Super Troopers 2

Starring: Jay Chandrasekhar, Brian Cox, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, Rob Lowe, Marisa Coughlan, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Lynda Carter, Will Sasso, Tyler Labine, Hayes MacArthur, Seann William Scott, Clifton Collins Jr., Damon Wayans Jr., Jim Gaffigan, Fred Savage
Directed by: Jay Chandrasekhar
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Mystery
2018

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A border dispute between the U.S. and Canada pits Highway patrol officers against Canadian mounties.

Review:

Tim: I still feel fairly surprised that we actually got a sequel to Super Troopers. It took 16 years, but it finally happened. Even better, the film breaks the comedy sequel trend by actually being a good film. It's not as funny as the original, but it's a solid, entertaining film in its own right. Any way you look at it, this film is an absolute success. I laughed a lot and enjoyed the film immensely.

Although it's been way too long, I was shocked how easy it was to pick up with these characters. It felt like we never left them. There's something so entertaining about seeing this group together- Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, and Paul Soter. I absolutely loved the dynamics between these characters. So much of the humor of this film comes from these four just legitimately enjoying each other. That translates on screen. These characters are each so memorable and humorous in their own right and it was great fun to see them together once again. As much as I loved these guys, the supporting cast was pretty outstanding and truly elevated the film. I was so glad Brian Cox reprises his role here. He is legitimately funny in his own right but works so well as the slightly more serious character. He's fantastic. The new cast members worked wonders. I have to loudly applaud Will Sasso, Tyler Labine, and Hayes MacArthur as the Canadian mounted police. They were so, so funny. I was amazed how they felt like an authentic extension of the story and an essential part of the cast. They didn't feel like a tack-on at all. I loved their performances and how they interacted with our protagonists. Rob Lowe added a solid performance, although he was occasionally a bit over-the-top. I liked seeing Emmanuelle Chriqui and Lynda Carter- both were solid and made the movie better. It was funny to see Seann William Scott, Damon Wayans Jr. and Fred Savage- but their presence (as funny as each of them were) felt more unnecessary than necessary to the story. Still, as a whole, the cast was excellent.

I was quite impressed with how the story felt like a worthwhile story to tell while also appropriately setting up a series of humorous situations for the expected hijinks. Too many comedies throw the plot to the wind, just barely holding something together to move the characters from laugh to laugh. They story here was occasionally weak, but it was stronger than most comedies we see. It did its job of holding our attention while also creating some great sequences. Now, I won't go into detail on all the funny parts, but I do want to mention a few. For being pretty pointless, the gag about Farva swallowing M&Ms whole made me laugh out loud. From Brian Cox's delivery to Heffernan's gleeful ignorance, it emerged as one of the funniest parts of the entire film. The bear sequence was solid, as much of the back-and-forth between the highway patrol and the mounted police made me laugh. I guess I chuckled a little at the replay of the "Meow" scene with Jim Gaffigan, but it's also when comedy sequels are at their worst- when they replay jokes instead of charting new territory (that's one of the reasons the Anchorman sequel was so disappointing). Fortunately, these were kept fairly minimal.

Now, as mentioned, Super Troopers 2 does occasionally fall into comedy sequel pitfalls and the story itself could have been a bit tighter. However, the pros definitely outweigh the cons. I laughed a lot throughout this film and I genuinely had a great time reconnecting with these characters. I sincerely hope this becomes a trilogy and we don't have nearly as long to wait for the next one.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Super Troopers, Beerfest, Club Dread