Μύ Todd Phillips' big screen take on Starsky & Hutch "coasts on the charisma and chemistry of its stars". Indeed the double whammy of comic A-Listers Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson was enough to make it a global hit, with Wilson going on to bag the much-coveted MTV Award for Best Kiss after his three-way smooch with Carmen Electra and Amy Smart. Kudos.
Best Buddies
If you've had it up to the eyeballs with earnest musings on the creative process, then A Last Look Special is the 'making of' featurette you've been longing for. Among a starry mishmash of spoof interviews, Owen Wilson reveals that his excitement at being asked to play Hutch quickly dissipated because he "hated everybody" and "sometimes you just get the feeling the ship is going down". Likewise, when asked why he wanted to work with Owen again, Stiller confesses: "I was thinking: payday."
Between the mudslinging director Todd Phillips plays the patsy, but original buddy cops David Soul and Paul Michael Glaser have the final word - before consulting their lawyers.
In case you really are convinced that Ben and Owen hate each other's guts, the gag reel will set you straight. Their chemistry is undeniable, especially as they try to focus on the naked cheerleader stood before them without cracking each other up. Watch out too for the not-so-cool Snoop Dogg, who recoils like a simpering girl when his reptilian co-star thrashes his tail and breaks free of his grip. You've never seen a Dogg move so quickly.
Dogg's Dinner
Snoop is in more laidback mode for Fashion Fa Shizzle With Huggy Bizzle, which is really just a convoluted way of saying "a brief look at Huggy Bear's wardrobe". As well as the "dope bling" and "fly hair-dos", Snoop explains that he would do 100 push-ups to define his pecs before donning Huggy's open-necked shirts. (That sound you hear is Konstantin Stanislavsky turning in his grave.)
David Soul and Paul Michael Glaser pop up again for some gratuitous ass-kicking in one of six deleted scenes. The rest of these are dedicated to Owen and Ben's madcap good cop/bad cop routine. Unfortunately the dynamic duo aren't around to liven up Todd Phillips' lethargic commentary. He offers some interesting points eg how to make murder funny, but the most telling moment is when he recalls the pitch he made to studio execs: "It's Ben and Owen walking down an alley in slow motion." Kerching!
Despite being one of the stars of the show, Starsky's gravity-defying Gran Torino doesn't get much of a look-in on this disc. Console yourselves instead with Vince Vaughn's Bit For The Kids, which is hidden in the special features menu. This is basically a bit of shtick, catching the manic actor between takes as he engages one of the extras in a heated game of Brady Bunch trivia. And why not? Revelling in 70s silliness, Starsky & Hutch makes for a fun, freewheeling joyride on DVD.
EXTRA FEATURES
