In the world of renewed vintage items, it is clear that the movie “Starsky and Hutch” has a lot to prove. Earlier work like “Charlie’s Angels” and “Scooby-Doo,” when placed upon the silver screen, seem to score well comedy-wise while failing in every other aspect of classic films. However, much to my greater joy, Stiller’s and Wilson’s portrayals of these television characters succeed on all fronts.
It is not just the comedy that makes this film so enjoyable. Firstly, there is the struggle of one title character to live up to someone of importance–Starsky is expected to be the ideal policeman just as his mother was the ideal policewoman (catching every criminal she was sent after and dying in the line of duty). However, both of the main personas in this movie are looked upon by the other policemen as idiots, after two failed attempts to catch a high-profile drug smuggler. As one might guess, they have to go through a lot of strikes at their job before hitting their proverbial home run.
Secondly, there is the strong image that neither of the men are perfect super heroes. Instead, they are shown from the first minute of the movie as normal people: both are obsessed about their cars and both get a little steamy over the cheerleaders they meet, who double as witnesses for their case. And when they try to catch a criminal only to fail soon afterward, they get upset at themselves and each other. Yet it is the underlying theme of friendship that really holds everything together in the end.
A strong example of this is when Starsky accidentally uses some of the drug smuggler’s product, because the police Chief himself said that it was nothing but ‘artificial sweetner.’ After losing a dance contest in a disco club, he becomes violent, almost shooting someone in a fit of rage. One almost expects Hutchinson to drag him to the nearest policeman; but instead, his partner calms him down and carries him home to sleep the effects of the drug off, much like an older brother or parent would do. This is a rare thing to see in films that have men as the main characters, but it is pleasing to see just the same.
And quite surprisingly, this is just the tip of the iceberg. The other strong aspect of Starsky and Hutch is, dare I say, the startling performance of the rapper Snoop Dogg. I did not expect a musician to do so well in the film industry (think Ice Cube), but he nevertheless proved me wrong by putting himself completely into the role of Huggy Bear, the local ‘urban informant’.
Will Farrell, another well-known comedic actor, was both terribly funny and sinister as the homosexual convict “Big Earl”. When these actors are put together, their performances give this type of film a lot more substance than the average 70’s revival. If only ‘Charlie’s Angels’ could boast of the same.
Saturday, July 5, 2025