Stuber Review  — While it doesn’t exactly disrupt the reluctant buddy comedy genre, it’s still good for a few laughs and thoughts.

You’ve seen many hybrids of the buddy/road trip/cop/action/comedy genre over the decades. 48 Hrs., Lethal Weapon and Beverly Hills Cop, to name just a few. Stuber isan unlikely buddy comedy for the decade, with themes of of disruption and masculinity mixed in with the humor.

The result, if you don’t take it too seriously, which you were never meant to do, is good, zany fun. A cool, decent distraction for a hot summer night.

Kumail Nanjiani, who first caught widespread attention in the wry HBO comedy Silicon Valley, finally arrived in his very personal film The Big Sleep, and was probably the best part of Men in Black International, plays Stu, a sporting goods salesman by day, an Uber driver by night. He’s of so people many in L.A., where it takes two jobs just to get by, and perhaps have just a little to put away.

All hell breaks loose for him when he picks up Vic (Dave Bautista, who has become a buddy in real life). He’s a cop with an ax to grind who has just had Lasik surgery and can’t drive himself. When he gets a lead on the violent drug dealer who killed his partner, he commandeers Stu and his Nissan Leaf to drive him on the chase.

While the action is predictable, at the heart of the film is the contrast between the two. Vic suffers from terminal toughness, while Stu’s marshmallow softness, with almost a lethal dose of political correctness thrown in, has people, and life, walking all over him.

Director Michael Dowse has fashioned a sardonic commentary on what many people are facing as they struggle to define masculinity these days. While it’s an extremely difficult tightrope walk for men, women must consider it as well, in how we respond to the men in our midst. It’s clear we’re sending mixed signals.

Stuber will amuse you, while perhaps encouraging you to think a bit deeper. A good movie will do that.

Rated R

1 Hour 45 Minutes

If this Uber review makes you want to catch a Lyft and go see it, get times and tickets on Fandango.com.

Stuber Review  — While it doesn’t exactly disrupt the reluctant buddy comedy genre, it’s still good for a few laughs and thoughts.