Release Date:  March 5, 2004

Rating:  PG-13 (for drug content, sexual situations, partial nudity, language and some violence)

Genre:  Action/Comedy/Crime

Director:  Todd Phillips

Actors:  Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Juliette Lewis, Snoop Dogg, Amy Smart, Carmen Electra, Jason Bateman, Will Ferrell, Patton Oswalt

Review:  I don’t know about you, but I’m getting a little sick of Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson. What is it with these guys?  They’re like Captain and Tennille singing a non-stop version of “Love Will Keep Us Together.” And let’s face it, unlike those two, it’s not like Stiller and Wilson’s lyrics were written by Neil Sedaka. They’re comics, pretending to be actors – and doing the same schtick over and over.

Somebody please put me out of my misery, because they each have more films coming out this year – several of 'em. Apparently the Carpenters were right. It’s only just begun.

If you’re thinking that this movie will take you back a few years, you’re correct. You can cringe with the rest of us at the clothes, the décor and the disco – all to the beat of some pretty fun music – and well done by Edward Verreaux and Theodore Shapiro. Okay, so I’m showing my age, but I enjoyed that part. Most people under 35 probably won’t get this film, though. And frankly, with its overt sexuality and drugs, I’m thinking that should be the cutoff age, anyway.

Get my drift?

It’s definitely not the original “Starsky and Hutch,” the cop show about two very different police officers who fought crime in the fictitious “Bay City” from 1975 to 1979. Instead of attempting the next-to-impossible task of recreating that drama, writer/director Todd Phillips chose to make a parody – which was a smart move. And the comedy isn’t bad, from a creative standpoint, when it isn’t degenerating. Sure, the direction and camera work are sloppy, but I get the feeling that this is all part of the joke. The film makes fun of not only the buddy cop genre, but also the oh-so-fake directorial input that was so common back then. And that is one of the funniest things it does.