Super Troopers 2 Review: There Are Still Plenty Of Laughs In Canada, Eh?

It is nearly impossible to discuss Super Troopers 2 without comparing it to two less successful films of the same ilk, 2013’s Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013) 2016’s Zoolander 2. The original Super Troopers came out in 2002, the year after Zoolander and just a couple years before Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy. It too, is getting what I call a “delayed sequel” — a sequel to a film that follows by about ten years or more. So, does this release of Super Troopers 2, seventeen years after the original, beat the delayed sequel curse?

RELATED: Broken Lizard Says Super Troopers 3 And Potfest’s Fate Are In Your Hands This Weekend

Let’s just put it this way, if you liked Super Troopers, do not hesitate to see Super Troopers 2. In fact, if you want to see anything new from Broken Lizard anytime soon, see Super Troopers 2 this weekend, as three of the Lizards pleaded at Denver Premiere. If it doesn’t have a good enough opening weekend, we now live in an age where executives have learned that cult-classic home releases do not mean surefire box office hit sequels (again, see Anchorman 2 and Zoolander 2).

That being said, if you didn’t like the first Super Troopers, there really isn’t anything here for you. Super Troopers 2 is not going to change your opinion about Broken Lizard’s brand of comedy.

But … if you like making fun of Canada … eh, buddy? Then go see it, you hoser!

Mac (Steve Lemme), Thorny (Jay Chandrasekhar), Foster (Paul Soter), Rabbit (Erik Stolhanske), and Farva (Kevin Heffernan) are back! Unfortunately, things haven’t gone so smoothly since they took over for the local police in Vermont, leading to them all being fired due to the “Fred Savage” incident. But, they are given a second chance when they are called to set up a new Highway Patrol station in a disputed area above the US/Canada border. They’ll have to deal with smugglers, children on acid, a former-hockey playing mayor who goes by the “Halifax Explosion” (Rob Lowe), and worse, the local Canadian Mounties not to happy about being replaced (Tyler Labine, Hayes McArther, Will Sasso).

Super Troopers 2 is not completely free of the delayed sequel curse with an incredibly lazy storyline that hits a few too many of the same beats as the first film. It is a bit self-aware of that yes, but it never becomes a game of uber-meta, like 22 Jump St. That being said, even the first film was never about the plot. Again, not unlike the Anchorman and Zoolander franchises, Super Troopers is about the characters and gags, not a strong narrative.

And the characters have never been better! Every member of Broken Lizard (Lemme, Soter, Heffernan, Stolhanske, and Chandrasekhar) seem to have not missed a beat, in either writing or acting with the same voice we loved seventeen years ago. Between them and the aforementioned wonderful set of actors playing the Canadian Mounties, the cast is strong and everyone is still on their A-game.

The film is full of great gags, recalling many of the originals but building on them, rather than using them as a crutch. The opening scene is a hilarious reversal of the first film’s, and the funniest scene of the movie. The film excels at pranks, both great new ones and updated versions of some classics with ridiculous Canadian accents. It balances old and new better than Anchorman 2 or Zoolander 2, though Super Troopers 2 probably relies on some old laughs a smidge too much, but is mostly hilarious beginning to end.

The other best new scene is a standout just featuring Sasso, MacArthur, and Labine, with not a single Lizard in sight. Just a great argument about Danny DeVito. With thick, ridiculous, but authentic, Canadian accents.

The film does drag a bit at the towards the end of the second act, with less laughs than found elsewhere. And the finale is a bit rushed and a bit of a let-down. But, if you are looking for (nearly) non-stop laughs from the guys who hurt your sides in 2001, Super Troopers 2 is for you!

Grade: B

Will you be checking out the film this weekend? Let us know your thoughts down below!

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