REVAMP OF THE THREE STOOGES

year: 2012 crating: ***

Taking the main plot straight from THE BLUES BROTHERS, our titular heroes, born and raised in a Catholic orphanage, head out to the big city to collect money to save their home. But that’s skipping ahead.

Beginning with the Stooges as infants and cutting ten years later, things start a bit shaky. The child actors provide an intentional imitation die hard classic Stooges fans pray won’t occur once the boys grow up. But not to worry; these Stooges do alright. When not performing the patented slapdash stunts – including the fingers in the eyes and the hollow konk on the head – the talents of Chris Diamantopoulos as Moe, Sean Hayes as Larry, and Will Sasso as Curly shine through.

Moe has the best expressions, Larry does the closest imitation of the original voice, and Curly provides the funniest one-liners. Sight gags are fast and furious in the style of AIRPLANE and there's an interesting plot-point: Hired to kill the rich husband of a villainous bombshell, whose shady lover/partner suffers the Wile E. Coyote syndrome of near death pratfalls, the Stooges silly antics have purpose. Set up in three acts with silent-era title cards and a quick running time, the abundant slapstick never gets tiresome. Thankfully, this THREE STOOGES isn’t the Farrelly Brothers upgrading to the “toilet humor” of the modern comedy. You can take your kids along – and there’s even a strange “Don’t Try This At Home” segment during the end credits. And hopefully they don’t try a sequel. It was played safe here and succeeded, but let’s not push it, fellas.