Movie Review: “Super Troopers 2”

“Super Troopers 2” may hold the record for longest period between sequels for a comedy film at a whopping 17 years. As Zoolander reminded us, most comedy follow-ups age less like a fine wine, and more like fish.  Is it possible for the Broken Lizard team to recreate the magic that made the first “Super Troopers” so popular, or will they break their fans collective hearts like Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson did?

It should be noted that not even 20th Century Fox though the audience existed for another outing with the Vermont State Troopers. Instead, they were directed to try crowdfunding.  They did, achieving their initial goal of $2million dollars within 24 hours of launching their Indiegogo Campaign.  Over the next 6 months fans contributed nearly $5million towards the movie.  It’s clear their audience was still out there, and this is a sequel the people wanted.  

The film starts off immediately addressing the team’s current employment status, which is no longer in law enforcement.  They may have been able to save their badges in the final moments of the first film, but their luck couldn’t last forever.  Fortunately for them, and unfortunately for the civilians they encounter, Captain O’Hagan (Brian Cox)  is able to bring them on board for a unique venture just north of the border. It turns out that a small French-Canadian town is actually on U.S. soil and the government wants to begin transitioning them to the American way of doing things. (Which is a joke unto itself!)

The plot doesn’t get too much more involved than that, although it does include the obligatory, pseudo-mystery, love interest, good badguys, and bad goodguys.  There’s just enough framework to the story to allow Broken Lizard to do what they do best, pile on wide-spectrum humor. Some are startling cliche and passe, while other moments are subtle or sharply satirical.  Of course, it wouldn’t be complete without healthy doses of physical comedy and frat boy stunts. This movie handles pacing far better than the first, which felt front-loaded with jokes and suffered from a final act that dropped most of the humor in an effort to wrap up the story.

Is it better/funnier than the first?  That depends largely on how much you enjoyed the original ST.  There is an air of “more-of-the-same”, but the guys were well aware that they needed to provide a film that improves on everything the fans enjoyed in the first.  “Super Troopers 2” is by no means high-brow humor, but it’s impossible not to laugh almost constantly throughout.

Be sure to check out our Exclusive 360°/VR Interview with the Super Troopers!