When it comes to humours collaborations that involve the United States and their overly friendly neighbors to the north (that would be Canada), there are some other comedies that you might probably already have in the back of your mind. Strange Brew (1983) was a classic and Goon (2011) is another solid, more recent comedy focused on maple leaf mayhem. The American comedy troupe known collectively as Broken Lizard have reunited to bring the long-awaited Super Troopers 2 to theaters.
When five former highway patrolmen are pulled back into the police force for a little harmless two-week trial run, diplomacy turns to debauchery as everything goes south in the North. Mac (Steve Lemme), Rabbit (Erik Stolhanske), Foster (Paul Soter), Thorny (Jay Chandrasekhar) and Farva (Kevin Heffernan) are reinstated under the command of Captain O’Hagan (Brian Cox) to make a good impression and smooth transition as a major change is underway to “Americanize” a small Canadian town. The mayor, Guy LeFranc (Rob Lowe) and Genevieve (Emmanuelle Chriqui) appear to be fine with what’s about to happen but the current local law enforcement doesn’t want to have anything to do with the changes. And as if there aren’t enough problems already, there seems to be some illicit and illegal behavior going on under everyone’s noses. Oh Canada, you never stood a chance.
Super Troopers 2 starts off quickly by reacquainting audiences with movie’s top stars. Those familiar with the first movie will find many similar gags spread throughout the sequel. I wanted to bash this at first but it’s more of a case of giving the audience what they want (or expect). There are quite a few callbacks to the 2001 film which will have audiences in an appreciative mindset. Once the plot starts playing out, that’s when the shine starts to dull. Aside from the familiar jokes and gags that we all know and love, the rest of the story feels rushed and paper thin. Rob Lowe is a welcome addition but that’s about it. Hayes MacArthur, Tyler Labine and Will Sasso are the three mounties that share the stage. They’re sort of funny in parts but they definitely pale in comparison to the supporting characters that were featured in the original.
This may sound a bit traitorous, but Super Troopers 2 is a bit of a cop out. The first Super Troopers caught audiences by surprise and was fun (and silly) moments from beginning to end. This time around, the comedic moments feel like they’re forced and lack originality. The trap that many sequels fall into is that they try too hard to create the same level of magic of the first rendition rather than letting things flow naturally. This is no exception to that rule. Gone is the smart, often unexpected humor, that made the first one a hit. Jay Chandrasekhar puts forth effort into making this an enjoyable experience but, unless you’re a huge fan of the Broken Lizard movies, the entertainment factor is lacking. Wait for a matinee or wait to watch it at home.
