Super Troopers 2 (2018) Review

It's been a very long time since I've seen the original Super Troopers.  It's honestly been almost ten years.  I remember I really liked it at the time and I thought the opening scene was hysterical.  I should probably re-watch it.  But in the meantime, let's see if Super Troopers 2 has got it going on.



Several years after the Troopers were fired from their jobs as local police officers, they are given the chance to become Troopers again, when a border dispute between the United States and Canada ends with a small portion of Canada being added to Vermont, including one whole town.  The Troopers are offered new jobs replacing the local mounties to prep for the transition.  Unfortunately, the townsfolk doesn't want them there.  Plus there is a smuggling operation going on, and the suspicious mounties are less than cooperative.  It's up to the Super Troopers to solve the case and win over the town.


What Works:

The comedy in Super Troopers 2 is very hit-or-miss, but some of it hits hard.  There is a lot of solid humor in this movie.  The vast majority of it comes from the obnoxious Farva (Kevin Heffernan) who is basically a grown-up version of Eric Cartman from South Park.  The guy steals the show every time he is on screen.  Another stand-out is Tyler Labine who plays of the Canadian Mounties.  His line delivery is amazing, and while he doesn't get a lot to do, he is still one of the highlights.

The chemistry of the actors is also a high point.  You can really tell these guys are friends and love working together, and that definitely elevates the movie.  There is some material that simply would not work if it wasn't for their chemistry.

Finally, I do like the premise for the movie.  It's a little ridiculous that Canada would just hand over a whole town to the U.S., but it's funny and a decent direction to go in.


What Sucks:

I said earlier that the comedy is very hit-or-miss.  When it misses, it misses hard.  There are a lot of jokes that are just lazy or lame.  They run some of their jokes into the ground.  The American/Canadian jokes are occasionally funny, but they get pretty old.  Also Jay Chandrasekhar's character gets hooked on female-hormone pills.  The bit isn't very funny to begin with and it gets very old by the end of the movie.

The other main problem is there is no clear protagonist.  None of the Troopers change or grow at all through the movie.  This makes it hard to get invested in the characters.  I know this is a comedy, but even comedy movies need to have a protagonist and a clear narrative.  Sometimes Super Troopers 2 just feels like a bunch of random crap happening.


Verdict:

Super Troopers 2 is an extremely flawed movie.  The narrative sucks, a lot of the humor doesn't work, and some of the recurring jokes get old fast, but there are some solid comedic performances, some really funny jokes, and a team of good friends, who have the chemistry to pull this off, and a great passion for the project, and that's pretty cool.  If you liked the first movie, you will probably like this. I doubt others will, but I had a fun time.

 6/10: Ok 

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