Movie: Starsky and Hutch
Cast: Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Snoop Dogg, Vince Vaughn, Fred Williamson
Reviewer: Joshua Keeran

With the cast assembled for this movie along with the director of “Old School” on board, I went into the theatre with high expectations and ready to laugh my butt off. Unfortunately, the remake of the hit 70’s show “Starsky and Hutch,” failed to live up to the comedic hype I was hoping to see. Granted there were several funny scenes, but they were few and far between.

In this movie, Ben Stiller plays the role of Starsky, a dedicated officer who prides himself in protecting Bay City, while his partner Hutch, played by Owen Wilson, could care less about the job and comes off as somewhat of a crooked law official. After both men experienced problems within the force, their totally different styles were forced to coincide when they were partnered up in a murder case.

The trail to catch the killer takes the guys in several different directions. Along the way, they meet up with two typically hot cheerleaders who not only supply them with a lead, but also become somewhat of love interests for the guys. The ladies lead the men to a prisoner in the local jail named Big Earl. This character is played by the one and only Will Ferrell, who in my opinion gave the best performance and drew the most laughs from the audience. Big Earl is ultimately linked to the murderer, a cocaine dealer played by Vince Vaughn. One of the final key characters to the plot was Huggy Bear, a local man who had the inside knowledge of crime within the city, played by Snoop Dogg. It was his performance that surprised me the most because this role showed that Snoop is a very talented actor who can deliver in all types of circumstances.

Of course the pursuit of justice has several bumps along the way that add comedy to the movie, but just not enough funny scenes for my liking. The movie follows the typical police action plot at the end with an action packed police chase. The movie does conclude though with a surprising ending as the hero turns out to be a very unexpected person. Also, just before the credits start rolling, two special guests so their faces in the film. You will have to see the movie to find out the ending and just who the surprises are at the end.

This is a very good movie if you are not expecting a boatload of laughs. There were several great scenes and the performances were strong throughout, but in general the movie failed to live up to comedic hype I was expecting from Todd Phillips, the director of “Old School.” It is not the funniest movie ever, but it was certainly entertaining enough to be worth the price of admission.

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