Hollywood's latest McMovie -- name-brand recognition as raison d’être or, if you will, creative bankruptcy on a very large scale.
Starsky & Hutch (2004)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:181
Fresh:114
Rotten:67
Average Rating:5.9/10
Consensus: Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson enliven a comedy comprising mostly of sight gags.
Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for drug content, sexual situations, partial nudity, language and some violence
Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins
Genre: Comedies
Theatrical Release:Mar 5, 2004 Wide
Box Office: $88,200,225
Synopsis: Detective David Starsky (BEN STILLER) is the most dedicated undercover cop working the mean streets of Bay City, California. Maniacally devoted to his job, when he's on duty no crime goes... Detective David Starsky (BEN STILLER) is the most dedicated undercover cop working the mean streets of Bay City, California. Maniacally devoted to his job, when he's on duty no crime goes unpunished - and he's always on duty. And that's a good thing, because he has some metaphorically big shoes to fill: his mother was a legend on the force, one of the best cops in the history of Bay City. But while his mom stuck with the same partner throughout her entire career, due to his extremely zealous brand of police work, Starsky burns through partners faster than his beloved Gran Torino goes through spark plugs. Detective Ken "Hutch" Hutchinson (OWEN WILSON) is having career issues of his own - he's a good cop, but his hazardously laidback personality and desire for a quick buck don't always get the job done. He has excellent instincts, he just needs a little bit of focus to keep him on the admittedly less profitable side of the law. Exasperated Bay City Police Captain Dobey (FRED WILLIAMSON) has found the perfect solution for two of his biggest problems: pair up Starsky and Hutch and put them out on the streets. As soon as the two mismatched crime fighters unhappily begin their first day on the beat as a team, a "floater" turns up on the Bay City coastline. With the help of Hutch's dynamite, street-savvy informant Huggy Bear (SNOOP DOGG), the two begin to unravel the mysterious murder case. Investigating their first clue, the boys meet Staci (CARMEN ELECTRA) and Holly (AMY SMART), Bay City Cheerleaders who are more than eager to help - in any way they can. All signs seem to point at wealthy businessman Reese Feldman (VINCE VAUGHN), but Starsky and Hutch just can't seem to make a case against him. Unbeknownst to them, Feldman has cooked up a plan to foil the DEA and is plotting the biggest and most lucrative drug deal of his career. The unlikely duo will use their canniest undercover skills, hardcore street smarts and striking good looks to solve the crime and make sure the criminal does the time. Because, as David Starsky says, "In Bay City, when you cross the line, your n*ts are mine." Warner Bros. Pictures and Dimension Films present a Riche-Ludwig/Weed Road/Red Hour production of a Todd Phillips movie, Starsky & Hutch, starring BEN STILLER and OWEN WILSON. Directed by TODD PHILLIPS, the film also stars VINCE VAUGHN, JULIETTE LEWIS and SNOOP DOGG. Screenplay by JOHN O'BRIEN and TODD PHILLIPS & SCOT ARMSTRONG. Story by STEVIE LONG and JOHN O'BRIEN. Based on characters created by WILLIAM BLINN. The film is produced by WILLIAM BLINN, STUART CORNFELD, AKIVA GOLDSMAN, TONY LUDWIG and ALAN RICHE. The film is executive produced by GILBERT ADLER. The director of photography is BARRY PETERSON and EDWARD VERREAUX is the production designer. The film is edited by LESLIE JONES. Music by THEODORE SHAPIRO. Starsky & Hutch will be distributed domestically by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and internationally by Dimension Films. This film was given a rating of "PG-13" by the MPAA for "drug content, sexual situations, partial nudity, language and some violence." [More]
Starring: Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Juliette Lewis
Starring: Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Juliette Lewis, Snoop Doggy Dogg
Director: Todd Phillips
Director: Todd Phillips
Screenwriter: Scot Armstrong, Todd Phillips, John O'Brien
Story: Stevie Long, John O'Brien
Producer: William Blinn, Stuart Cornfeld, Akiva Goldsman, Tony Ludwig, Alan Riche
Composer: Theodore Shapiro
Studio: Warner Bros.
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Reviews for Starsky & Hutch
The filmic equivalent of a roofie: you're sure that something happened while you were out, but damned if you know what it was.
Stiller and Wilson's flirty, crackerjack rapport has grown to resemble something like a pan-sexual, THC-enhanced Abbott and Costello.
Phillips, who started out making creepy (and funny) documentaries, has become a canny repackager of yesterday's schlock -- a mall-friendly purveyor of arrested comedy for an arrested world.
I’m not saying never, ever, mine television for feature films, but I am saying that maybe it’s time we all chipped in to buy Hollywood a clue
S&H's chief pleasure is the spontaneous, sometimes quite touching rapport between the two stars.
...the film’s willingness to laugh at itself. This is not fine art, but pop culture fun, and for once the filmmakers seem in on the joke.
The key to the film's success is that it uses the burned out premise as the springboard for a comedy, not an action flick.
Reeks of mediocrity...the show was hardly a classic, but even so this insipid remolding doesn't do it justice.
Overcomes its played '70s spoof material, just one notch above Undercover Brother-flaccid, to become the first genuinely funny comedy of 2004.
Not your mother’s cop show, but if you agree that Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller are a great comedy duo, then you’re probably going to enjoy it.
While the gags in Starsky and Hutch are more hit-and-miss than nonstop inspiration, the movie does get a fair share of laughs.
Like most movies derived from 1960s and '70s TV, Starsky & Hutch doesn't possess the kind of ingenuity necessary to sustain feature length.
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| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
| 83% 83% | Harry Potter and the H… |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 75% 75% | Julie & Julia |
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 90% 90% | District 9 |
| 86% 86% | 500 Days of Summer |
| 63% 63% | Extract |
| 06% 06% | All About Steve |
| 78% 78% | It Might Get Loud |
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