Review: "Super Troopers 3"

Cop movies account for a surprising number of Hollywood movies.  Traditionally, there have been serious police dramas like L.A. Confidential (1997), “Buddy” pics like the Lethal Weapon (1987), film noir detective flicks like Se7en (1995), action flicks like Bad Boys (1995) and, of course, police comedies.

The comedies can be traced all the way back to the silent era and Mack Sennett’s famous Keystone Cops with their signature sped-up chase sequences.  Bungling cops comedies developed and evolved into successful franchises like the Naked Gun movies.

An off shoot of that genre of funny cop movies was Super Troopers released in 2001, directed and co-written by Jay Chandrasekhar who starred as Thorny. The very funny ensemble cast included Kevin Heffernan as Farva, Erik Stolhanske as Rabbit, Paul Soter as Foster and Brian Cox as Captain O’Hagan.

Together, they were a first-class troop of dysfunctional Vermont State Troopers, bickering, playing practical jokes on each other, all the while trying to solve crimes and bring criminals to justice.  The humor was R-rated and occasionally raunchy, but the storyline landed a lot of laughs thanks to the chemistry of the main characters.  Their comedy timing and delivery was brilliant.

Super Troopers went on to earn $23 million worldwide.  While it wasn’t exactly a financial blockbuster, it did attract a legion of loyal fans who flocked to the release of Super Troopers 2 in 2018.  The sequel earned $32 million worldwide (on a production budget of just $13.5 million), prompting the release of Super Troopers 3.

While comedy franchises often become progressively less funny, Super Troopers 3 defies negative expectations by serving up what the fans have waited to see.  The five mustached main characters are back again with the addition of a newbie played by SNL cast member Andrew Dismukes (who assures the guys he’s in the process of growing a mustache).

The movie opens with a colorful, Bollywood-style Indian wedding dance number and then quickly flashes back to the events leading up to it.  Those events include a car crash involving Thorny’s sister Sarita (Hannah Simone) who finds herself falling in love with Farva who pulled her from the burning wreckage. Much of the movie revolves around Thorny’s repeated attempts to wreck his sister’s romance and prevent any possibility of Farva becoming his brother-in-law.  It’s a great running gag.

There is, of course a crime element in the film. It involves a sinister plot involving counterfeit maple syrup, a very big deal for the local community.

To aid in finding and arresting the criminals, the new police chief introduces the troopers to the latest advance in law enforcement vehicle technology: a self-driving electric police car made in Canada.  It talks (in a voice from one of the characters in Super Troopers 2) and engages in cautionary high-speed chases (being programmed not to endanger the lives of the officers). 

As in the past, this installment is rated R for the sexual content, brief nudity, language and drug content.  There are scantily clad strippers, erection jokes, condom jokes, penis jokes (including a hilarious penis party hat featured in a bachelor party scene) and hilarious noises of a couple having crazy sex off camera. Another noise gag involves projectile vomiting which is way funnier and less disgusting than one might imagine.

There is also a body probe of an elephant suspected of hiding illegal drugs, but that’s about as cringeworthy as the movie gets on the raunchiness scale.

Super Troopers 3 (like 1 and 2) is not a movie for everyone.  It’s an outrageous comedy intended for adults who want to walk on the wild side of edgy movie comedy.  It’s silly, and occasionally gross, but its clever plot and spot-on performances prevent it from being just plain stupid. 

Despite the gross out humor, there is an actual plot involving a crime mystery and several ongoing romances. If you liked the first and second installments of Super Troopers, this movie is what you’ve been waiting for.

Worth mentioning here: if Super Troopers 3 leaves you clamoring for even more, the closing credits promise a Super Troopers 4.