Stuber is a buddy cop action film directed by Michael Dowse. The plot follows timid Uber driver Stu (Kumail Nanjaini), a man who is obsessed with achieving two goals in life, convincing his friend Becca (Betty Gilpin), to go out with him as well as getting a 5-star rating on Uber. All of this is turned upside down and thrown out of the window however, as veteran detective Vic (Dave Bautista), get into Stu’s car on morning and then fate takes both men on a journey to bring down vicious drug lord Oka Tedjo (Iko Uwais), whether they like it or not.
When I first saw this film, I didn’t really like it. Then I watched it for a second time, and it was a little better, the jokes between Nanjaini and Bautista are by far the best thing about the film. This film feels to me, very much like it is trying to recapture the spirit of films like Rush Hour, and I don’t think it does it. Bautista is as hilarious as always, his turn as a comic actor is great and he has been funny in near every film he has been in. However, the weak link in the buddy cop chain is Nanjaini, he is far less funny than Batista, there is only so many times you can watch someone freak out before it becomes repetitive. What’s more a lot of Nanjaini’s jokes in this film feel as though he is reading out new paper headlines and talking points, as the films says to itself aren’t I so trendy and current; even when you watch it a few months later it appears dated.
What’s more the decision to have the storyline between Stu and Becca is baffling. We can see from a variety of other things in his life that Stu is a passive person who needs to become more assertive, so we don’t really need a storyline about him liking a girl who only wants to have sex with him because her current boyfriend annoyed her. The film devotes a weird amount of time to this sub-plot that takes away from the main story, moreover, this sub-plot doesn’t add much to Stu as a character and when he finally decides to cut her out of his life, it just leaves you thinking ‘finally’.
Overall, despite Bautista being funny and the banter being okay, Stuber feels like a poor imitation of buddy cop films of old, as it is too concerned with being trendy and bombarding you with sub-plots that take you out of the film. Another bomb Fox left on Disney’s doorstep.
Pros.
Dave Bautista.
The pair have some good moments.
Cons.
The sub-plot with Becca and Becca herself.
The references to current affairs.
Nanjaini is just a little bit too whiny.
2/5
Reviewed by Luke
Another Millennial Reviewer 