Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 2 ratings
Join uptight David Starsky and laid-back Ken "Hutch" Hutchinson as they're paired for the first time as undercover cops. The new partners must overcome their differences to solve an important case with help from street informant Huggy Bear and persuasive criminal Reese Feldman.
Starsky & Hutch is a breezy, crowd-pleasing buddy cop comedy that leans heavily on the nostalgia of the 1970s TV source material. Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson have genuine chemistry and deliver their signature comedic personas effectively, elevating what is otherwise a thin and formulaic plot. The cinematography is competent but unremarkable, playing it safe with period-appropriate aesthetics without doing anything visually distinctive. The novelty is low — it follows the well-worn template of TV-to-film adaptations with a winking, self-aware humor that was itself becoming a well-worn formula by 2004. The ending wraps up predictably with little surprise or payoff. A passable comedy that coasts on its leads' charm more than any genuine craft.