Super Troopers
3/4
Starring: Jay Chandrasekhar, Eric Stolhankse, Paul Soter, Steve Lemme, Kevin Heffernan, Brian Cox, Marisa Coughlan
Rated R for Language, Sexual Content, and Drug Use
"Super Troopers" is less of a movie than a series of loosely connected skits featuring a group of unbelievably incompetent cops that are loosely connected by the flimsiest of plots. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. If a sketch comedy like this is funny enough, a plot can only get in the way. "Super Troopers" works for the same reason that "Grown Ups" did: it's pretty damn funny.
This is the second film by the comedy troupe Broken Lizard (the first one was a college comedy called "Puddle Cruiser," which was shown at the Sundance Film Festival to great reviews, but they turned down the offers to go wide with it). The group, which includes Chandrasekhar, Stolhanske, Soter, Lemme, and Heffernan, originated in 1990 at Colgate University, when Chandrasekhar was asked to put on a comedy skit for the student theater. So he gathered some of his fraternity brothers and the group "Charred Goosebeak" was born ("Charred Goosebeak" continues to exist at Colgate to this day).
The plot of "Super Troopers" is thin, but ripe with potential. In rural Vermont, there is a turf war between the Highway Patrol, led by Captain O'Hagan (Cox), and the city police, led by Chief Grady (Daniel von Bargen). Budget cutbacks are forcing one of them to close, and both are battling each other for survival. With the discovery of a major drug bust, O'Hagan's crew of misfits and slackers would have the upper hand, but they keep screwing up.
On paper, the film was directed by Chandrasekhar, but seeing as they are a collaborative group, it wouldn't surprise me if they didn't all have a hand in it (all are credited with the script). They work well together in a way that only long-standing and well-functioning groups can. This isn't a happy coincidence; anyone who watches this movie will realize that these guys have been doing this for a long time.
The other cast members, Cox, Coughlan and Von Bargen, fit in well too. A less astute filmgoer might assume that they're a part of Broken Lizard too (they're not). Cox, never an actor known for comedies, is right at home as the exasperated captain. He's also completely comfortable acting like an ass when the situation calls for it, and is front and center for the film's funniest joke. Coughlan, who starred in the notorious Tom Green comedy, "Freddy Got Fingered," is sweet and sexy as Ursula, the city cop who gets so little respect that she falls for one of the patrolmen and acts as a spy. This romance subplot is actually kind of touching. And Daniel Von Bargen makes it easy to hate him.
This isn't a perfect comedy; some of the jokes don't work (either because they go on too long, are too stupid to be funny, or just aren't as amusing as Broken Lizard thinks they are), but there's more than enough to satisfy someone who craves a lot of gut-busting laughs.
Starring: Jay Chandrasekhar, Eric Stolhankse, Paul Soter, Steve Lemme, Kevin Heffernan, Brian Cox, Marisa Coughlan
Rated R for Language, Sexual Content, and Drug Use
"Super Troopers" is less of a movie than a series of loosely connected skits featuring a group of unbelievably incompetent cops that are loosely connected by the flimsiest of plots. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. If a sketch comedy like this is funny enough, a plot can only get in the way. "Super Troopers" works for the same reason that "Grown Ups" did: it's pretty damn funny.
This is the second film by the comedy troupe Broken Lizard (the first one was a college comedy called "Puddle Cruiser," which was shown at the Sundance Film Festival to great reviews, but they turned down the offers to go wide with it). The group, which includes Chandrasekhar, Stolhanske, Soter, Lemme, and Heffernan, originated in 1990 at Colgate University, when Chandrasekhar was asked to put on a comedy skit for the student theater. So he gathered some of his fraternity brothers and the group "Charred Goosebeak" was born ("Charred Goosebeak" continues to exist at Colgate to this day).
The plot of "Super Troopers" is thin, but ripe with potential. In rural Vermont, there is a turf war between the Highway Patrol, led by Captain O'Hagan (Cox), and the city police, led by Chief Grady (Daniel von Bargen). Budget cutbacks are forcing one of them to close, and both are battling each other for survival. With the discovery of a major drug bust, O'Hagan's crew of misfits and slackers would have the upper hand, but they keep screwing up.
On paper, the film was directed by Chandrasekhar, but seeing as they are a collaborative group, it wouldn't surprise me if they didn't all have a hand in it (all are credited with the script). They work well together in a way that only long-standing and well-functioning groups can. This isn't a happy coincidence; anyone who watches this movie will realize that these guys have been doing this for a long time.
The other cast members, Cox, Coughlan and Von Bargen, fit in well too. A less astute filmgoer might assume that they're a part of Broken Lizard too (they're not). Cox, never an actor known for comedies, is right at home as the exasperated captain. He's also completely comfortable acting like an ass when the situation calls for it, and is front and center for the film's funniest joke. Coughlan, who starred in the notorious Tom Green comedy, "Freddy Got Fingered," is sweet and sexy as Ursula, the city cop who gets so little respect that she falls for one of the patrolmen and acts as a spy. This romance subplot is actually kind of touching. And Daniel Von Bargen makes it easy to hate him.
This isn't a perfect comedy; some of the jokes don't work (either because they go on too long, are too stupid to be funny, or just aren't as amusing as Broken Lizard thinks they are), but there's more than enough to satisfy someone who craves a lot of gut-busting laughs.
Comments
Post a Comment