“Do you really not remember this guy or are you just fucking with me?”
“Yeah, I have no idea who he is.”
“You know I heard everything you said?”
“Son of a bitch, we’ve been doing that for years.”
In a film full of revisiting past jokes, this exchange in “Super Troopers 2” was hands-down one of the most nostalgic and comedic moments for fans of the original film.
While disguised as Canadian Mounties to mess with the locals, Troopers Jeff Foster (Paul Soter) and MacIntyre “Mac” Womack (Steve Lemme) find themselves at a loss when the driver turns out to be Larry Johnson (Jim Gaffigan), whom they played a prank on in the first film.
Not only is Johnson’s return a warm welcome for fans, but a great spin on the original film, as they learn their method of speaking to each other over the car is pointless, as the driver can hear everything.
It’s been 17 years since its predecessor’s, and writing/starring group Broken Lizard’s, theatrical debut. Fans have been clamoring for a sequel since. It has amassed a large cult following, earning over $60 million in rentals alone.
After a successful crowdfunding campaign garnering $2 million in just 24 hours and $4.7 million in one month, the group reunited to bring the Vermont Highway Patrol officers back for their next adventure.
Set 17 years after its predecessor, the group has been fired from their jobs as Spurbury Police officers, but are recruited by Governor Jessman (Lynda Carter) to open a new Highway Patrol station in a small Canadian town.
While opening the station, they must also replace the local Mountie station and solve a case of a local drugs and weapons smuggling operation.
From start to finish, the film was not only a great outing for fans of the original film, but also carried plenty of outrageous fresh humor for new audiences as well.
One highlight of the film was the return of many jokes from the original film, including the “meow” prank, the combination of Ramathorn and Rod for “Car Ram Rod” and “littering and, littering and, littering and.”
Whether the Troopers were testing out drugs they confiscated or pulling pranks on each other, the jokes were a laugh-a-minute, outrageous and landed well — for the most part.
There were a few jokes that fell flat, namely the entirety of Rob Lowe’s performance as the mayor of the town, Guy Le Franc. His attempt at a Canadian accent worked at first, even poking fun at Americans with his real accent, but it quickly falls off and transitions back and forth between the fake accent and his natural accent.
The other major flaw of the film is the ending, which not only leaves questions unanswered in regards to the little bit of plotting there was, but is also too abrupt. Audiences are treated to what feels like another gag that would lead to more story but instead rolls right into the credits.
The cast also does a wonderful job of re-immersing themselves in their roles, bringing the irresponsible jokesters back to life in hilarious fashion with more bombastic pranks and fresh takes on the personalities of the fan-favorite group.
Although there are moments in which the film shows struggles every delayed sequel goes through, there are still plenty of guffaw-inducing gags and jokes that bring plenty of nostalgia for fans of the original, almost reaching the comic heights of the first.