Summary
This felt like it was written in the Notes app on an Über trip down to the corner shops because walking is hard.
Not since Mac & Me has a corporate identity been so integral to the plot of a major motion picture. Inspired by the gig economy, and the company that’s synonymous with ride sharing, STUBER puts the brand right in the title. Yet Michael Dowse’s film doesn’t have any official sponsorship, which might be a good thing for the global monolith.
Stu (Kumail Nanjiani) is a hapless sporting goods employee who drives an Uber between shifts and is nicked named “Stuber” by his douchey boss (Jimmy Tatro). When grizzled LA cop Vic (Dave Bautista) is temporarily vision impaired, he recruits Stu to drive him around the city while he hunts for the terrorist.
Tripper Clancy’s screenplay is one of those things that requires an immediate suspension of disbelief. You have to accept that Vic’s shocking eyesight hasn’t hindered the performance of his police duties before now. You must submit to the idea that Stu’s desperation to get a 5-star rating outweighs his own sense of self preservation.
There’s the very clear sense that STUBER is a film that started its journey without the GPS on. Filled with random music choices and episodic sequences through the comedy version of LA’s underworld, Clancy’s script quickly falls back on reliable tropes, including a running gag about electric cars, and more than one stereotype. As one friend put it, “Thanks for the casual homophobia in 2019.”
STUBER ultimately relies on the twin personalities of Nanjiani and Bautista to carry this film. With stronger material, the duo would have made a killer team, but they feel just as lost in the material as the audience is bound to be. As it stands, the comedy often grinds to a halt when the action starts and vice versa. On the few occasions when they mix the two together, such as an extended fight between the leads in a sporting goods store, it feels shoehorned in from another film entirely.
There’s some top-notch talent in this film, not least of which are Karen Gillen and Mira Sorvino, who are barely given any screen time despite their importance to the overarching plot. Similarly, the comedic excellence of Betty Gilpin (Glow) is squandered on being nothing more than Stu’s romantic goal.
A throwback to the broad buddy comedies of the 80s and 90s, it’s only the ride share app of the title that really betrays this as a 21st century film. In all other respects, this is exactly the kind of film that you would see in a pre-show VHS trailer and pick up in a bundle deal at the video store. Also: if there’s a sequel, they are definitely calling it S2ber.
2019 | US | DIR: Michael Dowse | WRITER: Tripper Clancy| CAST: Kumail Nanjiani, Dave Bautista, Iko Uwais, Natalie Morales, Betty Gilpin, Jimmy Tatro, Mira Sorvino, Karen Gillan | DISTRIBUTOR: 20th Century Fox (AUS) | RUNNING TIME: 93 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 11 July 2019 (AUS)
