Day 201 - Super Troopers

Super Troopers (2001) directed by Jay Chandrasekhar

I got home really late after a long day and wasn't in the mood for anything heavy so I decided to pick a slapstick comedy that wouldn't require extra focus. Super Troopers actually turned out to be exactly what I needed, a stupid movie full of laughs. When I say stupid, I don't necessarily mean that in a derogatory way. Many of these comedies realize they're "bad" movies, but they aren't out to grab any awards. They're trying to make you laugh as much as possible, no matter how crude or tasteless the method. If a movie is funny, it is funny, period.

Now, as it turns out Super Troopers isn't that funny, but it gets the job done. It follows a group of misfit highway patrol men who are seen as a sort of laughing stock to the "real" city cops. They amuse themselves with juvenile pranks and silly games. In the first scene the troopers decide to mess with some potheads by repeatedly pulling them over and asking the same questions, then to teach them a lesson by making them smoke an entire bag of weed. These beginning scenes have a frantic energy and humor that shows a lot of promise, but the hijinks sort of taper out in the middle. The jokes come but don't hit quite as hard as you'd expect.

The plot is somewhat of a variation of the lovable loser underdog story where the misfits must rise to the occasion by solving an actual police case. Of course they are not taken seriously by their rivals, the city police. Surprisingly the story actually makes sense and even throws in some unexpected twists, which is a lot to ask for sometimes when dealing with dumbed down movies. The strength of the film lies in its cast of misfits, each trooper has his own personality. Think Animal House but with cops.

Overall the film is a decent time killer with some laughs, which can be exactly what you need in some situations. However, if you're looking for something with even a hint of sophistication or thought, you might want to look elsewhere.

Grade: C+