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Back Shelf Beauties
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Starsky & Hutch Starsky and Hutch was one of the classic 1970's TV shows full of bell bottoms, a killer red Ford Torino, and 70's TV-sanitized street life in the fictitious Bay City (that way no one can sue or claim they are dissing their city, even though this looks like LA or San Francisco), but it's so much more fun to do it as a comedy. If you loved the TV show, I'm sure you'll get the joke. If you never saw the TV show, you'll still laugh. Ben Stiller plays David Starsky - a high-strung, by-the-book cop who keeps upsetting his boss, co-workers and partners. While his heart is in the right place, Starsky keeps screwing up (kinda like me when I am trying to get a date). Finally, the captain has no alternative but to pair him up with Ken "Hutch" Hutchison (Owen Wilson) - a cop who doesn't take the job very seriously and is much too familiar with Bay City's seedy characters. Although the two haven't been able to show that they are good at the job, they stumble across a major cocaine ring, run by Reese Feldman (Vince Vaughn) and his partner Kevin (Justin Bateman), that is ready to push a new kind of untraceable cocaine into Bay City, and make millions for the kingpins. Will Starsky and Hutch be able to stop them? Starsky & Hutch is a hilarious movie that starts with a bang and doesn't stop until the end. Writer/director Todd Phillips and his co-writers (John O'Brien and Scot "I'll spell it with one T, so I look cool" Armstrong) have done a great job recreating typical 1970's cop show staples and sending them up with pinpoint accuracy. From the music to the clothes to the dialogue to the situations, Phillips and company make fun of the material, but also show a certain love and reverence for it. They create some situations that lend themselves to great comedy, while Phillips sets the right tone and creates a palette where his cast can do their best work. Once again, Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson prove that they are a potent comedic team. Stiller is great as Starsky with his ability to be kooky while acting as if he is perfectly normal. He gives the audience an entertaining mix of exasperation, anger and idiocy that made me laugh all the way through the movie, especially his training, visit to Mom's grave and various disguises. Wilson is a good complement by creating a character that is very cool, in control and always looking as if he is up to mischief, which is the typical Owen Wilson screen persona. The two actors play off each other well, like long time teammates who know what the other is thinking at all times. Wilson and Stiller are a great pair, but they are not the only actors who show some comic flair. I'll admit that I am not the world's biggest Snoop Dogg fan, but he is very funny as Huggy Bear - a Bay City pimp who also provides valuable information to Starsky and Hutch to help keep himself out of prison. In many ways, this character shows you how much of a parody Snoop Dogg is in his real life, so he was born to play this role. Vaughn is very good, but I was surprised at Bateman's performance. I love his new TV show, Arrested Development, so I wasn't sure if I wanted to see him play a bad guy, but he creates a funny sidekick for Vaughn's Reese Feldman. He makes the character into a weasely, accountant kind of guy who delivers subtle laughs. Starsky & Hutch is the perfect way to have a good time this weekend. You haven't seen all of the jokes in the commercials, and you get a nice surprise ending. 4 Waffles (Out Of 4) Copyright 2004 - WaffleMovies.com
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