Crime meets comedy in Michael Dowse’s riotous new film featuring a Los Angeles police officer and an Uber driver.
While investigating ruthless drug trafficker Oka Tedjo (Iko Uwais), Los Angeles police officer Vic Manning (Dave Bautista) and his partner Sara Morris (Karen Gillan) become embroiled in a firefight. After a foot chase into a crowded street, Vic watches Tedjo murder his partner. Six months later, Vic is still pursuing leads in search of Tedjo. Shortly after laser eye surgery, Vic receives a tip from an informant regarding Tedjo’s whereabouts. Unable to drive with blurry vision, Vic hails an Uber. Enter Stu Prasad (Kumail Nanjiani), a sporting goods store employee that moonlights as an Uber driver and is viewed as a bit of a coward. After picking up Vic, Stu becomes entangled in a dangerous and violent chain of events as Vic seeks vengeance.
When I first heard the plot for Stuber (a police officer unable to drive and forced to use a vehicle for hire), I was immediately reminded of the 2004 action comedy Taxi featuring Jimmy Fallon and Queen Latifah. Like Taxi, I enjoyed Stuber. It’s worth noting John Francis Daley is credited as a producer. Daley has a good track record of participating in hilarious projects and fans of Bones and Freaks and Geeks will appreciate Daley’s involvement with the film. Stuber‘s zany and outrageous comedy will have viewers in tears. The film does a fantastic job combining side splitting comedy with outlandish action scenes. The idea of a police officer pursuing a notorious drug trafficker via Uber is an entertaining concept that has been carried out by a phenomenal cast.
There’s no shortage of big names in Stuber: Karen Gillan, Steve Howey, Betty Gilpin, and Mira Sorvino just to name a few. However, it is Kumail Nanjiani and Dave Bautista’s hilarious chemistry that makes Stuber hysterical. Viewers have caught glimpses of Dave Bautista’s brand of “tough guy” comedy as Drax the Destroyer in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Bautista does an excellent job of blending tough and serious with goofy and laughable to bring Vic Manning to form. As for Kumail Nanjiani, is there anyone on a better comedic hotstreak currently? Rhetorical question. Regardless of the project, audiences will always find themselves laughing when Nanjiani is on-screen. Nanjiani always seems to play humorous, non-threatening characters, and to see him do so while thrown into gunfights and action sequences is incredibly amusing.
If you’re looking for something new to check out or in the mood for a comedy, Stuber is for you. There is plenty to like and a lot to laugh at. Action fans won’t be disappointed either as there is plenty of (at times off the wall) violence.