Super Troopers 2

Super Troopers 2

Starring Jay Chandrasekhar, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, Erik Stolhanske

Directed by Jay Chandrasekhar

 The Story:
After being fired from their police department jobs, friends Thorny (Jay Chandrasekhar), Jeff (Paul Soter), Mac (Steve Lemme), Rabbit (Erik Stolhanske) and Rod (Kevin Heffernan) are working in construction, when their old captain O'Hagen (Brian Cox) calls them to Canada.  There they're informed that the United States discovered that some of the land that is regulated to Canada actually belongs to America, and they're brought in to oversee the change in the small town it affects.

The small town mayor, Guy Le Franc (Rob Lowe) and his Canadian Mounties (Tyler Labine, Will Sasso, Hayes MacArthur) give the Americans a hard time, and they retaliate the only way Americans know how, leading to a turf war for the ages.  Then the officers discover drugs hiding throughout the town, and deduce that someone is lazily smuggling drugs into America once the border trade occurs, and they set out to find who's behind it all.

The Synopsis:
In 1969, British pals Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, John Cleese and Michael Palin formed the comedy troupe Monty Python, and they produced several television shows and wrote and directed several full length films, including the now-iconic "Monty Python & the Holy Grail."  Together the men made a new road of comedy, blending dry British wit, slapstick comedy, and shocking humor in a way that blended perfectly together, cementing them in the annals of comedy history.

In America, friends Jay Chandrasekhar, Paul Soter, Steve Lemme, Erik Stolhanske and Kevin Heffernan started the comedy troupe Broken Lizard in 1990, and traveled around performing their own unique brand of humor which was a mixture of slapstick, crude jokes, and self-defecating humor to the delight of audiences everywhere.  They turned to film, creating a series of shorts for Comedy Central's "Is This On?" before turning their attention to the big screen.  Their first film was 2001's "Super Troopers," which was a modest hit but amassed a cult following as the years progressed, and the men went on to do other films such as "Club Dread" and "Beerfest," but always wanted to do a "Super Troopers" sequel.

After the troupe started an Indegogo crowd-source plea to raise $2 million dollars, they achieved their goal in less than a day, and "Super Troopers 2" was finally a go seventeen years after the original.  The result is a comedy that's an absolute howl from start to finish, hearkening back to the classic comedies of the early 2000s, where the actual story isn't necessary and it's all about the comradere between the actors.

While other sequels that seemed to have been made past their prime ("Bad Santa 2," "Dumb and Dumber To," "Independence Day 2"), there's a special presence "Super Troopers 2" has that the others don't, and it boils down to the desire of the men to make the film.  You can tell they had an absolute hoot doing it, and the audience was allowed to be in on the game as well.  From start to finish, the jokes came fast and furious, and there was hardly a moment where I wasn't smiling or laughing to the point of hyperventilation.  Unlike many other comedies (especially by Judd Apatow, who seemed to originate the "comedy epic"), "Super Troopers 2" is only a scant 99 minutes, and the men make full use of every single second.

Typically I lambast a film that has no plot, but here there isn't a plot necessary - it's just these men having a good time, creating a film that you can have a good time to.  Yes, there is a story about borders and drugs, but that's all secondary to sketches about the darker side of strip clubs, stereotyping Canadians, and misguided American patriotism.

The five men are brilliant in their comedic timing and how they work off each other.  Jay Chandrasekhar (who also directed) shines as the officer who takes too many female hormone pills.  Paul Soter plays the most calm member of the group who also delivers the laughs especially over his desire to buy every big-budget gadget imaginable.  Steve Lemme and Kevin Heffernan play brilliantly off each other as they try to one-up the other, while Erik Stolhanske - as the newest "recruit" - receives the brunt of the pranks.    

Besides the five men, there's a strong supporting cast of seasoned veterans who more than hold their own.  Brian Cox is a divine revelation as he branches out in a more comedic role as the officer's chief, and he looks to be having the time of his life.  Rob Lowe is your typical Canadian mayor/strip club owner/former hockey player, and the original Wonder Woman Lynda Carter gives a subtly-serious role as the Vermont governor, while "Waiting" star Emmanuelle Chriqui shines as a French Canadian cultural attache.  Then there's the comedic trio of Will Sasso, Hayes MacArthur and Tyler Labine who truly relish their roles as generic Canadian Mounties.
The Summary:Generally I dislike comedies because they run too long, or include humor that I just don't find funny, but "Super Troopers 2" knows what it is, and knows it doesn't want to tell any underlying story rather than give viewers a rip-roaring good time, and they deliver.

The Score: A-