"Super Troopers 2" (R, 1:40) is a crime comedy mystery which is a sequel to the 2001 cult classic "Super Troopers". Version 2.0 is again written by the Broken Lizard comedy group and again directed by cast member Jay Chandrasekhar. Most of the actors from the first one are back in action (although some merely in cameos), while the core cast includes returnees Brian Cox as Captain O'Hagen, Paul Soter as Jeff, Chandrasekhar as "Thorny", Steve Lemme as "Mack", Erik Stohlhanske as "Rabbit", and, of course, Kevin Heffernan as Rodney "Rod" Farva, the fat, obnoxious trooper the rest of his unit loves to hate.
As the action begins, this comically inept group of officers are... former officers, having all been fired for an incident which took place in between movies and is only described verbally in this one (until an amusing payoff at the end of the movie). But Captain O'Hagen comes out of retirement and gets the band back together when an unusual opportunity arises for which this group of misfits is uniquely semi-qualified. It seems that a government reassessment of the exact border between U.S. and Canada has shown that one French-Canadian town is actually in the U.S. - and is very close the area where these super ridiculous members of the Vermont State Police used to "work". The re-instated troopers are called upon to set up a Vermont State Highway patrol station in this soon-to-be added U.S. territory.
The troopers encounter plenty of challenges as they help the tiny Quebec town and its residents transition to being Americans. Besides the natural resistance of the life-long Canadians in the area, a prank-filled rivalry develops between the Super Troopers and a small group of Canadian Mounties (Will Sasso, Tyler Labine and Hayes MacArthur). The small town mayor, former Canadian ice hockey legend Guy Le Franc (Rob Lowe) seems amenable enough, and the beautiful Canadian government attaché Genevieve Aubois (Emmanuelle Chriqui) is as helpful as she can be, but the guys from Vermont are... well, themselves - and as jingoistic as you'd expect them to be. But matters get even more complicated when the guys stumble on evidence that there's more going on than simply correcting a border mistake.
"Super Troopers 2" is a silly good time. It'll likely appeal to devotees of the original and may win some new fans as well. "Super Trooper" fans will "get" more of the gags and enjoy the film a bit more than those who haven't seen the first one, but it doesn't take much to join this franchise mid-stream. (For the unitiated wanting a frame of reference, good cinematic comparisons include "Reno 911", "Dumb and Dumber" and "Talladega Nights".) This sequel brings back many of the characters and gags from the first film and features a plot that's wonderfully suited to this troupe's comedic talents. Of course, there is little that's realistic about the story or remotely high-brow about the humor, but what's there is fairly well-done and makes for enjoyable escapist comedy. "B+"
As the action begins, this comically inept group of officers are... former officers, having all been fired for an incident which took place in between movies and is only described verbally in this one (until an amusing payoff at the end of the movie). But Captain O'Hagen comes out of retirement and gets the band back together when an unusual opportunity arises for which this group of misfits is uniquely semi-qualified. It seems that a government reassessment of the exact border between U.S. and Canada has shown that one French-Canadian town is actually in the U.S. - and is very close the area where these super ridiculous members of the Vermont State Police used to "work". The re-instated troopers are called upon to set up a Vermont State Highway patrol station in this soon-to-be added U.S. territory.
The troopers encounter plenty of challenges as they help the tiny Quebec town and its residents transition to being Americans. Besides the natural resistance of the life-long Canadians in the area, a prank-filled rivalry develops between the Super Troopers and a small group of Canadian Mounties (Will Sasso, Tyler Labine and Hayes MacArthur). The small town mayor, former Canadian ice hockey legend Guy Le Franc (Rob Lowe) seems amenable enough, and the beautiful Canadian government attaché Genevieve Aubois (Emmanuelle Chriqui) is as helpful as she can be, but the guys from Vermont are... well, themselves - and as jingoistic as you'd expect them to be. But matters get even more complicated when the guys stumble on evidence that there's more going on than simply correcting a border mistake.
"Super Troopers 2" is a silly good time. It'll likely appeal to devotees of the original and may win some new fans as well. "Super Trooper" fans will "get" more of the gags and enjoy the film a bit more than those who haven't seen the first one, but it doesn't take much to join this franchise mid-stream. (For the unitiated wanting a frame of reference, good cinematic comparisons include "Reno 911", "Dumb and Dumber" and "Talladega Nights".) This sequel brings back many of the characters and gags from the first film and features a plot that's wonderfully suited to this troupe's comedic talents. Of course, there is little that's realistic about the story or remotely high-brow about the humor, but what's there is fairly well-done and makes for enjoyable escapist comedy. "B+"