2004, PG-13, 97 minutes

Just when the idea of yet another movie based on a 70s TV show seems completely unappealing, along comes the wild and wacky Starsky & Hutch. Taking the original crime drama and turning it into a complete goof with Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson in the lead roles turned out to be an inspired move for director/co-writer Todd Phillips (Old School). Stiller and Wilson are such a natural team that they could probably turn a reading of the phone book into a winning comedy, and they make this loopy 70s spoof something that's actually worth seeing.

David Starsky (Stiller) is an uptight, by-the-book member of the Bay City Police Department. At first, he doesn't mix very well by his new partner, the laid-back, let-it-slide Ken Hutchinson (Wilson). The two are brought together to bring down drug kingpin Reese Feldman (Vince Vaughn), whose new strain of cocaine is undetectable to drug-sniffing dogs.

So Starsky and Hutch set out on an undercover mission in Starsky's red-and-white Ford Gran Torino to catch a bad guy. They pay a visit to super-cool informant Huggy Bear (Snoop Dogg), meet a couple of cheerleaders (Carmen Electra and Amy Smart), and infiltrate Feldman's daughter's bat mitzvah dressed as mimes. Wacky hijinks ensue, especially when Starsky mistakes cocaine for coffee sweetener and ends up in the middle of a disco dance-off.

Most of the fun comes from the interplay between Stiller and Wilson, not the sitcom-style situations. Starsky begins to loosen up a little and accept Hutch's style, with certain scenes suggesting that Starsky sees Hutch as more than just a partner. During Starsky's accidental cocaine binge, Hutch serenades the cheerleaders with "Don't Give Up on Us, Baby" (a pop hit in the 70s for David Soul, the TV Hutch). Starsky imagines that Hutch is singing directly to him, and his bleary eyes look at Hutch with something resembling love.

Big Earl (Will Ferrell, in a hilarious cameo) also has eyes for Hutch. This prison inmate will give information on Feldman to the crime fighters only if Hutch will submit to certain requests (a flashed belly-button gives way to something more incriminating caught on the prison-surveillance camera that makes Starsky and Hutch the laughing stock of the department).

Phillips also milks laughs out of the 70s setting, filling the movie with over-the-top costumes, hairstyles, and vintage tunes. The movie kicks off with Barry Manilow's "Can't Smile Without You," setting the tone in more ways than one. Afros, bell-bottoms, and platform shoes abound, adding much to the inspired silliness.

The success of the movie really is because of the comic chemistry of Stiller and Wilson. Having already teamed up in movies like Meet the Parents, Zoolander, and The Royal Tenenbaums, these two obviously have a great time working together, and that shows again in Starsky & Hutch. Without this comedy dream team, the movie's lack of a cohesive script would be more noticeable. These guys are so much fun to watch, though, that it's hard to complain when you're laughing.