THE AISLE SEAT - by Mike McGranaghan
"SUPER TROOPERS 2"
The 2002 comedy Super Troopers was just the right kind of stupid. An apologetically lowbrow comedy executed with great energy and possessing an admirably silly spirit, the movie understandably accumulated a devoted cult following. The scrappy, low-budget nature of the production just made it even more amusing. Sixteen years and one successful Indiegogo campaign later, there's finally a sequel. Happily, Super Troopers 2 is every bit as stupid as its predecessor.
As the story begins, the guys – Thorny (Jay Chandrasekhar), Foster (Paul Soter), Rabbit (Erik Stolhanske), Mac (Steve Lemme), and Farva (Kevin Heffernan) – are working in construction, having been fired from the police force after an unfortunate incident involving a former child star. They get a chance to become cops again when Vermont's governor (Lynda Carter) requests their help. A small portion of Canadian land is discovered to belong to her state, so she needs someone to meow replace the Mounties and patrol the area until the changeover.
Of course, that's just a McGuffin. The whole point is that the Troopers and the Mounties – played by Will Sasso, Hayes MacAthur, and Tyler Labine – participate in a series of pranks designed to annoy each other. All manner of juvenile hijinks occur.
I'm not even going to try to make the case that Super Troopers 2 is a good movie. The concept of “good” does not apply here. All this sequel has to do is be roughly as funny as the original. It is. The only thing lacking is the sense of discovery. Those of us who liked the first one are coming in with a set of expectations we didn't have initially.
Written by the five main stars, who go by the collective name of “Broken Lizard,” the film is wall-to-wall goofiness. The Mounties are portrayed as the most exaggerated Canadian stereotype imaginable. Seriously, they make Bob and Doug McKenzie look politically correct in comparison. There are wacky drug jokes, moments of scatological and sex-related humor, and a hilarious scene involving Thorny and Mac amusing themselves by dressing up as Mounties and intentionally confusing an American couple they've pulled over. What Rob Lowe, playing a Canadian mayor, does in a strip club could not be described even if I wanted to. Nothing is off-limits. In a time when many comedies play things safe, there's something refreshing about one that isn't afraid to push the envelope.
If there's a key to the success of the Super Troopers pictures, it's the chemistry between Broken Lizard's members. Their real-life friendship comes across onscreen, and you can visibly see them having fun with the absurd antics. Some of the jokes are legitimately clever, others intentionally dumb. Either way, the guys dive right in, showing fearlessness in going to extremes to get a laugh. In both films, the standout is Kevin Heffernan, who makes Farva weirdly lovable, despite being obnoxious and sexist. He's hysterical.
Super Troopers 2 has only a thread of a plot, and not every gag lands. The fact remains, though, that one goes into this sequel hoping to get a repeat experience. No other bar needs to be cleared. Broken Lizard doesn't try to go “bigger and better” for the second go-round. Wise choice. The movie simply puts the cops into a different scenario, then lets them engage in the same tomfoolery they did back in 2002.
Recommended for those who dug the original, as well as anyone who enjoys littering and...littering and...littering and...smoking the reefer.
(
out of four)
Super Troopers 2 is rated R for crude sexual content and language throughout, drug material and some graphic nudity. The running time is 1 hour and 40 minutes.
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