User Comments: Date: 26 February 2004
Summary: Stiller and Wilson are perfectly cast in this hilarious and well made tribute from Todd Phillips...
Starsky & Hutch
It's the 1970s, and Bay City is about to be deluged with `new coke,' a
powerful new strain of undetectable cocaine that evil mastermind Reese
Feldman (Vince Vaughn) is ready to sell to the highest bidder. On his
trail
are devoted cops, David Starsky (Ben Stiller), and his laconic partner,
Ken
`Hutch' Hutchinson (Owen Wilson). Two mismatched detectives who don't get
along, Starsky and Hutch try to find a middle ground in dealing with each
other's work ethic so they can bring Feldman to justice. Armed with their
trusty informant, Huggy Bear (Snoop Dogg, playing very Snoop-like), the
team
attempts to infiltrate Feldman's world, using clues, witnesses (Will
Ferrell, Carmen Electra, and Amy Smart), dance contests, and the sheer
power
of their skills to stop the shipments of this dangerous cocaine (which
tastes like coffee sweetener) from ever hitting their beloved city.
One of many things to celebrate in the film version of the 1970s
television
show, `Starsky & Hutch,' is that this is not an ugly parody. Sure, the era
gets ribbed exhaustively (cocaine, discos, permed hair), along with the
timeless standards of the show (Starsky's collar-always-up jackets,
ludicrous car and people stunts), but director Todd Phillips never
nurtures
mean-spiritedness, and generally avoids explicitly pointing the jokes out.
Parody is easy and artistically economical (`Down with Love,' and the
atrocious `Lost Skeleton of Cadavra'), and while `Hutch' is a comedy,
Phillips has made the choice to form a full-fledged tribute to the
legendary
show rather than simply making fun of it. And his film is a blast of
comedy
and cop-show-love that makes it one of the better pictures of the
still-youthful year.
Fans of the television series are bound to get more out of `Hutch' than
the
casual viewer. Icons like Huggy Bear, the thunderous Ford Torino, and
Hutch's thick head of hair are not the stuff on the cultural radar these
days. Phillips plays off that well, turning his `Hutch' into as much of a
comedy as it is an episode of the show. Of course, the elements are
heightened for the comedic twists (you gotta love how those clues keep
falling into their laps), but armed with zooms, a funky soundtrack, and
that
striped tomato, and Phillips has come dangerously close to resurrecting
the
actual texture of the show, which silences the instances of direct lampoon
that the film sporadically aims for.
In what marks their 6th time working together, Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson
already have a proven chemistry that can't be beat. `Hutch' benefits from
the easygoing interplay of the two leads, as well as their remarkable
resemblance to their television counterparts, Paul Michael Glaser and
David
Soul. After schlubbing through endless comedies recently (all which have
been funny to a certain degree), it's great to see Stiller in a more
confident role. Playing the helplessly idealistic cop Starsky, Stiller has
fun with the fashions and the hair of the character, and plays new comedic
ideas perfectly, including the character's embarrassment at being the son
of
Bay City's most celebrated cop: his mother.
Stiller interacts effortlessly with Wilson's already worn out `no worries'
acting routine, but it's clear that armed with a great script, Wilson can
be
something more than repetitive and obnoxious. Emphasizing Hutch's sexual
prowess, along with his singing (he performs David Soul's 1977 hit, `Don't
Give Up On Us Baby'), Wilson fits snuggly with the role. And what more can
be said of Vince Vaughn? Perfectly cast as the bad guy, Vaughn's ability
to
be both oily and hilarious is used to perfection in `Hutch.' He's a film
highlight who doesn't get the spotlight, but steals every scene he's in.
For those fans expecting another `Old School' level of comedy, `Hutch'
might
come as a slight disappointment. While there are fields of jokes as far as
the eye can see, `Hutch' isn't a barn-burner like `Old School,' or even
Phillips's other comedy creation, `Road Trip.' The new film is more
big-time
entertainment (at more than double the budget of `Old School'), and leaps
less when it comes to diving for the big gags. There's no doubt that
`Hutch'
contains some of the biggest laughs you're likely to find all year,
including classic material such as the two cops fending off a knife attack
brought on by a 12 year-old boy, and the return of Dan Finnerty and his
Dan
Band as lascivious bat mitzvah entertainment. But `Hutch' isn't the quite
the comedy free-for-all that `Old School' was, which might disappoint the
younger crowd.
Todd Phillips has become one of the leading young comedic directors of
late
with his sensational timing and clarity of style, and `Hutch' continues
his
steamrolling success even when faced with a suffocating budget and huge
stars to contend with. `Hutch' may not be as wet-the-pants funny as
Phillips's earlier films, but it triumphs where it counts the most: laughs
and source material love, and never degrades into a self-referential
muddle.
That's an enviable achievement. ---- 10/10
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