Super Troopers
I've heard that a police officer's shift consists of hours of boredom interrupted by brief moments of sheer horror. Most cop movies and TV shows emphasize the horror aspects of the jobs, but what about the boredom? Law-enforcement officials could have a lot of fun on the job. That is precisely what the Super Troopers have in mind.
The comedy team Broken Lizard wrote, directed, and starred in a new kind of cop movie. Officers Arcott Ramathorne (a.k.a. "Thorny"), Jeff Foster, Macintyre Womack (a.k.a. "Mac"), Robert Roto (a.k.a. "Rabbit"), and Rodney Farva are Vermont state troopers operating under the leadership of Captain John O'Hara (film veteran Brian Cox in a rare comic role). With the exception of O'Hara and Farva, the troopers get their jollies by playing pranks on the clientele and each other. However, these shenanigans are placing their station in jeopardy of being shut down in the middle of a budget cut.
A murder and a drug bust on their stretch of highway present the troopers with an opportunity to save their department. The only problem is that the dill-hole local police claim jurisdiction, preventing the troopers from investigating the case. The highway hawks' chances of financial survival are getting slimmer than Calista Flockhart because of their continued goofiness on the job. Thanks to untapped detective skills (or simple luck), the troopers make strides in solving the case before they are reassigned to other stations.
The humor is the strongest characteristic of Super Troopers. The plot is weak; most of the scenes do not push the plot forward to its predictable ending. That's OK, because your likely motive for watching this movie is to laugh the piss out of yourself (which is known to happen). The humor itself touches several topics, from reefer jokes to Mac timing himself as to how fast he can stroke the salami.
There's one hilarious scene that never gets old for me. Farva and Thorny are patronizing a local burger joint. Farva is employing his renowned interpersonal skills in placing his order. When the cashier suggests upsizing his meal for a quarter, Farva offers to punch him in the face for free. For a beverage, Farva asks for "liter-a-cola." When the register monkey (relax, I was one too!) inquires about this particular choice, Farva grabs the kid's shirt shouting, "'liter' is French for 'give me some fucking cola!'" As the case usually is, it's funnier to watch a scene than to be told about it.
Super Troopers' intelligence, as a film, is not in question; this is a stupid movie. However, it's also funny enough to merit 10-plus viewings (so far) since October 2002. If you enjoy juvenile humor, this is your kind of movie. If immature themes bother you, how'd you find this site anyway?
Send any comments/ feedback to the author.
There's a great scene where Officer Farva gets plastered at a press conference/party. He alternates between chugging and hugging . . . the toilet.
This film's notion of romance is incarnated in the bodies of two kinky foreigners and swinging Officer Thorny.
Buy this film from Amazon.com
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