By Mark Saldana
Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars)
Though the film has a thin plot, the 2001 cult comedy classic Super Troopers does deliver lots of laughs, thanks to the wild and raucous comedy of the Broken Lizard comedy troupe. Well, it has taken the comedy group a lengthy seventeen years for them to get a sequel released, and with the help of an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign, the boys are back in theaters making trouble for criminals, themselves and anyone who challenges them. And much like the first film, Super Troopers 2 has a lean plot, but is heavy on the wild comedy.
The former members of the Vermont state troopers who later joined the Spurbury Police Department, are once again in big trouble. When a ride along with a celebrity goes terribly wrong, Troopers Ramathorn (Jay Chandrasekhar), Foster (Paul Soter), Mac (Steve Lemme), Rabbit (Erik Stolhanske), Farva (Kevin Heffernan), and Captain John O’Hagen (Brian Cox) have lost their jobs. While Captain O’Hagen has retired, some of the others have had to take other jobs that they don’t really enjoy. When a border error between Canada and the U.S. gets discovered, Vermont Governor Jessman (Lynda Carter) gives the former troopers and their leader a chance to redeem themselves. They just have to deal with Canadians unhappy about being forced to live in the U.S., the Canadian mounties whose jobs they are taking and another drug ring they discover near the new Canadian border.
Written by Broken Lizard, Super Troopers 2 offers more of their brand of humor, which is great for fans. For those who disliked the first film or any of the other Broken Lizard movies, I would not recommend rushing out to see this latest entry. As for myself, I did enjoy the comedy of the first film, but actually feel that humor is better written and executed in the sequel. The movie does have its missteps and that is mainly due to some of the overacting, but this isn’t a crime committed by the Broken Lizard troupe.
The group shows impressive improvisational skills and great comic timing. It is some of their co-stars who seem to have difficulty performing as their characters. Rob Lowe stars as Guy Le Franc, an ex-hockey player and a Canadian mayor who doesn’t exactly make the troopers feel welcome. Lowe definitely struggles with his bizarrely bad Canadian accent and it definitely took me out of certain moments. Tyler Labine also stars as Mountie Bellefuille, a Canadian rival of the troopers and he also struggles with an outrageously heavy accent. Will Sasso and Hayes McArthur seem to do better as Bellefuille’s colleagues Mountie Archambault and Mountie Podien. I did enjoy the disarming and sweet performance by Emanuelle Chiriqui as Genevieve Aubois a French/Canadian cultural attaché who makes the troopers feel more welcome and shows romatic interest in Trooper Robert “Rabbit” Roto.
Even though the movie has some acting and comedic missteps, I still found myself entertained and laughing often at the crazy and funny antics of the Vermont troopers who have been away for way too long. As a sequel, Super Troopers 2 is probably just as good as the first film, which means that it probably won’t ever become a genuine comedy classic, but has plenty of amusing charms to give it a cult following like its predecessor. I recommend that the die hard fans give this movie all the love and see it as a full-priced screening, and that casual fans either see it as a matinee or wait until it is available on a video format. If fans want to see more Broken Lizard movies, they really need to show these funny comedians much love.