17 years ago one of the greatest comedies of the new millennium was bestowed upon us. Over the years 'Super Troopers' has been a movie that we all could count on to make us laugh or settle arguments over what to watch on Netflix. Needless to say, it set a pretty high bar and I'll be honest, there was a bit of doubt in my mind that 'Super Troopers 2' could live up to it. It's been such a long time and the movies that comedy troupe Broken Lizard has made since then have never quite managed to capture the same lightning in a bottle that the first one did. Luckily, 'Super Troopers 2' manages to touch on everything we loved about the original without losing any inspiration.
'Super Troopers 2' brings back all the mustachioed troopers you loved from the first film, including Jay Chandrasekhar, Steve Lemme, Kevin Heffernan, Erik Stolhanske, and Paul Soter. This time though the troopers are sent over the border into Canada to help transition a town into becoming part of America. Of course, at this point no one really wants to be part of America, so they're met with plenty of resistance not just from the local townsfolks, but also the Mounties that have to turn over the keys to the kingdom. It doesn't take long for our heroes to resort to their shenanigans and even come up with a few new pranks as well. Luckily though, they stumble upon a mystery to solve just in time to save them from themselves.
As hilarious as the Broken Lizard troupe is I was delighted by their choices to play the three Mounties, which included Will Sasso, Tyler Labine, and Hayes MacArthur. All of whom play their roles as hilariously cliched Canadians with French accents, a love for hokey, and plenty of "sorries" to go around. They're not the only new faces you'll recognize though with plenty of cameos from the likes of Clifton Collins Jr, Sean William Scott, and Damon Waynes Jr. As if that wasn't enough, even Rob Lowe makes an appearance as the brothel-owning mayor of the town (don't worry, it's legal in Canada). These fresh faces are probably what helps prevent 'Super Troopers 2' from resorting to too many of the jokes we all loved to in the first one and they're welcome additions to the film.
What makes 'Super Troopers 2' work so well is that it knows why people loved the first one so much. Sure there's an overall plot to the movie, but it's interspersed with scenes that serve no real purpose other than to be hilarious. For example, at one point the Troopers steal the Mounties uniforms and pull people over to prank them. The film manages to recreate those scenes we loved in the original but puts a new twist on them as they speak with ridiculous accents, pull cars over on horses, and even meet a driver they pulled over all those years ago. It's incredibly satisfying to see a sequel that doesn't try to do everything the first film did, but at the same time doesn't try to reinvent the wheel.
It's easy to tell how much Broken Lizard enjoyed making 'Super Troopers 2,' which makes it so easy to laugh along with them. There's something pure about a movie that's made for fun with the sole purpose of making people laugh. Sure, there are plenty of parts in the film that are underwhelming. The locations are often underutilized, the plot serves to carry the team from joke to joke, and it still has that low budget feel that forced the first film to be so creative. In a lot of ways, 'Super Troopers 2' is not a good movie. Then again, it doesn't have to be. Like I always say, "Not all great movies are good."
There have been some really great comedies this year from 'Blockers' to 'Game Night.' While 'Super Troopers 2' might not have the same quality that made those films so great, it's definitely one that fills the theater with laughter. It's hard to be made at its shortcomings though. After all, movies are meant as escapism. To help get away from all the crap going on in your life. I'm certainly not against films having deeper, meaningful messages, but sometimes you just want something stuffed with stupid fart jokes. In that regards, 'Super Troopers 2' is a resounding success. If you loved the first one, then you're going to have a blast seeing the old gang back together again. I know I did.
