Review: Stuber

When I first saw the trailer for this movie, I was definitely intrigued. I knew of Dave Bautista, one of the stars of the film, back when he was a professional wrestler. So I wanted to see what he would be like as an actor. (Yes, yes. I know. He was one of the stars in Guardians of the Galaxy, but his role of Drax in that film didn't really call for much traditional acting.) Plus, the movie seemed like it had a funny premise - a cop who needed an Uber to get around town. Well, unfortunately, I was somewhat let down.

Vic Manning (played by Dave Bautista) is one of those stereotypical cop characters who is obsessed with his job and sacrifices his relationship with his family in the process. Due to constantly being held back by his poor eyesight, he eventually gets lasik surgery. Right after getting the surgery, though, he gets a tip regarding the whereabouts of Tedjo, a long time criminal who had previously killed his partner (another very sterotypical police story narrative). So of course, Manning bolts out the door to catch him. But with his eyes still impaired from the surgery, he can't drive. So he calls an Uber. Enter Stu (played by Kumail Nanjiani), a very passive sports equipment salesman who drives an Uber to supplement his income. From that point on, despite how hard Stu tries to avoid it, he gets sucked into Mannings's case as the two trek around town following leads and trying to track down Tedjo. And as you would expect, during the two's misadventures, they form a relationship as their personailities rub off on each other.

In a lot of ways, Stuber is a typical buddy cop movie. It is unique in that one of those "buddies" is a reluctant Uber driver. But other than that, everything follows the usual pattern for such films. Don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with utlizing a common formula that works. It is just that in this case, Stuber (which is a combination of the words "Stu" and "Uber") uses so many of those familiar plot points that the whole movie is sort of predictable.

The film definitely has its funny moments, but some of them just didn't work. For example, there is an extended fight between Manning and Stu. Yes, the 300 pound career cop and the 150 pound passive salesman have an extended fight seen. Even with imparied eyesight, you would think this would be a one sided squash. But no. The two have an extended fight scene which only ended up confusing this audience member.

So overall, was the movie enjoyable? Eh. It is not terrible, but it is really not worth the price of a movie ticket either. It is more like the kind of movie to watch when you want something in the background. So I guess if I had to go one way or the other, I would say it is a borderline thumbs down.