Super Troopers is a feel-good and silly comedy about a very unusual group of cops trying to save their police station from shutting down. The story and the movie itself have a very eighties feel to them. I can remember watching people trying to save all sorts of things from shutting down in numerous humorous eighties movies. However, Super Troopers does belong to a wave of early 2000s comedies a whole generation grew up with. And yes, I am part of that generation. I’m talking about movies like Road Trip, EuroTrip, Old School, Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, and others. And while American Pie is a 1999 movie I still think it not only belongs to this group but that it fucking started it.
Everything about this movie is easygoing, familiar, and cozy. And this combined with a vibrant atmosphere gives Super Troopers a huge replay value. This is one of those movies you can keep coming back to without the fear they will become boring. Hell, it’s been more than twenty years since I first saw it and I still enjoy watching it. The opening scene with three guys smoking weed in a car and then getting pulled over by state troopers is a fucking classic. And then the guy in the back seat eats the whole thing, oh man, I remember laughing so hard when I first saw that.
And then there’s the famous line “I am all that is man”. Infinitely quotable and just fun, this is a definition of a cult classic. What sets apart Super Troopers from all the above-mentioned movies is that it’s a product of the Broken Lizard comedy troupe. This is an independent effort that punches way above its weight. It also looks and feels like a big movie. The only difference is that the cast is relatively unknown. Well, at least they were before the release of this movie.
Welcome to the town of Spurbury, Vermont, a small and sleepy community where crime is not a big problem. This leaves state troopers to do what they can to make their days fun and exciting. However, exactly because of the “low productivity” of their police station, the higher-ups want to shut it down. So, our gang of pranksters and questionably skilled police officers will have to come up with solutions fast.
I love it when a movie makes fun of figures of authority. And cops sorely do need some humbling. They also need to form a better connection with the general public. I know that policing in America is a difficult subject but Super Troopers somehow completely avoids it. I don’t know how they pulled it off but they fucking did. So, I’m guessing that both the people who like and don’t like cops, including cops themselves are going to like it.
Kind of like what the Police Academy franchise did back in the day. Superbad is also a movie featuring two rather unusual police officers. Speaking of which, I have to say that the cast of Super Troopers did a terrific job. I don’t want to single anyone out because you really can’t find a single person who didn’t give it everything they’ve got. And on top of that, one of the characters is called Rabbit. Now, is that a coincidence or what?
Finally, you should know that there’s a sequel to this movie Super Troopers 2 that’s perfectly watchable. It’s not as good as the original but it’s a nice time-killer. As far as other Broken Lizard productions are concerned, you might want to check out The Slammin’ Salmon and Beerfest.
Director: Jay Chandrasekhar
Writers: Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme
Cast: Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Erik Stolhanske, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, Brian Cox
Fun Facts: Super Troopers was originally envisioned as a movie about state troopers during the wild seventies.
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IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0247745/
