Starsky & Hutch

While viewing a "behind the scenes" interview with Todd Phillips you can see that there's a certain level of comedic sense to be found in the young director, but like Old School, Starsky & Hutch succeeds on its talented cast and their ability to adlib hilarious lines. In the same DVD featurette, Jason Bateman jokes about not being given a writing credit, but without such strong talent to support him, Phillips would be making more films like Road Trip. This big-screen adaptation of another '70s television hit, starring Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson, has its moments here and there, but for the most part it's rather flat. The plot of undetectable cocaine is rather thin (even if we get to see Vince Vaughn as a drug kingpin) and fails to be as clever as Stiller and Wilson are themselves. Starsky & Hutch also often relies on the stale joke that the fashion of 30 years ago is hilarious, though Snoop Dogg's wardrobe as Huggy Bear is in fact incredible, and he models it well in a section of the DVD dedicated to his butterfly collars and stellar fur coats. The nine-minute "making of" is a good parody of the typical DVD ass-kissing that comes with cast interviews, instead having comedic criticism of the film and its director. The deleted scenes are easily forgettable, but the gag reel entertains as the cast make each other crack-up with unexpected lines, leaving you to wonder how they even get through a single scene without breaking character. Altogether though, this is a rather disappointing DVD rushed out onto the streets for an equally disappointing attempt that had massive amounts of potential. Plus: commentary. (Warner)