Today’s quick review: Starsky & Hutch. As punishment for a botched assignment, David Starsky (Ben Stiller), a high-strung cop who takes his job seriously, is partnered with Ken “Hutch” Hutchinson (Owen Wilson), a detective with a relaxed attitude. With a few tips from Huggy Bear (Snoop Dogg), Hutch’s smooth informant, the pair investigate their first case together: a massive cocaine deal by Reese Feldman (Vince Vaughn), a wealthy businessman.
Starsky & Hutch is a buddy cop comedy based on the classic TV series. Starsky & Hutch has a good premise and a strong comedic cast, but mediocre writing and a thin plot keep it from living up to its full potential. It hits most of the beats a buddy cop movie needs to, but doesn’t bring much that’s new to the table. The tone skews comedic, with Starsky and Hutch bumbling their way through most of the case with just enough competence to make progress.
As far as buddy cop movies go, Starsky & Hutch is middle of the road. Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson are generally a good comedic duo, but the script doesn’t make the best use of their talents. Even by comedy standards, Starsky and Hutch are implausibly reckless cops, making it hard to treat them like heroes. The jokes range from decent to pretty good, but there are no iconic bits to make the movie memorable, and the joke density is lower than the actors’ other work.
Still, Starsky & Hutch is watchable and reasonably entertaining. Give it a look when you want something light with a familiar cast. For better movies in the buddy cop vein, check out Rush Hour or Beverly Hills Cop for comedy or Lethal Weapon for action. For better comedies with similar casts, check out Dodgeball or Zoolander.
6.1 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 for decent comedic potential held back by middling writing.