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Super Troopers
2001 - R - 100 Mins.
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| Director: Jay Chandrasekhar | | Producer: Richard Perello, Peter Lengyel | | Written By: Jay Chandrasekhar, Paul Soter, Erik Stolhanske, Steve Lemme, Kevin Heffernan | | Starring: Jay Chandrasekhar, Paul Soter, Erik Stolhanske, Steve Lemme, Kevin Heffernan, Brian Cox, Marisa Coughlin, Daniel von Bergan |
| Review by: JK Radtke |
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No speeder, or syrup bottle is safe with us on patrol!
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SUPER TROOPERS is a low-budget indie comedy about a ragtag group of Highway cops faced with possible job extinction, and gags galore.
Advertised as “From the minds of Broken Lizard” never has a film campaign ever been more accurate. SUPER TROOPERS is, without a doubt, the unaltered vision of the comedy troupe known as Broken Lizard: Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Paul Soter, Steve Lemme, and Erik Stolhanske; five different guys each bringing their own unique style, to create one ultimately hilarious film!
I guess you could say they’re like the Voltron of comedy; each awesome in their own way, but nothing compared to the comedic might they wield when meshed together…y’know, without all that pesky, unnecessary metal, or the poorly overdubbed English speaking voices that are three levels too deep.
Brian Cox stars as Capt. John O’Hagan, the leader of this goof troop, made up of the members of Broken Lizard. They are, in no particular order: Erik Stolhanske as Rabbit, the Rookie; Jay Chandrasekhar as Thorny, the Wise Veteran; Steve Lemme as Mac, the Crazy Mo’fo; Paul Soter as Foster, the one with no mustache; and Kevin Heffernan as Farva, a man simply beyond description!
Together, they wage war on drug smugglers, the local cops, an oversized pig, foreign speeders, syrup bottles, and each other.
Let me be the first to admit, if you’re not a fan of the silly, this might not be the comedy for you. While the BL Crew has effortlessly intertwined all sorts of wit throughout their inaugural feature length film, to the untrained eye, it can be easily lost amidst all of the goofy shenanigans displayed within. Even I had to sit and watch this film a couple times in order to truly appreciate everything that is going on, due to all of the subtleties that are overshadowed by many of the bigger pranks.
One of the highlights of TROOPERS is the acting. While most of us would expect nothing less than perfection from steady acting veterans like Cox and Daniel von Bergan (Police Chief Grady), watching these unknowns (at least at the time) perform, and successfully carry this film with ease is nothing short of amazing! It becomes obvious that these guys aren’t just playing characters-- they ARE the characters.
Everything from the line delivery to the small mannerisms they use to portray their characters scream reality. These are guys you could easily see wearing those tacky purple and yellow button up shirts at your weekly bowling league! They’re your neighbors, or your old college buddies. They are the everymen of society, and you can’t help but like them.
With a memorable performance from the designated hottie, Marisa Coughlin (Officer Ursula Hanson), and special guest appearances from the Cleavage Queen herself, Lynda Carter (Gov. Jessman), and Midwest stand-up comedy guru, Jim Gaffigan (Larry Johnson/The Meow Victim), SUPER TROOPERS has enough laughs to appeal to the most cynical comedy fans, while also capturing the hearts and imaginations of those determined to stay young at heart.
If you’re looking to burn a couple of hours, and have a few laughs while in the midst of good company, I highly suggest you take a chance on this little movie that could. As the most recent cult classic of its kind, rest assured you’ll be hearing more and more about this film as the years go bye, while everything around it fades into nothing.
“Now that’s a lot of Dimp!”
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