Review of The Three Stooges (2012) by Daniel B — 14 Aug 2012

(4 Stars) I wonder how many people realize that The Three Stooges has... you know, Three Stooges humor. It's a pretty faithful homage to the shorts, and if you enjoy them, you should enjoy the movie. If you don't, well, you probably never liked the shorts (or never saw them). It takes a lot of talent to do the kind of pratfalls that Larry (Sean Hayes), Curly (Will Sasso), and Moe (Chris Diamantopoulos) pull off. The actors look and act very much like their counterparts. I think one thing in comedy that distracts me is contemporary humor, where it's very "of the day." Jokes age quickly. This movie features Jersey Shore, iPhones, and a reference to the Kardashians (which admittedly is very funny in its context). However, the more I think about it, the original shorts are contemporary too... they feature things will go over the heads of today's audience. But they're still funny.

I like The Three Stooges and I think the film has been given an unfair shake. It's from the very funny Farrelly Brothers (who directed Dumb & Dumber and Kingpin), it's a PG movie that's amusing in its mindlessness, and even though I hate Jersey Shore, the cast members get hurt a lot. Even in its mindlessness, there is creativity in the pratfalls and wordplay. I don't think many people saw it in theaters because they thought it looked like a cheap cash-in, but if you're into Stooge humor, you'll like this. I think the original shorts are funny and this movie does them justice.