Fastforward to the turn of the century, when Hollywood is digging up old TV shows and churning out the resulting screenplays (The Brady Bunch, Wild Wild West, and The Addams Family are a few recent examples). Now, it’s Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson’s turn to gleefully take the reins and turn the action series over on its curly, permed head. The Starsky and Hutch movie that emerges is part parody, part tribute, but mostly just a vehicle for poking fun at the ‘70s.
The plot in brief: it’s Bay City in 1975, and Dave Starsky is a by-the-book detective who has to live up to the legend of his policewoman mother. Ken Hutchinson is a cop who "looks out for Numero Uno," breaking more rules instead of enforcing them. The partners find a body in the water, which eventually leads them to Reese Feldman, a businessman/druglord, a multi-million dollar stash of cocaine, and the biggest drug bust in Bay City history.
In between, there are car chases, the Boston Walk, facial hair, drug abuse, disco showdowns, afros, fondue parties, jokes about perms, bad disguises, threesomes, and that unique-Ben Stiller brand of humor.
Stiller and Owenson, basically, play the same roles they’ve always played together, only using new characters. As in their past collaborations (Zoolander and The Royal Tenenbaums), Stiller is an embarrassingly self-depracating but curiously endearing and energetic loser, while broken-nosed Owens is his foil as the laid-back, bohemian, laconic partner. Much of their chemistry is akin to the chemistry of the original Starsky and Hutch, Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul (who make a cameo appearance in the film’s unapologetically cheesy tribute-ending), with a slight twist. Throughout the movie, sly references are made to the possibility of the characters being romantically-linked, always done, of course, to an ambience of ‘70s love songs like We’ve Only Just Begun.
Bonuses include the old character Huggy Bear being played by hip-hop artist Snoop Dogg, the only man, when one comes to think of it, who could sufficiently fill the platforms and bling-bling of Antonio Fargas from the original Starsky & Hutch. There, too, is Vince Vaugn’s flippant-but-deadly crimelord, and a hilarious scene where the two cops visit a crook in prison, (Will Ferrell) who has a homoerotic dragon fetish and exchanges information for performances.
The car, of course, is the third star of the show: a 1975 Ford Gran Torino, bright red with a white stripe, affectionally dubbed by old Starsky fans as "the striped tomato." The old guard will undoubtedly have their fill of car chases and crashes, wheel-burning vehicular acrobatics, and the old running joke of Hutch not being allowed to drive.
Throughout the 95 minutes of hilarity, too, are a few subtle references to the old series. At one point, Owenson sings Don’t Give Up on Us Baby, a ‘70s chart hit performed by Soul. In the film, Stiller and Owens go through an array of costume changes, all of which are lovingly recreated wardrobes from the old Starshy & Hutch: cardigans, leather jackets, flared jeans and turtlenecks.
The old language, too, is used, but this time in self-conscious parody. The original series was known for its hokey tough-guy one-liners. In the movie, when they examine a corpse, Starsky says, "Looks like you’ve punched your last ticket." To which Owenson furrows his brow and asks, "Excuse me, but did you just trash-talk a dead body?" Vintage Stiller-Owenson stuff.
The old Starsky/Hutch chemistry is undeniably there. Not only is there comfortable comeraderie between Stiller and Owenson, but the two bear an uncanny resemblance to Glaser and Soul, down to the fly-away blond locks, Hutch’s affable demeanor and Starsky’s tight dark curls, hard nose and dark intense gaze.
Over all, Starsky and Hutch is good for laughs and some nostalgia, a reflection of how people miss and ridicule the good old days. The film is all Stiller – immensely entertaining, and in-your-face but mostly harmless.