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 uper Troopers" is another in a recent group of
Hollywood comedies that rely on lowbrow humor to carry the day. Fortunately, the
cast of "Troopers" is up to the task, and the movie is more funny than
not. Which, in the world of "Just
Married" and "National
Security", is really all you can hope for.
Jay Chandrasekhar, who also co-wrote and co-stars, directs
"Super Troopers", about Highway Patrolmen in Vermont whose greatest
nemesis aren't criminals, but the local police force led by Chief Grady (Daniel
von Bargen). Of the troopers, there's the leader Thorny (Chandrasekhar), the
rookie Rabbit (Erik Stolhanske), the bumbling troublemaker Farva (Kevin
Heffernan), the slightly insane Mac (Steve Lemme), and Foster (Paul Soter), who
has a crush on a local female cop played by the winning Marisa Coughlan. Brian
Cox plays the troopers' exasperated boss.
At its core, "Super Troopers" is a series of
skits involving the troopers as they play tricks on speeders, drug dealers,
local cops, and each other. To tie everything together so the proceedings will
resemble a "movie", there's a plot about drug dealers rolling through
town and the troopers trying to save their jobs from state budget cuts. Lynda
Carter, formerly fighting crime as Wonder Woman, has an extended cameo as the
state Governor, who the troopers need to impress so she won't shut them down.
The jokes, written by the 5 male stars (all of whom goes by
the single credit "Broken Lizard"), don't always work. One such gag
that doesn't go anywhere is the whole "torturing the rookie" jokes,
which mostly fall flat. What does work are gags that the troopers pull on
unsuspecting speeders they stop along the highway. The film's funniest moments
involve Heffernan's Farva, including a scene when Farva attacks a kid working at
a fast food joint because the kid doesn't know what a "liter of coke"
is and probably spat in his burger.
"Super Troopers" has no idea about how to be
serious. Its portrayal of cop life is silly and unrealistic, but that's not
surprising since the whole movie is one big joke. The things these guys do
wouldn't just get them fired, it would get them thrown in jail! At one point,
trooper Thorny invites two speeding car thieves to have swinger sex with him and
his live-in hippie girlfriend. The whole drug storyline, for what it's worth, is
nothing but time filler. Uninteresting and dreadfully dull time filler at that.
"Super Troopers" offers up plenty of laughs for
those looking for some easy chuckles. Its lack of seriousness is a plus, and
director/co-star Jay Chandrasekhar seems just as bored with the main storyline
as we are. Fortunately there are some funny skits strewn throughout the 90-plus
running length to keep one busy in-between the attempt at a "movie".
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