Starsky & Hutch (Full Screen Edition)

Rating:
Summary: surprisingly funny film
Review:

"Starsky and Hutch" is a genuine surprise, a clever and funny sendup of not only the popular TV series from the 1970's but all those cop-buddy scenarios that have flooded screens both large and small for decades now. The convention in these tales is to take two cops with diametrically opposed personalities and team them up as fearless crime fighters. Thus, we have Starsky, the stuffy, by-the-book, idealistic cop who takes his job seriously and actually believes he is making the streets safe for law-abiding, paired up with Hutch, a laid-back, cynical pragmatist who has no illusions about the nobility of his profession and no qualms about bending the rules when he sees the chance of getting a little personal gain out of it.

"Starsky and Hutch" has a great time poking fun at the cliches of its genre, never taking itself or the era in which it is set too seriously. In fact, the movie does a fine job satirizing the fashions, trends and music of the 1970's in all their kitschy, tacky glory. In a clever in-joke, the movie has Hutch singing an acoustic version of "Don't Give Up On Us," the sappy number one hit recorded by the original Hutch, David Soul, in 1977.

Of the actors, Ben Stiller steals the show as Starsky, bringing to the character a quality of deadpan seriousness that makes him a sympathetic figure even as he becomes more and more the butt of the movie's jokes. The screenplay spins many a convention of the cop buddy movie on its head. For instance, invariably in these films, one of the cops has a father who distinguished himself years earlier as a model officer on the force, and now his rookie son has to live up to the family reputation. In this case, however, it is Starsky's MOTHER who set the standard for bravery and courage in the precinct and Starksy knows he cannot let her memory down.

Owen Wilson is somewhat less effective as Hutch, mainly because the character has been conceived as essentially the same wisecracking slacker Wilson plays in virtually all his movies. Still, the two actors generate an effective rapport on the screen, one that helps us over some of the rough spots that set in from time to time. For indeed, the movie, like most big screen comedies, can't sustain the hilarity through the entirety of its running time. Nevertheless, "Starsky and Hutch" does a better job than most at making us laugh and does so without ever insulting our intelligence. That's quite an accomplishment, actually, in this day and age.

Rating:
Summary: Another TV show made into a movie
Review: "Starsky and Hutch" stars Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson as the titled crime fighting duo, this time after a big time drug dealer played by Vince Vaughn. This is of course based on the 70s TV show that stared David Soul and Paul Michael Glaser (who gets a cameo here for old time sake). That show was in and of itself silly beyond words; the only difference is that Todd Phillips (the director of this movie) is playing the movie for intentional laughs where the show was more action oriented. The producers hired comedy team Stiller and Wilson, who seem to be our generation's Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. After "Zoolander" and other films they did together, I had rather high expectations (and even after I saw "Dodgeball" with Vaughn and Stiller); but I have to say I was pretty disappointed. Not that it is a bad movie; it is pretty good. Especially the "Easy Rider" parady, and Snoop Dogg as Huggy Bear was a lot of fun to watch. I was just expecting more, I guess.

Rating:
Summary: Some funny moments.
Review: 'Starsky and Hutch' has some humorous moments and most of it was fun to watch. There are too many drug and homosexual references in the movie though. To really understand a lot of the comedy, one had to have lived in the seventies and watched the show.

