Camper than an international scout jamboree, the big screen adaptation of Starsky and Hutch may be a bit of a one-joke film, but it's a rather funny one. In playing up an imagined gay subtext between the sartorial 1970s cops, Todd Phillips (Old School) neatly sidesteps the overly serious air which often blights the adaptation of old television shows into films. Of course, this might rankle with those who grew up on a steady diet of the show, but at least Starsky and Hutch has the good sense to poke fun at itself. In a perfect piece of casting, Ben Stiller plays Dave Starsky, an uptight cop who is determined to match his mother's record in the force. On the otherhand, Ken Hutchinson (the equally fine Owen Wilson) is hardly Cop of the Year material. With his police snitch, Huggy Bear (an excellent Snoop Dogg) in tow, Hutch isn't beyond stretching the letter of the law. Of course, it's only a matter of time before the two are partnered off by their perpetually angry boss. Their mission? To nail drug lord Reese Feldman (Vaughan, doing a loose riff on his low rent charm).
Robust and energetic, the film might not stand up to much critical observation, but it doesn't sit still for a moment, throwing measured gag after measured gag, with most finding their target. Stiller and Wilson have an excellent chemistry, always conscious of each other's strengths and rarely overplaying their respective hands - Stiller should patent his pressure cooker persona, while Wilson's stoner chic is inexplicably hilarious. Don't take it too seriously and it will grab you by the lapels.
