox is especially good as the police captain of the state troopers. His character is just as bawdy and cavalier as the other officers, but since he is in a position of power he needs to control himself, which makes things all the more funny when he goes on a drunken rampage with the gang.
I imagine that the movie - like many comedies - is pretty much hit or miss for most people. Some people will likely despise the film, thinking that it is quite stupid and pointless. Others will watch it over and over again. This reviewer is somewhat in between. There are plenty of shenanigans, but for the most part they are "cheeky and fun." Just don't go in expecting a complex story or a tight script and you're liable to enjoy it.
The Verdict: B-.
Michael Bentley 12:33 PM
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