Barnes & Noble

The popular '70s cop show -- a forerunner to the "buddy" movies that proliferated during the '80s and '90s -- gets a proper send-up in this pleasingly inane romp starring Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson. Directed by Todd Phillips (Old School), it positively brims with lowbrow foolishness but benefits enormously from the gifted cast's hammy, good-natured trouping. Stiller transforms Dave Starsky into a tightly wound, by-the-book detective with little patience for the unorthodox antics of his new partner, freewheeling Ken Hutchinson, played by Wilson with his trademark insouciance. A routine murder investigation leads them to the doorstep of wealthy Reese Feldman (Vince Vaughn), an entrepreneurial gangster possessing a formula for cocaine that can't be detected by drug-sniffing dogs, but they bungle the investigation and are taken off the case. Their efforts to apprehend Feldman offer innumerable opportunities for outrageous, almost surreal episodes; possibly the best of them is a hilarious sequence in which the boys impersonate mimes and crash the bat mitzvah party of Feldman's young daughter. The always interesting Vaughn is typically wry as the drug lord, and Juliette Lewis makes the most of her limited screen time as his dimwitted mistress. The real surprise, though, is Snoop Dogg as Huggy Bear, the erstwhile gangsta who furnishes Starsky and Hutch with valuable leads. He's surprisingly good in a colorful role that fits him like a purple, ermine-trimmed glove. Also funny are Amy Smart and Carmen Electra as professional cheerleaders who date the boys, and former blaxploitation star Fred Williamson, a real scenery chewer as the long-suffering police captain trying to keep the team under control. The Stiller-Wilson pairing remains among current comedy's most reliable combinations, and these accomplished pros make Starsky & Hutch a delight from beginning to end. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

Starring Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson in the title roles, this kitschy tongue-in cheek action comedy is based on the popular 1970s cop show of the same name. Ken "Hutch" Hutchinson (Wilson) and Dave Starsky (Stiller) are a tough pair of plain-clothes cops who drive a red and white Ford Torino and solve cases with the assistance of their informant, Huggy Bear (Snoop Dogg). While investigating their latest case, the duo realize that the culprit is none other than Reese Feldman (Vince Vaughn), the criminal involved in their first bust. Starsky & Hutch also features appearance by Juliette Lewis, Will Ferrell, and Matt Walsh, who, along with Snoop Dogg and Vaughn, all had roles in director Todd Phillips' last film, Old School. Matthew Tobey

Product Details

• UPC: 8717418154424
• Source: AIS
• Time: 1:41:00
• Sales Rank: 60,368

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• Starsky and Hutch
• Starsky & Hutch/the Big Bounce