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Movie Review - Starsky & Hutch
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(What this rating means)
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| Director: |
Todd Phillips |
| Starring: |
Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Snoop Dogg, Vince Vaughn, Juliette Lewis, and Chris Penn |
| Rated: |
PG-13 (drug content, sexual situations, partial nudity, language, and some violence) |
| Length: |
100 minutes |
| Genre: |
Comedy |
| Website: |
Starsky & Hutch |
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PLOT
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Starsky and Hutch are two cops with contrasting styles; so naturally, their boss makes them partners. With
the help of police informant Huggy Bear, they set out to solve their first case, one involving a white-collar
drug dealer. Hilarity and poking-fun-at-70s-era-cop-shows hijinks ensue.
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JOHNNY'S AND MS. CALI'S TAKES
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Ms. Cali: Disclaimer: I saw this movie in a special test
audience screening. This means, when I saw the movie, it was still going through the editing process.
Therefore, I have no idea what the finished product will be and base my review on what I saw only.
Johnny: Disclaimer: I saw this movie on Monday, and I'm pretty sure it was the
finished product. However, I could probably just make stuff up about the movie and you'd never know.
Ms. Cali: So you're 24 years old, and the old TV show "Starsky &
Hutch" went off the air before you were even born? So you've never even seen a rerun on Nick at Nite? Or
you've seen every episode ever made? You have them all on video? The originals? Either way, it doesn't
matter; this movie was made for you.
Johnny: No need to alienate the audience, Ms. Cali. I'm 29 and never saw the
show. So where does that leave me?? HUH?!?! Well, let me just say that if you're a 29-year-old dark-haired,
dark-eyed Adonis, then this movie was made for *you* as well.
Ms. Cali: Ben Stiller plays Starsky, and Owen Wilson fills the
shoes of Hutch. Both are excellent in their portrayals. Having never seen the original television series
myself, I'm not qualified to say how true they are to the original characters, but I can tell you, that's
not the point of this movie anyway.
Johnny: This is true. Rather than trying to be an accurate representation of
the TV show, the movie pokes fun at the old series and at 70s cop shows in general. It's the same way that
"The Wedding Singer" is a nice parody of the 80s. But it's a loving kind of mocking. Sort of like how you make
fun of your friend if he comes sauntering into your presence wearing a pair of highwaters that are hiked up about
4 inches above his ankle. You laugh at him, sarcastically ask "Hey Mr. Shade, where's the flood?" and then you go
back to being friends. I'm not saying Mr. Shade wears highwaters, just using him as an example.
Ms. Cali: The movie explores the origin of the famous
duo, delving into their first case together. Vince Vaughn plays the evil drug smuggler, Reese Feldman, who
has a large delivery of cocaine due soon. Starsky & Hutch find out about it, and with the help of Huggy
Bear (Snoop Dogg in what is probably the best performance of the film) try to stop him.
Johnny: Along the way, Jason Bateman plays Vince Vaughn's lackey and wears
really tight shorts, Carmen Electra and Amy Smart are hot cheerleaders who fall for Starsky & Hutch, Will
Ferrell appears briefly as a weird prison inmate with a strange dragon fetish, and Chris Penn (and his
ever-expanding girth) is a cop who shows up a few times to antagonize our heroes and who should NEVER
APPEAR SHIRTLESS IN A MOVIE AGAIN! Chris, go watch "Footloose" or "Pale Rider" and motivate yourself
to do something!
Ms. Cali: The entire movie is laugh-out-loud funny, but a
few moments stand out in their hilarity. When Starsky & Hutch have to track down a man named "Tiny" at a
biker bar ... well, you can imagine.
Johnny: And how about the whole disco dancing contest? Very funny stuff. Takes me
back to my days on the force when I was a disco champion. Actually, that's not a true statement. I was never
on the force.
There's a great inside joke in the movie that a lot of people might not get. David Soul, who
played the original Hutch, recorded a song called "Don't Give Up On Us" in 1976. There's a great scene where
Owen Wilson pulls out a guitar and decides to impress Carmen Electra and Amy Smart by playing a little tune for
'em. The tune? That's right, "Don't Give Up On Us." Now you can go see the movie and enjoy that joke a lot
more than you would have if you hadn't read this review. No need to thank me, just doing my public
service.
I'm just wondering when David Soul is gonna team up with Tom Wopat and John Schneider for an album. I don't
care what Randy, Paula, or Simon say, John Schneider is *my* American Idol!
Ms. Cali: Of course, Starsky's car is one of the featured
characters, and thus we get a few good car chase moments. Don't expect any realistic action in this
movie - it's purposefully over-the-top and ridiculous. That only adds to the fun.
Johnny: This is where the whole "parody" aspect comes into play. I love the scene
near the end of the movie where they attempt to land the car on a moving yacht. If I had a dollar for every
time I attempted that little stunt with my '69 Camaro...
Ms. Cali: And stay tuned for a nice cameo by the original
Starsky & Hutch in the end.
Johnny: The crowd at the advanced screening I attended erupted into applause
when the originals appeared on screen. What a bunch of marks. Funny stuff though.
Ms. Cali: One disappointment in the movie is the addition of
Juliette Lewis to the cast. Her character doesn't really have anything to do, and her performance is not
really very good. The rest of the cast is enjoyable though.
Johnny: I have to agree. She was just kind of ... there. The part could've
been played by just about anybody. Well, except for Mr. Shade, even if you put a wig on him. Ben Stiller,
as the straight-laced, by-the-book Starsky, and Owen Wilson, as the wisecracking, unconventional Hutch,
work very well together. I've been a fan of Stiller and Wilson for a while, and "Starsky & Hutch" is some
of their best work. It's that good.
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MAMA'S APPROVAL
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Ms. Cali: Would I take Johnny's mom to see this movie? Probably not.
Although I didn't count (or really pay attention), there was probably some bad language. After all, Snoop Dogg is
in it, and Vince Vaughn is a really sleazy bad guy. There's also some drug use, one character has sexual fantasies
that he makes other characters act out (nothing graphic is shown), and one brief scene of female nudity (from the
top up). I haven't met Johnny's mom, but I doubt she'd like that. Also, there is some violence, but like the action,
most of it is rather over-the-top and cheesy (which, in the case of this movie, is actually a good
thing).
Johnny: The profanity isn't too extreme, and the topless woman is shown only from the
back. I wouldn't try to convince my mom to see this at the theater, but she might actually enjoy a good,
edited-for-TV version.
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TRAILER COMPARISON
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Johnny: I've been excited about "Starsky & Hutch" ever since I first saw the trailer,
and I'm happy to say that the movie exceeded my expectations. That's right, saying that literally made me happy.
Don't know why, but it did.
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THE GIST
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Johnny: It's pretty simple: this is a fun movie. In fact, this is the most fun I've had
at the movies since "School of Rock." If you're the type of person who loves to go see a really funny movie
just so you can spend the entire time sulking, crossing your arms, and saying, "This is stupid, I can't believe
anybody likes this crap" while everybody around you laughs constantly and uproariously, then stay at home and let
the rest of us enjoy "Starsky & Hutch." It's definitely one to add to the DVD collection.
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