Review of CHiPs (2017) by Grant S — 16 Jan 2018

Started well, then quickly unravelled. 4/10.

An FBI agent goes undercover in the California Highway Patrol as officer Frank "Ponch" Poncherello. Members of the CHP have been robbing cash delivery vehicles and his job is to uncover the perpetrators. At the CHP he is partnered with a 30-something rookie, Jon Baker. Baker is a former professional motorcycle rider with a list of ailments and personal problems who is lucky to be in the CHP. They are very different people and immediately clash.

I enjoyed the original CHIPS, the TV series, as a kid. My expectations for this movie weren't too high but initially it went very well. Quite funny, un-PC and fun. Michael Pena, with his particular brand of humour, was great as Ponch and gave the movie the energy and fun it needed. The crime drama side wasn't too bad either.

However, from a point (unfortunately nearer the beginning than the end) the writers and director ran out of ideas and resorted to cliché and formula. The humour got weaker and more juvenile, the drama became a series of standard car chases and shoot-outs. Truly funny moments became fewer and further between and watching became a chore.

In the end I wished I hadn't bothered.