"Starsky & Hutch" review

Starsky & Hutch (2004)

Directed by Todd Phillips
Writing credits Stevie Long

Ben Stiller .... David Starsky
Owen Wilson .... Ken Hutchinson
Snoop Dogg .... Huggy Bear
Fred Williamson .... Captain Doby
Vince Vaughn .... Reese Feldman
Juliette Lewis .... Kitty
Jason Bateman .... Kevin
Amy Smart .... Holly
Carmen Electra .... Staci

"Starsky and Hutch" certainly had a lot of promise. I wanted to believe that Stiller and Wilson could make a funny movie. So I went out to see it. My dad told me that it was going to stink and I shouldn't waste my money. I'm afraid I have to tell you that Pop was pretty much on target. Dang.

"Starsky and Hutch" was a flat, unfunny comedy. I can sum up everything that was good about it this way: It had three laughs and a 3-way. I laughed a grand total of three times. Yes. I was counting. Just do the math to see how "Starsky and Hutch" adds up. For a feature with a running time of 101 minutes, why that's one laugh every 33.6 minutes! For a $6.50 matinee, that's $2.16 a laugh! Wow! What a bargain! When I look at it this way, I get really, really depressed. That's just the feeling you want to have after seeing a comedy.

After watching "Starsky and Hutch", I think I can now safely say that Owen Wilson doesn't do it for me. I've liked him in other movies but his act is getting worn out. He's got the laid back thing going on but it's not making me laugh. He looks like he'd be much happier sitting by a pool with a large alcoholic drink than actually taking the time to make a movie. Come to think of it, that does sound like a good idea. He may be on to something.

There was one cool scene which showed the start of a three-way between Wilson, Smart and Electra. This pleased me immensely. Amy Smart lays some kisses on Carmen Electra. You gotta love that. I can give the movie a point for that scene. To paraphrase Snoop Dogg, "That puts you at point one!"

I also liked the scene where Stiller faces off against the Ron Jeremy look alike on the disco dance floor. Wilson: "Please don't do this!" Stiller: "Don't worry about it. I can take him." Wilson: "It's not that! It's just so incredibly lame!" It was one of my three laughs. That puts you at point two!

SCORE: 2 out of 4 for three laughs and a three-way