Stuber

Kumail Nanjiani and Dave Bautista team up for this latest entry in the odd couple/buddy action-comedy genre. For months, Vic (Bautista), an LAPD narcotics detective, has been tracking his former partner’s killer, Teijo (Iko Uwais), who is also a major link in the local heroin chain. Unfortunately, on the day he gets a tip on Teijo’s next big drop, he’s just had Lasik surgery, meaning his eyes are unable to focus. Frantic, he flags down chatty, conscientious Stu (Nanjiani), who supplements his low-level job in a sporting-goods store by working as an Uber driver in a leased electric car. Eager to romance his best-friend/business partner Becca (Betty Gilpin), Stu is initially reluctant to help Vic catch the baddies. But Vic gradually bonds with mild-mannered Stu, who is so enthusiastic for a five-star rating that he suddenly finds himself an accessory to multiple murders. Tripper Clancy’s satirical script is full of silly slapstick and scatological humor, and director Michael Dowse concentrates on the clichéd cartoonish violence, while the female supporting cast—Betty Gilpin, Miro Sorvino, and Natalie Morales—is given short shrift. Optional. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Michael Dowse and star Kumail Nanjiani, deleted scenes with optional commentary (5 min.), a “Joke-O-Rama” featurette (5 min.), a gag reel (3 min.), and a “Georgia Film Works” location segment (3 min.). Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a bonus digital copy of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an unremarkable comedy.] (S. Granger)