MOVIE - STARSKY & HUTCH - Review Rating $$$$$ $$$ (OUT OF 10)
STARRING - Ben Stiller (Dave Starsky), Owen Wilson (Ken Hutchinson), Vince Vaughn (Reese Feldman), Juliette Lewis (Kitty), Snoop Dogg (Huggy Bear), Fred Williamson (Capt. Dobey), Amy Smart (Holly) & Carmen Electra (Staci).
DIRECTOR/CO-WRITER - Todd Phillips (Bittersweet Motel, Road Trip, Hated: G.G. Allin and the Murder Junkies & Old School)
The 70's, were an odd time, to say the least. The cultural milieu, in a seemingly diametrically opposed response to the strains being placed on society as a whole (the Vietnam War, Watergate, the Iran hostage crisis, gas shortages and high interest rates etc), produced bell bottoms, tye dye shirts, Disco, the 8-track and the Village People. In retrospect, it was a serious decade that was, and is, hard to take seriously.
The T.V. shows of the era were, to put it politely, a product of the times they were created in. When viewed years later, stripped of the social context in which they were created, their flaws are blatantly obvious. The big screen remake of Starsky & Hutch solves the creative conundrum, of having to work with weak source material, by parodying the original. The result is a funny movie that is part tribute and part spoof. It's funny, despite the script not being particularly witty, because the original concept was so lame.
The producers were also smart enough to ground the crime story, which is often an afterthought in buddy cop movies, in a degree of reality. Plausibility allows the viewer to focus on the parody as opposed to the plot holes.
Stiller (Starsky) and Wilson (Hutch) have teamed up before. This dynamic comedic duo's comfortableness with each other pays off as they play off each other's strengths and weaknesses. It's the effortlessness with which they cover familiar ground that keeps this repeat performance fresh.
Starsky & Hutch is an entertaining mix of humour and camp combined with a credible crime story. It will appeal to fans of the original, with a sense of humour, and people who weren't born when Starsky & Hutch first aired.
Running time - 97 minutes
Alternative Reviews:
Roger Ebert's Review
Peter Travers / Rolling Stone Review
Rotten Tomatoes Reviews
Starsky & Hutch Official Web Site
Comments by Halo Scan:
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