By Jeff Powalisz
Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson may just be the best duo in American comedies at the current moment.
From an awkward discussion of stock market success in “Meet the Parents” to a male model face-off in “Zoolander,” Stiller and Wilson, good friends in real life, have the relaxed, likable and laugh-out-loud presence on-screen together that any filmmaker would want.
It is this chemistry that landed them the big roles of Starsky and Hutch, the crime-fighting duo made famous in the 1970s television series starring Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul, in this year’s “Starsky ‘ Hutch,” which opened nationwide last Friday.
Stiller stars as David Starsky and Wilson as Ken “Hutch” Hutchinson as police detective partners on the trail of a former campus drug dealer and now crime lord named Reese Feldman (Vince Vaughn). With the help of street informer Huggy Bear (Snoop Dogg) and with the watchful eye of police captain Doby (Fred Williamson), the duo must prowl the streets and collect information to catch the devious Feldman.
The film, which also stars Carmen Electra, Amy Smart, Juliette Lewis, Jason Bateman and a hilarious cameo from Will Ferrell, plays off the original TV series in the right way. Stiller is perfectly over-the-top as Starsky while Wilson plays the casual, light-hearted and less serious Hutch.
Director Todd Phillips (“Road Trip,” “Old School”) was already used to the fast-paced slapstick humor of a story such as this, and keeps the movie flowing at a quick pace with a new surprise and laugh in every scene.
“I got together with Paul Michael Glaser and basically watched as many episodes as I could,” Stiller said. “I went through a lot of different phases, including the origin of who [Starsky and Hutch] are.”
Wilson also emphasized that the work on the set was much easier, being a personal friend of Stiller’s.
“The reason why the television show was such a phenomenon was that the two guys had natural chemistry,” he said during a phone interview. “We thought that hopefully the fact that [he and Stiller] worked together a lot, and that we’re friends in real life, would help.”
The humor is present already in a strong script written by an ensemble of writers including Phillips, Scot Armstrong, Ben Garant, Thomas Lennon and John O’Brien, but the film also works because of the facial expressions and natural talent of the star duo.
Snoop Dogg adds to the enjoyable nature of the film as Huggy Bear and throws in more humor as a police snitch, tossing out his lines in the style most have gotten accustomed to from the veteran rap artist.
“He’s great,” Stiller said of Snoop. “He lives a totally different lifestyle and was great in the part.”
Vaughn, coming off performances in 2003’s “Old School” and 2001’s “Made” is his usual confident and comical self as Feldman. He fuels the film as the bad guy with his smooth talk and attention-grabbing personality.
Ferrell, who also stared in “Old School,” has a hysterical cameo as Big Earl, a former Feldman associate in prison that Starsky and Hutch seek clues from.
“I was laughing right when Ferrell came on,” Stiller said of the former “Saturday Night Live” cast member. “He did his scene so straight, and just the way he did the scene, it was so funny.”
Backed by a great cast and spot-on humor, the film works. And for Stiller and Wilson’s sixth outing together, it begs one to wonder when the seventh will premiere.
“Starsky ‘ Hutch” can be seen in theaters across the city.
