Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson Enforce LaughterOwen Wilson and Ben Stiller are two of the funniest actors around these days, and they're even funnier when they're teamed up. Starsky and Hutch puts them in the roles of two drastically different cops chosen to work together. This approach may seem overdone, but Stiller and Wilson keep the screen fresh. They are both incredible actors and comedians; it would be hard to watch this film without laughing out loud.
Owen Wilson is Hutch, a laid back cop that likes to bend the rules. He never gets any work done and even drinks on the job. Starsky is the exact opposite. He is uptight and follows the rules to the book. You wouldn't guess, but he's also one hell of a driver. His car of choice is a red Grand Torino, and man can he make it fly. However, both Starsky and Hutch are outcastes at the police office, so they are put together. Naturally, the two characters hate each other when first paired up.
They soon get on the case of some drug dealers who are trying to get a...
Uneven, but turns out to be diverting and fun...I remember having a discussion with a friend, once, about people in high school and how there are three groups of them - (1) the ones you hate, (2) your friends, and then the third group: the people that you could live without, but you simply don't have the energy to actively dislike them...so you're nice to 'em. Watching Starsky and Hutch last night, I realized that those three groups totally apply to movies, also - filth like Welcome To Mooseport easily falls into that first category, masterful cinema like The Passion slides into the second one, and then...well...stuff like Starsky and Hutch goes right into that third category. Unlike director Todd Philips' earlier films, Road Trip and Old School, there's a sweet, harmless quality to Hutch that, even though I can't say I loved it, I enjoyed myself.
The '70's cop show isn't so much parodied in the movie but used as a springboard to pair Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson, who - with the right project (The Royal Tenenbaums) - can rock...
Not Half Bad, Actually
I never watched the television series "Starsky & Hutch." It just had no real appeal to me as I was never a fan of cops shows where the cops drove great cars and were somehow really cool, good looking, and always got the gal. So when my wife suggested seeing this film, I balked a little at first. However, the presence of Owen Wilson, who always seems to entertain in whatever film he is in, convinced me to go. I don't know if this is faint praise or not, but the movie's not that all that bad.
First, if you like Stiller, you'll like this movie. I personally find him to be an acquired taste. He just doesn't seem that funny to me and it seems to me his success is always dependent on the surrounding case to make the film work. Teaming with Wilson again (they previously made "Zoolander" and "Meet the Parents," although in each Wilson had clearly secondary roles) is a good start toward making the film work.
The film trys hard to be over-the-top funny, sometimes playing on some of the...
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