Better than "Porky's," better than "Police Academy," better than "Smokey and the Bandit," "Super Troopers" is a hilarious police romp comedy. What an uproarious film. The premise is ripe with possibilities; a group of bored state troopers near the Canadian border pull off the most crazy stunts in order to amuse themselves. The filmmaking talents behind this movie, a NYC comedy troop called Broken Lizard, milk the plot for every comic possibility.

I'll tell you the opening segment to give you an idea how funny it is. The cops pull over three stoner college guys who they have seen getting high and begin to fuck with them, knowing they are stoned. Not in a mean way, in a goofy way. If you've ever gotten high you can imagine how funny this is.

There has to be some sort of a plot, of course, so the film finds the State Troopers rivals with the local cops. When the governor, played in a funny cameo by Wonder Woman Lynda Carter, cuts the budget, the Troopers find themselves facing unemployment. When a local murder and drug bust heats thing up in town, the boys face off with the local cops, hoping to solve the crime first. It may seem like pretty typical stuff, and it is, but it doesn't matter; the gags in this film make plot seem almost unnecessary.

What is funny is that you can just imagine a bored group of cops pulling these sorts of stunts to relieve the tedium of the day. I can't believe this wasn't written by an ex-police officer who personally witnessed such events. It's really a clever script.

It seems like it's been so long since there was just a fun- loving, anything goes, sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll comedy out there in the spirit of "Kentucky Fried Movie." "Super Troopers" doesn't really re-invent the genre, it simply updates it. And it's a well needed event. This is one of the funniest movies you will see all year. Better yet, there's not a mean-spirited bone in it's body. I'm just glad I wasn't high when I watched it or I would've wet myself.

Notes:

Also with Brian Cox and Daniel Von Bargen ("Malcolm in the Middle").

Directed by Jay Chandrasekhar, a member of Broken Lizard, who also stars here. The script is credited to the group who also fill out the remainder of the cast.

Music by .38 Special. The song "Super Trooper" by Abba is NOT used.

More of Lodger's reviews indexed alphabetically! Just click your favorite letter to go there.

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

HOME