Retro flick boasts 'Old School' pedigree

Having only seen '70s TV cop staple "Starsky and Hutch" a few times, the premise of seeing the show revisited as a feature-length held little to no interest for me. That is, until I realized who was before and behind the cameras. As co-written and directed by impending comedic cinema maven Todd Phillips ("Road Trip," "Old School") and starring the seemingly inseparable Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson (following "The Cable Guy," "Permanent Midnight," "Meet the Parents," "Zoolander," "The Royal Tenenbaums" and botched sitcom pilot, "Heat Vision and Jack," this marks their seventh collaboration) -- the film held promise. Luckily, much of this promise is realized. Sadly, it isn't up to snuff with Phillips' previous efforts nor is it on par with much of the Stiller/Wilson output. Then again, that's a fairly tall order.\nStiller stars as David Starsky, a hardnosed, by-the-book cop who looms in the shadow of his deceased policewoman of a mother. Fellow officer, Ken "Hutch" Hutchinson (Wilson), plays by his own rules. The character is introduced in a slapstick homage to Cassavetes, i.e. he's knocking over a Chinese bookie. Hutch isn't above pilfering cash from dead men's wallets, cavorting with pimps and other nefarious types and doing drugs recreationally. Both men are embarrassments to the Bay City Police Department, and therefore, are teamed as partners by their Captain (blaxploitation icon Fred Williamson). After all, misery loves company.\nSoon enough, the boys stumble upon a washed up corpse and their first case. All signs point to Reese Feldman (a scenery chewing/fu manchu-sporting Vince Vaughn) -- a smarmy pusherman under the guise of model citizen and upper class philanthropist. Aiding the dynamic duo in their pursuit are lovable snitch, Huggy Bear (a solid if somewhat underused Snoop Dogg) and Starsky's prized cherry red 1976 Ford Gran Torino. \nStiller and Wilson are better than they've been in a while, as both are given roles tailored to their onscreen personas. Stiller's uptight asswad routine and Wilson's lackadaisical stoner shtick are honed to perfection. The two also have impeccable chemistry, which is good, as the homoerotic subtexts of the series are turned up to 11. Speaking of which, Will Ferrell absolutely kills in a cameo as a gay, dragon-obsessed prison inmate with the hots for Hutch. Though both men have romantic interests in the forms of cheerleaders: Holly (the comely Amy Smart) and Staci (Carmen Electra) -- the film is ultimately a love story between two dudes replete with Barry Manilow's "Can't Smile Without You" and a flittering, cartoon bird.\nEntertaining as all of this is, the flick is not without its problems. Many of the jokes are recycled and/or ruined by the trailers and television spots. A disco dance-off that pits Stiller against a portly Chia-head is laughable, but it's all too reminiscent of the walk-off in "Zoolander" or a similar number from the recent "American Wedding." Another gag involving a gun and its role in a horse's untimely demise dates all the way back to "Animal House." Lastly, ill-timed cameos from the original Starsky (Paul Michael Glaser) and Hutch (David Soul) sink the film in its waning moments.\n"Starsky and Hutch" is an entertaining waste of two hours. It's slick, sly and sports a gymnastically inclined Asian youth with a proclivity towards throwing knives -- if that ain't worth eight bucks what is?