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Starsky & Hutch is one funny movie—and that comes from a
guy who’s generally embarrassed by all things 70s. I mean, it was a decade that gave us
disco, The Partridge Family, white guys with afros, and the denim leisure suit.
What part of that could we ever want to repeat? Well, other than Charlie’s
Angels…
Starsky & Hutch is perfect for Ben Stiller and Owen
Wilson. Stiller plays Starsky, an intense, by-the-book cop, and Wilson is Hutch, the
laid-back part of the duo. They’re both in trouble with their boss and are put together
because no one else will work with them.
But the big joke in the film
is Reese Feldman’s (Vince Vaughn) plan. Feldman has invented a kind of cocaine that
drug-sniffing dogs can’t smell. In other words, he’s invented “new Coke.” It tastes like
artificial sweetener and can really spice up a cup of coffee…
This is
decidedly not a plot-driven movie. The plot exists solely as an excuse for
Stiller and Wilson to do scenes together. You’d think that, after all of the films that
they’ve done together, pairing them up again would have gotten old. I mean, how could
they top what they did in Zoolander?
Still, their timing and dialogue are dead-on. There’s plenty of locker room humor and
hints that the two might really be ‘a different kind of partners.’ And the scenes with
Stiller in yet another dance-off (a la Zoolander) are great. I loved the way
Starsky would drive his beloved bright-red supercharged Ford Gran Torino like a bat out
of hell—and then get bent out of shape if the car would get scratched or dented.
Snoop Dogg plays the pimp/informant Huggy Bear, my personal favorite from the
television show. His acting is flat, but it’s perfect for this part. He gets his lines
out on time so the two lead actors can play off of them, and that’s all he really needs
to do.
There are also subtle tips of the hat to the original series,
including appearances by Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul, as well as Wilson singing
(sort of) Soul’s big hit, “Don’t Give Up on Us Baby”—a joke that only we older viewers
will get.
Do your family a favor by clicking on the “Order” link on the
top of this page and buying this movie.
