Stuber (2019) Movie Review

STUBER (2019) MOVIE REVIEW

Uber may just be the most useful app to be released in recent memory. The ability to create jobs and have access to fast transportation at the press of a button has helped millions of people across the world. Its honestly surprising a major spoof of the app has taken this long to be created, but director Micheal Dowse has stepped up to the plate and made a surprisingly entertaining story filled with action, love and breaking of the status quo.

Mild-mannered man Stu (Kumail Nanjiani) gets thrust into a night of action as his passenger Vic (Dave Bautista) turns out to be a detective following a lead on a killer he has been searching for months. Unfortunately Vic receives this lead on the same day he gets laser surgery, meaning he can't properly see for 24 hours. As a result of this handicap, Vic needs the help of his driver Stu to follow the clues and find his man before he skips town. While the overall concept has been delved into numerous times, the way the story is set up feels semi natural and gives a good reason for Vic to be more or less on the same level as Stu in terms of usefulness. Adding Uber to the mix makes this simple and overplayed story a little bit more interesting and results in some really creative and funny moments involving the share-ride app.

Kumali Nanjiani and Dave Bautista are your comedy pairing for the movie and do a great job at playing off each other brilliantly. Genuinely feeling like polar opposites, both Dave and Kumali show this numerous times throughout the story and actually have some emotional moments by illustrating their respective insecurities. Alongside the buddy pair we have Natalie Morales who plays Vic's daughter who does a good job however I feel her performance was aided by the script. Weirdly enough her character's dialogue had some of the more emotional lines which is fair given the fact her and Dave's character have a struggling father/daughter relationship which is handled well and is easy to sympathise with as we gradually understand what both Vic and Nicole are going through. Speaking of great writing, writer Tripper Clancy understood that the movie wasn't going to be taken seriously and opted to head more towards the absurd end of the spectrum by implementing self-referential humour early on like how an electric car can have a gas explosion for example. Many of the jokes are also related back to the whole Uber concept involving different features including the total billing cost Vic receives for the whole movie. Spoiler alert, its a big one. 

Overall Stuber is a movie that exists. Its not one you have to go see straight out of the gates but if you're looking for an easy and enjoyable watch, this is one for you. Aided by the chemistry between Kumali and Dave as well as the script by debut writer Tripper Clancy, Stuber ended up being an enjoyable time at the cinema that made me smile for 90 minutes. And in my books, that is what the sign of a good film truly is. 

OVERALL

6 / 10