Worth: $14.00
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Erik Stolhanske, Paul Soter, Steve Lemme, Brian Cox, Rob Lowe
Intro:
...basically a thin premise to provide context for the chaps of Broken Lizard to indulge in lengthy, often very funny, sketches...
Sequels to comedy cult hits are always a risky proposition. After all, surprise is key for those out-of-nowhere laughs, and the giddy genius of a strangely subversive flick about Vermont state troopers pissfarting about seems a trick destined to work only once. Still, thanks to an enormously successful crowdfunding campaign and much fan anticipation, Super Troopers 2 is here, seventeen years after the original. So, was it worth the wait? Mostly.
Super Troopers 2 rejoins the lives of Thorny (Jay Chandrasekhar), Farva (Kevin Heffernan), Rabbit (Erik Stolhanske), Foster (Paul Soter) and Mac (Steve Lemme) some years after the original. They’ve all been shitcanned down to civilian status, something that lasts all of seven minutes, when Captain O’Hagen (Brian Cox) appears with a tempting offer. A small Quebec town is transitioning from Canadian to American sovereignty (it doesn’t matter why, just go with it) and our “boys” must provide their special brand of law enforcement, for a shot at redemption and also because it will hopefully be piss funny.
Super Troopers 2’s plot, like the original’s, is basically a thin premise to provide context for the chaps of Broken Lizard to indulge in lengthy, often very funny, sketches that riff on the absurdity of Mounties, the joy of drugs and how much of a wanker Farva is. Sometimes they really work, Mayor Guy Le Franc (Rob Lowe) pointing out how uptight and sexually repressed Americans are by means of gently pummelling a male prostitute’s dangling penis is weirdly endearing. Sometimes they’re less successful, Thorny’s addiction to female libido booster, Flova Scotia, is promising but doesn’t go anywhere more interesting than a few lazy “women, AMIRITE?” style gags. Then again, there are whole sections of the original Super Troopers that fall flat, such is the nature of the Lizard’s throw-everything-at-the-wall-to-see-what-sticks, improvisation-heavy comedy shenanigans. It’s the kind of caper where you know what you’re in for and your enjoyment depends on, a) that being your thing and, b) you’re with like-minded friends and have necked a sufficient amount of friendly intoxicants (it’s not for nothing that the release date of this flick in the US is 4/20).
For those new to the Super Troopers vibe this will likely be a baffling 99 minutes. For those who have watched and re-watched the original and in fact quote it on the reg, this will be a warm bit of nostalgia, with the expected callbacks and fan service, but also enough fresh gags to keep the laughs coming pretty consistently. So if you’re in the latter group, it’s probably time you jump down to your local cinema, all nimbly-bimbly, and ask to see this film right meow. Just remember how fast you’re going.
