Back in 2001, the comedian group of guys who went by the stage name of “Broken Lizard”released their sophomore feature length film Super Troopers. While Super Troopers only made a very mild splash during its box office run, which is not bad considering the movie made roughly $23 million against its $3 million production budget) as well as facing mixed reviews from critics, the movie itself found its popularity on home release where it gained a cult-following. Almost seventeen years later, Fox Searchlight Pictures and director Jay Chandrasekhar present the long-awaited sequel to the 2001 film with the movie Super Troopers 2.
Synopsis: When a border dispute arises between the U.S. and Canada, the Super Troopers are tasked with establishing a Highway Patrol station in the disputed area. (IMDB)
Starring: Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, and Steve Lemme
Writers: Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, and Erik Stolhanske
Director: Jay Chandrasekhar
Rating: 14A (Canada)/R (United States)
Running Time: 99mins
Trailer:
For showtimes and more, check out Super Troopers 2 on movietimes.com.
The original 2001 film wasn’t as smash hit at the box office, but its gained a cult following. Unfortunately, the road to getting Super Troopers 2 off the ground has been a bumpy road. Was it worth the 17 year wait? While there were a few problems, Super Troopers 2 is indeed a fun and goofy comedy sequel that continues what the original started.
Much like the rest of the Broken Lizard movies, Super Troopers 2 sees actor / director Jay Chandrasekhar helming the project and the entire Broken Lizard gang writing it. The plot itself was a bit silly and there wasn’t much to it which was sort of a good thing as it prevents Super Troopers 2 from falling into the pitfalls of a classic “sequel”movie scenario. The film has the same silliness, goofy angst, and crass humor of that of the first one, but just more finely tuned and tweaked in various parts. The humor was good with the jokes and gags revolving around drugs, alcohol, sex, nudity, and explicit language as well as the making fun of US and Canada. Chandrasekhar also never gets side tracked or bogged down in unwanted filler sub-plots, keeping the film moving at a brisk pace.
There were still a few problems to be had here. Perhaps the most notable one is the film’s release date. While it’s not necessarily the film’s fault, this film didn’t feel as impactful as it could have. Another problem is the film’s flimsy and loose plot. Of course, this was never going to have a grandiose narrative plot / conflict but even the plot in the original was better than this one. While it was just an excuse to bring the gang back together, it could’ve been more thought out.
Another problem was that some of the jokes carried over from the first film. Some of these comedic jabs have lost their punch over the years and don’t land well, completely missing their mark and falling with a thud. Like a lot of comedies, not every humorous line of dialogue is comedic gold. The new material in Super Troopers 2 is quite funny and the Broken Lizard gang could’ve used more of those in the film instead of rehashing some tired and mediocre ones. The film’s ending is left a bit inconclusive, especially if Super Troopers 2 is going to be second (and final) installment of this comedy franchise.
One of the successful things about the original Super Troopers was the camaraderie between the guys. While most of these actors haven’t been in much, the Broken Lizard gang works well together, playing off of each other with ease. It’s clear that each one is having fun onset.
The film also features a few new additions but they weren’t quite as fleshed out as they could have been. Perhaps the most prominent one of the groups is the character of Guy Le Franc played by Rob Lowe. Lowe unabashedly has fun in his role of Le Franc, joining in some of the more goofball risque humor with gleeful ease. Lowe’s Le Franc wouldn’t go down as his best role in his career by a long shot but he is quite amusing in the role, especially with his fake Canadian accent.
Mac, Rabbit, Thorny, Foster and Farva are back and hitting the highway road again, facing new Canadian hostiles and crazy shenanigans in Super Troopers 2. While there are a few problems with the movie, the film itself shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. It was great to see the group back together again and it was funny for the most part.
This film is worth a recommendation, especially for fans of the original. In the end, Super Troopers 2 is a solid R-rated comedy that doesn’t take itself too seriously, filling its run time with its classic humor from start to finish. Let’s just hope that Super Troopers 3 emerges sometime soon or at least much sooner than Super Troopers 2.
3.9 Out of 5 (Rent It)
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