Looking for Laughs- Hire a Stuber #movie_review

In a summer of sequels and remakes, Stuber tries a fresh approach.
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This buddy comedy pits a grizzled detective, Vic (Dave Batista) against an Uber driver, Stu (Kumail Nanjiani) who is trying to earn extra cash and keep a five star rating. Vic sets out to bring down the drug kingpin who murdered his partner, no matter what. Along the way, mild-mannered Stu must keep his wits and stay alive against international drug dealers.

​The comedy is a combination of raunchy slapstick intermixed with violence with Stu often the butt of jokes. Reminiscent of the old buddy comedies of the 80’s and 90’s, we have two very different people put together in a do or die situation, each learning to be a better person because of their team-up.

​Featuring Mira Sorvino, Natalie Morales, and Natalie Morales (who starred with Batista in Guardians of the Galaxy), but written and directed by relative unknowns, Stuber relies on the strength of Batista and Nanjiani to draw the viewers in. While it’s nice to see Batista doing comedy, many of the jokes rely on his physical appearance (tough guy, body builder, tats) rather than actual comedy. In some ways it feels a lot like his character from Guardians.

​With some laugh out loud moments, the movie is just okay. While we are hollering for Hollywood to come up with some new movies, rather than sequels or reboots, viewers want quality movies as well. If you are looking for a bit of humor with the action, or a chance to escape the heat, Stuber will have you laughing, just don’t spend the big bucks.