Friday, May 1, 2020

Movie Review: “Stuber”

By Matt Pascarella

Rated: R
Run time: 1 hour, 33 minutes

Are you looking for a comedy where there is a lot of action and you get to see stuff blow up? If so, this is the movie for you.

Dave Batisa is Vic, a detective who lost his partner in a shootout while chasing Tedjo, a criminal he was unable to catch at the time – in part to the fact that during the shootout his glasses fell off. Six months later Vic gets corrective eye surgery and must wear special glasses until his vision returns. Shortly into the movie, he throws the glasses away. Then, for the rest of the movie he has trouble seeing.

Kumail Nanjiani is Stu, who works at a sporting goods store and is a dedicated Uber driver, obsessed with maintaining a five-star rating. Stu is in the process of becoming co-owners of a gym with Becca (Betty Gilpin), who Stu has a secret, but obvious, crush on.

Vic gets a call that there is an opportunity to get Tedjo. He can’t drive, so Vic calls Uber to get him there. Despite Stu’s protesting, Vic tells Stu if he helps him, he’ll give him five stars. Vic ends up dragging Stu to multiple locations in order to find Tedjo. While all this is going on, Stu has been talking with Becca after she broke up with her boyfriend and Becca really wants Stu to come over. As a result, Stu tries to hurry Vic along every chance he gets.

On Vic’s hunt for Tedjo, there are several shootouts where Stu has to get involved. He isn’t too keen on helping Vic, but reluctantly does so, usually resulting in somewhat hilarious results. At one point, Stu is held hostage, but gets away.

Despite the polar “opposite-ness” of Vic, who is a tough detective and Stu, who is kind of a wimpy guy not really cut out for shootouts and running after bad guys, a friendship slowly starts to form.
This is a comedy action-packed movie with a few funny lines. At one point, Vic needs supplies and Stu takes him to his sporting goods store where Vic says to open a tab and just begins grabbing stuff. Stu exclaims “Uber is not a general store in the old west!” And, later, Stu cries out (after his electric car explodes) “It was a lease! There’s no gasoline; how did it explode?!?”

There is a twist at the end, but in my opinion,it  is a weak one. Nanjiani and Batista are a fantastic comedic pair. The action keeps the viewer engaged and wanting to see what’s going to happen next. There is some sexual humor and a scene of nudity, plus a fair amount of blood. Parts of it I found too slapstick, with Batista’s poor vision, but they were still a little funny. The very end even tugs at your heart strings a little. I would definitely recommend this movie...five stars. 

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