There's something unique about sketch comedy, something like a gamble. Almost always you have multiple writers, each chipping in a joke or situation here and there. The way it should work is that you get only the best from each; the combined glimpses of genius from many comedians. Plus, there's the safety net that comes from each having to prove his or her jokes to the other writers. But there are risks. Since all the comedians are friends, inside jokes slip through'jokes that rely more on knowing the person telling them than anything else make it to the final draft. And some things one writer would have in his mind the whole time'story arc, consistency of quality, major themes'get ignored to fit in funny episodes.
\Super Troopers,"" written by the Broken Lizard comedy troupe, shows both sides of the gamble. Set on the highways of Vermont next to the Canadian border, ""Super Troopers"" has the Broken Lizard troupe playing highway patrolmen. Due to a lack of state funding and a lax attitude toward petty crime, their station risks being cut out of the budget. Their only hope is to crack a major pot smuggling ring and a murder connected to it before the local city cops can.
However, they still have their daily duties, like pranking speeders and getting into fights.
At its best, ""Super Troopers"" is Coke-spittingly funny. Since the troupe wrote the screenplay to act in themselves, the characters are really individualized and funny in their own way. Kevin Heffernan, as Farva, for instance is a total tool. His shenanigans aren't clever and harmless; they're mean and cruel. They're not really shenanigans at all. However, he does enjoy eating at a restaurant called Shenanigan's. (That's not me. That's the movie. See'funny.) The hazing of the rookie, Rabbit, is always good. So is the awkwardness, Paul Soter, as Foster, shows around his city cop love interest.
But things get lost in patching together all the funny episodes. Scenes don't work. As an example, it's not evident at first that a bullet-proof athletic cup test is supposed to be a prank on Rabbit. They save the joke for the end of the scene so, up to that point, there's no comic tension or joke. Also, the story line surrounding the marijuana and local cops seems like an afterthought'something to hang jokes on. Oh yes, this character knew that all along. That needed work before it made it to the screen.
Overall though, ""Super Troopers"" is really funny. It's a welcome relief from the dumb romantic or teen comedies that are so prevalent lately. It's a kind of multiple writer humor that's been missing from the scene for a long time.
Broken Lizard brings back a little of the not-too-high-brow, not-too-low-brow comedy of the 1970s, comedy like that of ""Caddyshack"" or ""Cannonball Run."" It's nice to see it again.
Those are my recommendations if you like ""Super Troopers."" Can't go wrong with the ""Caddyshack"" or ""Cannonball Run"" movies. And go watch ""Animal House,"" too. It's been too long.
