Starsky & Hutch

Owen Wilson always has a smarmy-cool, utterly natural screen persona of crooked smiles, cheeky adlibs, and ironically understated wisecracks. Whether he's playing a present-day crook in The Big Bounce or an Old West cowboy in Shanghai Noon, he always seems like a fun guy to hang out with. Ben Stiller, on the other hand, has fallen into a terrible rut with his repetitive shtick as an insufferable prat (Along Came Polly, Zoolander, Meet the Parents), and the contrast between these two couldn't be more clear than in this lifeless parody-remake of the none-too-great-in-the-first-place 1970s cop show. Borrowing little more from the series than the characters' names and the '74 Ford Gran Torino muscle car, the theory here seems to be that all a satire needs in order to be funny is the thick application of self-aware clichés. Wilson emerges unscathed just by being himself: good movie, bad movie, he's just out to have some fun, and his talent lies in letting the audience in on it. But Stiller sinks to the occasion, easily (and rightfully) being upstaged by Snoop Dogg and Will Ferrell in madcap cameos. Not recommended. [Note: Available in both widescreen and full screen versions, DVD extras include audio commentary by director Todd Phillips, a three-minute “Fashion Fa Shizzle Wit Huggy Bizzle” costume segment featuring costar Snoop Dogg, the nine-minute making-of mockumentary “A Last Look,” six minutes of deleted scenes, a five-minute gag reel, and a trailer. Bottom line: a lark of an extras package for--to mix animal kingdom metaphors--a slug of a film.] (R. Blackwelder)