Sunday, July 14, 2019

Stuber review!

Stuber features the team of Dave Bautista and Kumail Nanjani and is equal parts action and funny!  Bautista is of course known for playing Drax, most recently in Avengers: Endgame, and also Blade Runner 2049 (2017).  Nanjiani is known as a comedian, he was absolutely brilliant in The Big Sick (2017) which he co-wrote and is also in Men in Black: International.  The success of the movie relies on the chemisty of Bautista and Nanjiani and I found them to interesting and funny!  The film is directed by Michael Dowse who also directed the comedy romance film What If (2013) and Take Me Home Tonight (2011).  The screenwriter is Tripper Clancy who co-wrote the action comedy Hot Dog (2018) and Four Against the Bank (2016).  It begins with two officers, Vic Manning (Bautista) and his partner, Sarah Morris (Karen Gillan) entering a Los Angeles hotel to arrest a drug kingpin.  Of course, it is interesting to see the Guardians of the Galaxy co-stars in an ordinary world setting.  They tell the desk clerk not to alert the room of Oka Teijo.  



They go up the elevator and are ambushed.  Vic gets into a brawling match with a henchmen who has marital arts prowess.  Sarah is in a gunfight with Teijo who is played by Iko Uwais who is legendary from The Raid (2011) and was also in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015).  As a villain, Uwais is more than a match for Bautista, so is deadly to everyone he meets.  The fight scenes at the beginning and end of the film propel Stuber away from other standard action movies.   Teijo manages to escape from Staples Center with tragic consequences for Vic.  It shifts to six months later and we get Vic missing every shot at the shooting range.  He talks to his captain, Angie McHenry, interestingly played by Mira Sorvino.  She is an acting veteran from many films , but starred in the horror movie, Look Away (2018) and also 6 Below: Miracle on the Mountain (2017).  McHenry explains that the case is being taken away from Vic by the FBI.  The role has some unexpected complexity.  

Vic goes to his Lasik eye surgery to correct his vision, given special glasses, and told his vision will be corrected when he reads the last line of a vision card. This is an interesting flaw for an action hero and provides for some comedy.  Vic meets with his daughter, Nicole (Natalie Morales) at a Chinese restaurant.  Morales was in the real life drama, Battle of the Sexes (2017), and stars as Anne Garcia in the Santa Clarita Diet series.  She is having an art exhibition at Santa Monica and wants her father to attend.  Nicole sets Vic up with an Uber account so he can get a ride to her exhibition.  I really like Vic’s clumsiness with using cell phones though it doesn’t make too much sense being a police detective.  Then, we get our other protagonist, Stu (Nanjiani), who works at a sporting good store, run by his overbearing boss, Richie Sandusky (Jimmy Tatro).  “Stuber” is the name Richie gives to Stu.  The actor is in The Real Bros of Simi Valley and was also in the comedy action movie 22 Jump Street (2014).  



Stu gets a call from his friend, Becca (Betty Gilpin), who of course he is interested in a relationship, but ignored by her.  Gilpin plays Debbie Eagan in GLOW and was also in this year’s romantic comedy, Isn’t It Romantic.  Becca calls about her boyfriend.  She later talks with Stu at the store and gets the papers signed for co-ownership with Stu for her workout gym, Spin-sters.  Stu also works as an Uber driver with his new leased electric car and his first ride is Richie.  Then, he gets more rides searching for his Five Star rating.  I think the movie should be called Five Star or Five Star Rides.  Vic is resting at his apartment and gets a call from a contact, Leon (Amin Joseph) that something major is happening with Teijo.  He races to get to his car, but of course swerves all over the street and ends up in some street construction. Of course, Stu gets called in to drive for Vic, who finds out that he ordered an Uber Pool with hilarious consequences.  Stu, Vic calls him Steve, leisurely drives to the warehouse even though Vic stresses that he is in a hurry on a police matter.  They reach the warehouse and Stu waits outside, worried about checking on Becca who has broken up with her boyfriend.  

Vic stumbles on the body of Leon and has Stu drive him to a strip club.  He doesn’t realize that it is not a strip club like he might think.  Vic brings Stu into the club because he thinks he might drive away.  Stu manages to explain his situation with Becca with one of the strippers, Felix (Steve Howey), who is provides very funny advice.  Howey was in the Netflix comedy, Game Over, Man! (2018) and is in the series Shameless.  Next, they head over to a house, Stu stays in his car, and Vic enters to find Amo Cortez (Rene Moran).  The actor was in the drama Icebox (2018) and the comedy CHIPS (2017).  Vic takes Amo into custody after finding the mistreatment of his dog.  He takes the dog and brings Amo to the car.  He gives Stu a small gun to threaten Amo.  I found myself siding with Stu, he is understanding of feelings and interactions with people, but then becomes shrill and petulant.  Vic is hard edged and finds himself distant from his daughter, but of course both characters learn from each other.  Stuber offers a fun ride for audiences!    

Three Stars out of Five! 


#Stuber, #MichaelDawse, #DaveBautista, #KumailNanjiani

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