With the recent cinematic remakes of such 1970s TV shows as
Charlie's Angels and SWAT, it was inevitable that Starsky & Hutch would be next.
Taking place in Bay City in the 1970s, the movie begins with a Barry Manilow
song running over the opening images, a bold tactic that lets everybody know
that, unlike the original TV series, this version of Starsky & Hutch will not
take itself too seriously. Vince Vaughn plays Reese Feldman, a ruthless drug
kingpin who invents a new form of cocaine that is undetectable--so much so that
even drug sniffing dogs can not sense it--thus making it easier to smuggle into
the country and hide from the police. It's a sure bet, and Feldman stands to
make millions in a deal that will go down in a few days. But Feldman doesn't
count on two of Bay City's finest cops, Starsky and Hutch getting in his way!
Starsky, as played by Ben Stiller, is a serious, hard-edged lawman who will
chase down a thief who stole seven bucks out of a woman's pocketbook with his
gun blazing all the way. Meanwhile, Hutch is more laid back and somewhat easy
going when it comes to following the rules. As played by Owen Wilson, Hutch is
not above stealing money while on phony undercover operations that he never
reports to his bosses, nor does he has any trouble with shoving a dead body
back into the water to avoid dealing with the mess. As you can imagine, when
Captain Doby (well played by Fred Williamson) teams up Hutch with the
straight-laced (and somewhat uptight) Starsky, there's plenty of friction.
Still, despite their different methods of fighting crime, the duo manages to
work together to track down the elusive drug lord Feldman with help from their
favorite informant Huggy Bear (played by Snoop Dogg to perfection).
While Starsky & Hutch is basically a comedy, it is smart enough to have a regular
storyline that still mirrors the tone of the original series. Not only is this a
funny send up of the series, with its hyped-up violence and pathos, but it's
also a send up of disco, overly gaudy clothes, waterbeds, and just about all of
the other clichés of the 1970s that you can think of. Be warned: if you still
have really fond feelings for the classic Starsky and Hutch, then you may want
to skip this film and buy or rent the original series, which recently came out
on DVD. But if you're a fan of the series, and recognize that it was largely
style over substance, then this film is recommended. Wilson and Stiller have
great chemistry, and they're surrounded by a solid cast, which includes Juliette
Lewis as Kitty, Feldman's loopy mistress; Chris Penn as Manetti, a fellow
officer who can never resist a chance to goof on Starsky, and Carmen Electra and
Amy Smart, who play cheerleaders. Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul, the stars
of the original series, make a great cameo appearance at the end. And let's not
forget the other important member of the cast, that formidable Ford muscle car,
the red and white Torino. It's still an impressive ride even after all these
years.
The DVD has a commentary by director Todd Phillips, as well as "Fashion Fa
Shizzle Wit Huggy Bizzle", a short feature where Snoop Dogg talks about the
"fly" outfits he wears as Huggy Bear. The "making of" documentary is just as
funny--or maybe even funnier--than the film itself. It starts out as the usual
series of interviews by the cast and crew, and then everybody starts bitching
and complaining about how horrible it was to make the movie, and how much they
all hated each other. There's also deleted scenes, and a gag reel of outtakes.
All in all, Starsky & Hutch is an enjoyable valentine to one of the more
memorable cop shows of the 70s. --SF