Super Troopers 2

It’s been 17 years since “Super Troopers” graced our screens, and while it’s been long anticipated – some things just aren’t that relevant in 2018. “Super Troopers 2” is one of them.

“Super Troopers 2” centres on the age-old rivalry of Canada versus the United States. When a specific town on the Canadian border is set to become American land, the American Troopers (Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, Erik Stolhanske, Brian Cox) are sent to the area to manage the change over alongside the Canadian Mounties, including changing street signs to miles per hour, and patrolling the highway in the area.

The Canadian residents are less than pleased for the transition to becoming Americans, and make sure the Troopers know it. What follows is a back-and-forth of pranks between the teams, but the uncovering of a smuggling operation complicates matters as each troop tries to crack the case.

“Super Troopers 2” relies heavily on slapstick humour and stoner jokes to make its way through 100 minutes, and while it does provide a few hearty giggles and a plot that’s so easy to follow you can legit tune out for its duration, it doesn’t quite provide enough. Rob Lowe is a decent addition as the Mayor of the quaint Canadian town, and his Canadian accent dishes out the most laughs of the flick.

Of course if you’re expecting an ode to the “meow” joke, you won’t be disappointed. The question is, is it really needed? It was a joke that gave us a laugh back in 2001, feels a little bit forced to bring it back. Regardless, the generic and predictable plot line feels forced as well, so it’s no big surprise. The celebrity cameos aren’t necessary, but at this stage “Super Troopers 2” seems like it’s packing in the cliches just to force some laughs.

I’m making this film sound terrible, but it’s really not that bad. It does provide some funny moments, and doesn’t outstay its welcome, coming in at just over an hour and a half. While the plot line isn’t groundbreaking, it’s easy to follow and admittedly the accents – ranging from Canadians doing American, Americans doing Canadians, French-Canadians and everything in between – are a true highlight.

See it if you need some mindless humour. It’s truly mindless.