Stuber

Back in the 80's, there was a lot of mismatched buddy cop films that blended high octane action and comedy to usually entertaining results, whether it's 48 Hours, Beverly Hills Cop, Lethal Weapon, Running Scared or Tango & Cash just to name a few. As the new millenium dawned, the genre went out of style. Coming back with an amusing contemporary update to that well worn formula comes Stuber. 

Stu (played by Kumil Nanjiani) leads a fairly quiet life working in a sporting goods store and supplementing his income by driving for Uber. He takes his work very seriously and is obsessed with obtaining a five star rating with the service. Things get complicated when he picks up Vic (played by Dave Bautista), a cop in pursuit of a dangerous drug trafficker, Teijo (played by Iko Uwais), that escaped his grasp on a prior encounter. He's determined not to let that happen again, despite his Captain, Angie McHenry (played by Mira Sorvino), insisting he stand down. The only problem is he got Lasik eye surgery earlier that day and can't drive. Stuck with calling an Uber, he winds up with Stu. Wanting no part of Vic's mission, Stu intends to just drop him off and continue on his way, especially when the girl he likes, Becca (played by Betty Gilpin), calls announcing she broke up with her boyfriend and wanting him to come over. But Vic, ever determined to catch Teijo, drags Stu along from one potential informant to another as the two become begrudging partners in pursuit of a dangerous criminal.

The film was directed by Michael Dowse from a script from Tripper Clancy. The film is a real throwback to 80's action films as it melds strong comedic elements with some intense violence. Still, the filmmakers find some fun ways to tweak the standard elements of the 80's cop movie formula, such as when the visit the requisite strip club it's actually a male strip club (leading to an amusing scene with one of the strippers helping Stu be more open and direct during a FaceTime call with Becca while Vic gets the info he needs). The film also mines a lot of humor from the differing personalities of the two leads, whether it's the meek, overly polite Stu or the gruff Vic as they butt heads throughout the movie. I did appreciate how the two characters help each other throughout the film, whether it's Stu learning to be more assertive or Vic learning he needs to be more present and less of a workaholic, especially when it comes to his daughter (wonderfully played by Natalie Morales). Still, for all the humor the film mines from the mismatched leads, the plot to the film does feel woefully familiar. In terms of the plot, the film really moves from one plot point to another with very little of it feeling fresh. Even a certain plot twist had me groaning rather than intrigued or surprised. To his credit, Dowse does stage the action rather well with a fight between Nanjiani and Bautista when their animosity hits it's boiling point being a memorable standout.  

The acting from the two leads is quite strong and they both bring a lot to the table. Kumail Nanjiani brings a lot of humor to the film, with plenty to mine playing a character that is entirely in over his head in a situation that continues to spin more and more out of control. He also does well in showing his character's growth over the course of this night from hell as things get crazier and crazier. Dave Bautista keeps pace with Kumail in the comedy department, as the two bicker back and forth throughout the film as they move from one action sequence to the next. He does well as the gruff police detective whose sole focus is on catching this one criminal, but learning over the course of his adventure that he needs to learn to let go and not be so work obsessed. Iko Uwais does the best he can with the woefully underwritten role as the main antagonist, Teijo. He does prove himself to be a formidible fighting opponent for Vic, but in terms of memorable action movie villains, there isn't much there that's memorable or unique. It's nice to see Mira Sorvino on screen again. It feels like it's been forever since I've seen her in anything and she does as much as she can in the supporting role as Captain Angie McHenry, another role that is rather uninspired and could've used a few fresh ideas. Nonetheless, hopefully this means we'll see more of her in the future. Natalie Morales adds some freshness and charm to the film in her role as Vic's daughter, Nicole. It's a pretty standard role, Nicole feels neglected by her workaholic father but tries to be understanding, yet Morales adds a certain spunkiness to the role. I also appreciated that she didn't wind up as a damsel in distress, which is where I expected the film to go with her character. Karen Gillan shows up briefly at the beginning of the film as Vic's partner, in a bit cameo, but doesn't stick around long enough for her character to make much of an impression, unfortunately.

Kumail Najiani and Dave Bautista give their all to their roles and the film works as well as it does because of their odd couple chemistry. They do genuinely play off each other really well and the film got some solid laughs out of me. Where the film falters is in the plotting. Everything about it just felt so been there, done that with very little of it being a genuine surprise. It's a retread of 80's buddy cop action movies that struggles to find anything new or interesting to show, outside of the updated time and the Uber ride share service being a plot point. As it is, it's an amusing time waster, but with some work it could have been something more memorable. As it is, I'd really only recommend it to fans of Nanjiani or Bautista, and even then maybe wait for video.