The buddy movie is one of those things that never
gets old. It's endlessly recyclable. Mix the genders, personality types, power
dynamics, motivations, and you easily have a movie distinct enough that it can
be judged on its own merits. And ultimately, the only thing that actually
matters is the chemistry between the two leads. Lethal Weapon is a
really generic movie, but with two leads in Mel Gibson and Danny Glover who
perfectly compliment each other. One of my favorite movies in years, The
Nice Guys, is nothing without the interplay between Russell Crowe and Ryan
Gosling. Sometimes, even bad movies get saved by a couple strong leads. Kate
McKinnon and Mila Kunis' relationship is the entire reason I came away from
last year's The Spy Who Dumped Me so favorable about it.
Stuber is
definitely a movie that comes down to the strength of its two leads. The story
is plain silly and implausible: An Uber driver gets roped into a murder/drug
investigation because a cop who just had eye surgery can't get around on his
own and was told by a superior to let the case go. This doesn't even begin to
pass a plausibility test. That's fine though. It's all about Kumail Nanjiani
and Dave Bautista.
This is the perfect time in both of their careers
for this sort of movie. Nanjiani proved himself as a leading man (albeit, in an
autobiographical story) in The Big Sick and has been a go-to punch-up
actor for laughs in supporting roles for years. Bautista went from wrestler to
proven laugh-generator in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. Buddy cop
movie is the natural next step for him. I like this pairing in principle. I
don't think Stuber gets their dynamic right though. Bautista is at his
best as the happy warrior. Drax in Guardians is an extreme version of
that, but even a less cartoonish version of that is where he's best. Stuber
has him more mono-focused and intense. He spends most of his time being
patronizing to Nanjiani. He's punching down far too much, and it isn't as fun
to see. Nanjiani is a little closer to his strengths. He's best when he's a
little frustrated but still a little bit in control; when he can comment on the
situation while still being fully invested in it. A good example is his
character on Silicon Valley. Dinesh hates competing with Gilfoyle but
can't help himself from doing it. In Stuber, he has all the attitude but
none of the agency. Both men are still able to milk some laughs out of their
roles, but they didn't endear themselves to me very much.
Stuber is
a perfectly fine buddy comedy. It hits jokes at a consistent rate. It doesn't
sag or forget that it's a comedy in the third act. Natalie Morales is a breath
of fresh air whenever she shows up (Seriously, when is someone going to find a
starring role that knows how to use her?). Really, it has an impressive roster
of supporting actors all-around. A little Mira Sorvino in my life is always
welcome. The same goes for Betty Gilpin and Steve Howey. A little more tweaking
with the dynamic between the two leads would've endeared me a lot more to the
movie. As is, I got a few laughs but will quickly forget it.
Verdict: Weakly Don't Recommend
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