"They're the man."

Starsky and Hutch (2004): 8/10

Poster (c) Warner Bros. Pictures

I'm as against the remaking of movies and old 70's TV shows as movies, but I was intrigued by Starsky and Hutch. It would be Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson's sixth collaboration together, yet it's directed by Old School's Todd Phillips (FYI, the former is good, while the latter is bad). I had heard it touted as hilarious, yet buddy cop comedies almost always fizzle. So I walked into it with an open mind, knowing that it could go either way. Thankfully, it came out great: out of the mold of buddy cop movies, TV-to-movie movies, and Todd Phillips movies.

Stiller and Wilson star as the title characters, respectively. They're mismatched cops: David Starsky is a strict, by-the-books cop, while Ken "Hutch" Hutchinson is more laid-back and doesn't mind crossing the line of the law every once in a while. They're brought together on a case involving murder and cocaine. With assistance with their inside man Huggy Bear (Snoop Dogg), they crack (pun partially intended) down on the case while some bickering and clash of ideas ensues.

There are two ways that Phillips could have played this: either as an action movie with some somewhat witty lines thrown in (as the TV show was, as I am told), or a comedy with a couple action scenes in it. Thankfully, it goes for the second, because there's a lot of promise here. Although it's set up like any other buddy cop movie, with two opposite poles being forced to work with each other and then realizing that they can work together, but after a mistake made by one of them, they break apart, only to get back together. However, in this movie, the jokes actually work. There's a good mix between physical comedy (including a midget throwing knives!) and verbal humor (including an allusion to the New Coke), which is what works best in the movie.

Not being a child of the 70's, I not only haven't seen the show, but I can't really comment on the authenticity of the set. It wasn't extravagant, as I was expecting it to be. It's just enough to remind you that, yes, it does take place in the 70's. A couple jokes were thrown in about it, such as the lack of technology, but not much. There's obligatory cameos by the original Starsky and Hutch. Stiller and Wilson can bounce off each other well, and obviously have great chemistry (without it, the film would fall apart). In his small role, Snoop Dogg is pretty funny, and Will Ferrell's cameo about a man in jail sexually excited by dragons is about as long as it should be.

The only real problem I had with this film was the character of Willis, who randomly pops in and out and only is there to service the plot. Other than that, Starsky and Hutch is a surprisingly funny, entertaining comedy, that's unlike most other buddy comedies out there.

Rated PG-13 for drug content, sexual situations, partial nudity, language and some violence.

Review Date: March 5, 2004