> REVIEW
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The Three Stooges (2012)
All pain and no brain…
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By Simon Francis | August 2012
DIRECTOR(s): Bobby Farrelly / Peter Farrelly
WRITER(s): Mike Cerrone / Bobby Farrelly / Peter Farrelly
Before Judd Apatow and co modernised the genre with their mumblecore movement, comedy relied on a much more simple set of ethos. Built on a cornerstone of ludicrous, physical antics, and giving birth to such legends as Chaplin and Keaton, the term slapstick remains synonymous with cinema’s most beloved genre.
Of course, one can’t mention slapstick without citing the pioneering trio from the ’30s, and the latest recipients of a needless Hollywood remake, The Three Stooges. But in an era of boundary-breaching Borat’s and Jackasses is there still a place for the trail-blazing rouges?
After discovering their childhood orphanage is due to be shut-down in thirty days, a determined Moe (Chris Diamantopoulos), Larry (Sean Hayes) and Curly (Will Sasso) attempt to raise the required funds to save it from closure. The three misfits set off to the big city and in true Stooge style find themselves tangled up in a murder plot as well as becoming stars of a hit reality TV show.
If there’s one consistency in The Farrelly Brothers ten-year output it’s their enduring love of all things slapstick, from superior ’90s efforts Dumb and Dumber and There’s Something About Mary to less effective outings such as Me Myself and Irene, Bobby and Peter have never been afraid to embrace the ridiculous.
The brothers’ attempts to stay close to the Stooges roots by separating the movie into three short parts is somewhat admirable, but their uninspired narrative painfully lacks any form of imagination or modern bite, and is so laden with antique, regurgitated gags that it wears very thin. Very quickly.
Originally, the central roles were earmarked for Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro and Jim Carrey, and though one can’t help but imagine just what sort of comedic carnage the A-listers would have brought to proceedings, the capable trio of Diamantopoulos, Hayes and Sasso offer up solid impersonations of the titular oddballs.
Some of the visual gags and set-pieces are executed with skill and precision, but there are only so many times you can hear ‘boink’ and ‘wallop’ before it desperately loses its charm.
Much of the laughter instead comes from the supporting cameos, including the ever popular Jane Lynch as the Mother Superior and a riotous turn by Larry David (in drag!) as the bitterly twisted Sister Mary Mengele, which helps raise the smile count.
Whether it was intended as a dose of nostalgia to the golden oldies or a re-introduction to good old fashioned comedy, the Farrelly brothers and their Stooges struggle for breath and laughs in a genre that has long since passed them by.
Script…………………………………………………………………………………………….
The Farrelly Brothers love letter to slapstick is weighed down by excruciatingly
dated, repetitive gags which leave little room for plot or patience. 1
Direction………………………………………………………………………………………..
A few well choreographed visual gags and amusing cameos isn’t enough to save
this stale, unnecessary retread. 2
Verdict…………………………………………………………………………………………..
Crash, bang, flop. 1