Rating:
Summary: Don't Think to Hard and You Might Enjoy 'Starsky and Hutch'
Review: 'Starsky and Hutch', the new film by Todd Phillips, is strangely complex. But in a good way. The dialogue, though witty and fun to listen to, takes on a serious tone at times. The movie is fun and campy and is sort of like a tamer version of 'Kill Bill', in that it takes many elements from old movies and television shows. Vince Vaughn is wonderfully slimy as Reese Feldman, a drug dealer\murderer\father. Ben Stiller is in top form as Starsky and Owen Wilson is hilarious as mildly corrupt Hutch (Dialogue Sample Between Starsky and Hutch: Hutch: Let's push this body and hope it floats over to the next precinct. Starsky: Hutch! No! (then to body) Looks like you punched your last ticket, amigo.) Snoop Dog is spectacular as Huggy Bear, the "Urban Informer". Some of the movie is odd, such as the abrupt ending (Phillips' trademark?) and the quick action sequences.
The plot begins when Vaughn's Feldman kills one of his associates on his yacht, then dumps the body in the ocean. Starsky and Hutch find the body washed up on shore a few days later. The two discover a wallet and the credit cards lead them to Reese's house. Feldman and his business partner cover up their involvement with the death, saying the dead man was a convict. Of course Starsky and Hutch are led to the Bay City Cheerleading Squad, where the body's ex - girlfriend works. They ask her, like, I dunno, one question that suprisingly gets them somewhere. One parody of "Easy Rider" and a bar brawl later, the duo is led to a slimy drug trafficker (Will Ferrell) who has some truly nasty fantasies. After that scene is when the climax starts to unfold, slowly but surely. I won't spoil the end, but it is what Saturday matinee's are all about (car chases, gun battles, campy humor, et al).
So, in conclusion, "Starsky and Hutch" isn't bad at all. It has only two or three boring aspects about it,but those are usually gone from the rest of the movie pretty quickly, like the writers knew that it was a bad idea and forgot to delete it from the script. Some of the extras from "old School" are extras in this movie. For example: the guy who sang at Will Ferrell's wedding in "Old School" sings at the bar mitz va here and the MC of the disco club is a co-star on the show "King of Queens" which also stars Leah Remini, who played in "Old School", anyway, back to the point, the guy who played the MC was a waiter at the birthday party in "School". I know that it is all very complex, but I thought it was ironic and quite interesting.
Carmen Electra and Amy Smart are the leading ladies and I was suprised not to see Ernie Hudson playing Sergeant Doby. Watch for a hilarious scene in the middle with an Asian child and his father. It is one of the funniest things ever without being racist.

Rating:
Summary: A dynamite TV duo hits the silver screen...
Review: ...with an agenda AND a major vengeance to boot! David Starsky (Ben Stiller) and Ken "Hutch" Hutchinson (Owen Wilson) are out to settle a score with a cocaine kingpin. When Starky & Hutch are reluctantly teamed together in an attempt to thwart a major drug heist, a whole lot of comedy and adventure are just waiting to ensue on their journey. But, one Huggy Bear (Snoop Dogg) has ideas of his own, so this cat definitely wants a piece of the action for himself. Almost all of the "scripted" elements of the classic television drama are in place, including that boss red 1976 edition sports car with the thick white stripes running across the sides of the vehicle - a classic touch, indeed! As for the chemistry between "S&H"'s two main stars, both Stiller & Wilson make an excellent dynamite duo who mesh quite well together comedically & dramatically, without upstaging one another in the grand scheme of things. As the picture progressed, I kept hoping against hope that the "real" Starsky (Paul Michael Glaser) and Hutch (David Soul) would at least make a cameo appearance. But, as the old expression goes, beggars can't be choosers (or can they?)! All the unfolding dramatics and pratfalls (as well as a little song & dance) are just waiting to be viewed at your local cinema today. "Starsky & Hutch" is one comedy/drama that's tailor made for your video & DVD collection (coming soon)!

Rating:
Summary: Stiller and Wilson in awesome action!
Review: Ben Stiller and Luke Wilson delighted audiences in early 2004 with a theatrical version of the television classic that starred Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul. Great supporting performance by Snoop Dogg. These guys are going after the bad boys and scoring with the hot girls. Awesome film!

Rating:
Summary: A TOTAL DUD
Review: Could they have picked any 2 worse actors in america?...Ben Stiller isnt funny at all...EVER and neither is Owen Wilson but yet they both try so hard. These two losers are a joke and this movie sucks. I only gave this stupid sh*t one star because I had to and simply because a lower rate isnt available, BUT it should be. Dont watch this movie these two arent funny and Snoop Dogg man I like ya my man but do us all a favor and just stick to the rap game. Acting isnt your thing nor was it ever

Rating:
Summary: Fair
Review: I have not seen the original Starsky and Hutch series, and the movie doesn't peek my interests. The movie was funny (at the expense of half-brained situations), Snoop should not be Huggy Bear, and Huggy's overintelligent bodyguards weren't too funny either. I watched the movie twice, but it didn't grow on me. This is a pure rental, but if you could borrow it from a sap that bought it, you would be in an even better place.

Rating:
Summary: Great movie!
Review: I thought this movie was hilarious. Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson were so funny in this movie.

Rating:
Summary: Actually 3 1/2 Stars...
Review: I wasn't a huge fan of this movie when I saw it at the movie theater, but I did like it enough (or so I thought) to buy it. Yet, now that I own it and I watched it again I just didn't find it as funny. I love Ben Stiller he is one of my favorite actors (Zoolander, Doodgeball, Duplex, etc.) And even though everyone in the movie gives a great performance it is just not up to par with other movies each one of them have done in the past. I get in the mood every so often to watch this movie...luckily I didn't spend too much money on this movie...so I feel I am okay if I watch it a few times.