9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson Enforce Laughter, July 23, 2004
Owen 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 new genetically engineered type of cocaine onto the streets. Vince Vaughn does an incredible job as the ringleader of this operation. He is serious and sinister in a way that just makes you laugh.
And then there is the infamous Huggy Bear. I've never seen the television series so I have no idea what he's supposed to be like, but Snoop Dogg is hilarious. Huggy Bear calls himself an urban informer. Basically he tells Hutch what the word on the street is so Hutch won't go and bust him. I think Snoop Dogg did a great job acting this part because he really didn't have to act. Huggy Bear wears lots of bling, talks slowly in a mellow voice, and knows a lot about drugs. Just like Snoop Dogg.
One of my favorite scenes pits Starsky against Dancing Rick in a disco dance off. It sounds cheesy, and it is. They pull off some really cool and original moves that'll have you splitting your sides with laughter. Another one of my favorite clips involves Starsky playing Russian Roulette while interrogating a suspect. In fact, just about every scene in the movie made me laugh. That's when you know you have a high quality comedy.
There are no bad characters in this film. Carmen Electra and Amy Smart play some sizzling love interests. Huggy Bear's crew is even worth a few chuckles. Will Ferrell has perhaps the funniest part in the film. The only downside to Starsky and Hutch is that it comes up a little short on the action side. This isn't a real problem because whatever the film lacks in action it makes up for in comedy twofold. Starsky and Hutch will have you rolling on the ground with laughter.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
To say that this movie was entertaining would be a bit of an understatement, November 30, 2005
I was originally interested in the movie Starsky & Hutch because Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson starred in it together. I had seem them act together in both The Royal Tenenbaums and Zoolander and realised that they made one of the greatest comedic duos I had ever seen in movies. The way that they play off one another so effortlessly is what makes their movies so entertaining to watch. Starsky & Hutch was no exception. I have never seen an episode of the original show but I am actually considering doing so out of curiosity.
Ben Stiller plays David Starsky, a police officer who appears to be hopelessly uptight. However, we soon realise that he has his wild side and a bit of an unnatural maternal instinct for his car. Owen Wilson plays Ken 'Hutch' Hutchinson, an unprofessional police officer who is entirely nonchalant in pretty much any situation he and Starsky find themselves in. A few other lead characters are Snoop Dogg who plays Huggy Bear (who as far as I could tell was just a stoned drug dealer with an aversion to being touched) and Vince Vaughn who plays Reese Feldman, a disgusting little worm of a man (i. e. a drug dealer).
The movie opens on Feldman's yacht. He is unhappy about the loss of some of his cocaine and shoots the person responsible, Terrence Meyers (played very briefly by David Pressman). Then there's a scene of Starsky chasing a purse-snatcher, clearly the man has a bit of an ego and this is only proven when he opens fire in the midst of citizens. We are also introduced to Hutch who gets busted as he's leaving a small business that he just robbed with a couple other men. After that, we meet Captain Doby (played by Fred Williamson) and Starsky and Hutch are made partners.
At first Starsky's and Hutch's personalities clash and they have minor squabbles over trivial things such as when it's appropriate to actually come into work, whether or not to answer a radio call at noon, and what to do with a floater (nudge it into the current with a stick or actually do their job and solve crime?). Slowly, but surely, they begin to rub off on each other (although we don't get to see most of that unfortunately). They also begin to grow to like one another and learn how to work together despite their differences and subsequent bickering.
Since I have never seen an actual episode of the show that this spoof was based on, I can't really say how good of a job that the cast and crew did on making a complete mockery of the show, but I can say that I was sufficiently amused. My laughs were sparse at first but I found that halfway through the movie I was laughing uproariously. To say that this movie was entertaining would be a bit of an understatement. The script was great and the cast pulled off all the jokes smoothly, proof of their talent and sense of humour. A few other performances worth mentioning and paying attention to were Juliette Lewis's role as Kitty (Feldman's "girl-on-the-side") and Will Ferrell's role as Big Earl (a prisoner who is very much into dragons and... Hutch... or Dragon Hutch in other words).
Despite the fact that I did like this movie for the acting, comedy, and satire, I just wasn't very impressed with the overall result. I do enjoy comedies, especially anything with Ben Stiller and/or Owen Wilson, but I tend to lean toward dramas and I don't like movies about drugs or with very little plot. I understand that this was a spoof and that was the point, but I think that it could have been made a bit more intelligent in that area, by filling it slightly. The target audience, I'm sure, was probably more attracted to this film than someone like me who prefers foreign films rather than American movies. A good example of an intelligent satire would be the French film Bon Voyage.
I recommend this movie to anyone who is a fan Stiller/Wilson movies and light-hearted comedies. It's not very substantial, but it will keep you amused until the credits roll.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Star Studed Starsky and Hutch is Full of Laughs, August 19, 2004
I never saw any of the old Starsky and Hutch television show and I'm not sure I ever want to, but the movie was very funny. After viewing the trailer I wasn't sure what to expect, but because of the long list of quality actors I gave it a chance and I'm glad that I did. Owen Wilson, Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, and Will Farrell were as funny as ever. This is a movie I can watch time after time and keep on laughing like it was the first time I've seen it. Don't miss this hilarious comedy.
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