Super Troopers 2

Directed by Jay Chandrasekhar and written and starring the Broken Lizard troupe of Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, and Erik Stolhanske, Super Troopers 2 is a sequel to the 2001 film that has a group of highway state troopers getting back in the game to deal with a border dispute with Canada over a piece of land. The film is a comedy that follows the five troublemakers who now deal with new problems as well as being out of the job for some time. Also starring Marisa Coughlan, Rob Lowe, Emmanuelle Chirqui, Tyler Labine, Will Sasso, Paul Walter Hauser, Lynda Carter, and Brian Cox returning as Captain John O’Hagen. Super Troopers 2 is an entertaining and wild film from Broken Lizard.

Several years after events from the first film that also involved a tragic incident involving actor Fred Savage, the film follow a group of former highway state troopers who are asked to get back on board to watch over a section of land in Canada that is to be transferred back to the U.S. much to the dismay of the locals. It’s a film that play into five guys who get their old jobs back but have to complete a task to keep the job yet they have to deal with a trio of Canadian Mounties who don’t want to lose their jobs as well as all sorts of shit. The film’s screenplay by the Broken Lizard troupe explore the five men trying to get back on board but also maintain their sense of shenanigans and pranks as they also reunite with Captain John O’Hagen who is leading the task despite issues with the Canadians in this small Quebecois town who really don’t want to become Americans. Adding to the turmoil for the troopers is the discovery of some of narcotics, firearms, and other things where they’re aided by a cultural attaché in Genevieve Aubois (Emmanuelle Chirqui) as well as deal with the town’s mayor Guy Le Franc (Rob Lowe).

Jay Chandrasekhar’s direction is largely straightforward though it opens with this fantasy sequence of the troopers as a rock band on tour and pulling a prank on a couple of troopers. Shot on location in Ware, Massachusetts, Chandrasekhar’s direction play into this area that doesn’t share much difference between America and Canada but there is still this air of culture clash in the post-Barack Obama era of America. While many of Chandrasekhar’s compositions are simple in the wide and medium shots along with some close-ups, Chandrasekhar does maintain a sense of energy into the humor while creating moments that are surreal as it relate to the adventures of the troopers with Farva (Kevin Heffernan) trying to cause trouble and Thorny (Jay Chandrasekhar) trying to keep things under control despite his growing addiction to one of the drugs he’s found that’s made him super-sensitive. While the film has a subplot in which Rabbit (Erik Stolhanske) trying to start a relationship with Aubois, Chandrasekhar does maintain a focus on the narrative of the troopers and its eventual climax involving the Mounties as it involves this smuggling ring and the intention of the smugglers. Overall, Chandrasekhar crafts a witty and exciting film about state troopers trying to watch over a land transfer from Canada to America.

Cinematographer Joe Collins does excellent work with the film’s cinematography as it is largely straightforward with some low-key lighting for some of the interiors set at night including a bordello scene in the film. Editor Spencer Houck does nice work with the editing as it has some stylish cuts including a few montage sequences and some rhythmic cuts to play into the humor. Production designer Cabot McMullen, with set decorator Sophie Carlhian and art director Lawrence Sampson, does fantastic work with the building the troopers station themselves in as well as the interior of the bordello and a restaurant they go to late in the film. Costume designer Debra McGuire does terrific work with the costumes as it is largely straightforward including the uniforms the troopers wear.

Special effects makeup artist Rob Fitz does brilliant work with some of the fake gore used in the film’s opening fantasy sequence as well as a surreal sequence involving drugs. Visual effects supervisors Brian Kubovcik and Jason Piccioni do amazing work for a few visual effects scenes that involve drugs including a commercial involving a women’s prescription drug. Sound designer Lawrence Zipf does superb work with the sound as it help play into the atmosphere of the bars and some of the film’s exterior locations. The film’s music by Eagles of Death Metal is wonderful for its mixture of blues and rock as it play into the film’s humor while music supervisor Ann Kline create a soundtrack that is mainly focused on rock, folk, and country music with a few songs from Eagles of Death Metal.

The casting by Venus Kanani and Mary Vernieu is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Fred Savage as himself, Seann William Scott and Damon Wayans Jr. as a couple of troopers, Clifton Collins Jr. as a tour bus driver, Bruce McCullough as a Canadian border officer, and Jim Gaffigan reprising his role as a passenger from the first film who endures the antics of the troopers. Other notable small roles include Paul Walter Hauser as Aubois’ obnoxious boss, Marisa Coughlan as the Spurburry police chief/Foster’s girlfriend Ursula, and Lynda Carter as Governor Jessman who gives the troopers a chance to get their jobs back. The trio of Tyler Labine, Hayes MacArthur, and Will Sasso are terrific in their respective roles as the Canadian Mounties in Sgt. Christopher Bellefuille, Staff Sgt. Major Henri Podigen, and Sgt. Major Roger Archambault who both have legit grudges towards the troopers for taking their jobs as they played a few pranks on the troopers yet aren’t really bad guys because they’re losing their jobs.

Rob Lowe is superb as the mayor/Montreal Canadiens hockey legend Guy “The Halifax Explosion” Le Franc as a man who is trying to show the troopers the town he lives in as well as the fact that the locals don’t like the troopers where he does whatever he can to not help them with the transfer. Emmanuelle Chirqui is fantastic as Genevieve Aubois as a cultural attaché trying to smooth over the transition while having feelings for Rabbit. Brian Cox is excellent as Captain O’Hagan as the troopers’ former chief who is tasked with running the troopers and ensuring that no trouble occur while he would engage in his own idea of shenanigans following a prank from the Mounties.

Finally, there’s the Broken Lizard troupe in brilliant performance with Paul Soter as the reserved yet playful Carl Foster who is trying to work and maintain his relationship with Ursula while Steve Lemme’s performance as the more playful MacIntyre “Mac” Womack is full of energy as someone that likes to play pranks. Erik Stolhanske’s performance as Robbie “Rabbit” Roto as the long-standing rookie of the gang who enjoys pranks while finding himself falling for Aubois. Kevin Heffernan’s performance as Rodney “Rod” Farva is hilarious as this obnoxious, foul-mouth, ill-tempered, and idiotic trooper who gets into a lot of trouble as well as bring trouble to the troopers. Finally, there’s Jay Chandrasekhar as Arcot “Thorny” Ramathorn as the senior trooper who is trying to keep things at bay while becoming addicted to feminine-sensitivity prescriptions.

Super Troopers 2 is a remarkable film from Jay Chandrasekhar and the Broken Lizard troupe. Featuring a great cast, lots of bawdy humor, and themes of political relations between countries and their cultural differences. It’s a film that doesn’t take itself seriously while providing some commentary on U.S. foreign relations post-Barack Obama. In the end, Super Troopers 2 is a marvelous film from Jay Chandrasekhar and Broken Lizard.

Broken Lizard Films: (Puddle Cruiser) – Super Troopers - Club Dread - Beerfest - (The Slammin’ Salmon) – (Broken Lizard Stands Up) – (Freeloaders (2012 film))

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