The Three Stooges

I've never really sat down and watched The Three Stooges but I'm familiar with their work through their impact on popular culture. Before watching this movie, I decided to give the original shorts a try and I absolutely loved them. The humour is simple but brilliant. So it made me slightly cautious before watching this, but it's absolutely fantastic. The Three Stooges set out to save their orphanage by raising over $800,000. They find themselves mixed up in an assassination plot and Moe ends up on Jersey Shore. The actors and the Farrelly Brothers have completely recreated the magic of the originals. The three stars have their parts down perfectly, each of them doing bang-on impersonations but not overdoing the mannerisms and voices. The Farrelly Brothers keep the comedy innocent and even manage to bring originality to having babies pee on people. The slapstick is fast and well choreographed with a few puns thrown in for good luck. This isn't trying to convert any new fans, and some old fans may be put off, but they should know this is a perfect continuation of these characters. The Jersey Shore scenes are very well done, using the cast as simply punching bags. If you never liked this kind of humour, I doubt you'll like this, but I adored it for its simplicity and innocence.

You know, when I read that Peter and Bobby Farrelly were going to make a movie starring actors impersonating The Three Stooges, I was a little skeptical especially when the announced stars were people like Sean Penn and Benicio Del Toro. But they calmed down and instead cast actors like Sean Hayes, Will Sasso, and Chris Diamantopoulos who did fine in acting exactly like Larry, Curly, and Moe, respectively, when portraying the legendary comics. And while there's somewhat of a sentimental plot involving some orphan kids, it never goes in treacly territory as there's always some wonderfully staged slapstick scenes that undercuts that. Oh, and there's also some hilarious scenes involving the cast of "Jersey Shore". In summary, this version of The Three Stooges is highly recommended for anyone not minding seeing this legendary comedy team played by other actors or anyone who haven't even heard of them yet and wants to see more of them.

I know this movie isn't some cinematic masterpiece but i honestly don't care. The 2012 three stooges reboot was one of my favorite comedies as a kid and even after all these years it still makes me laugh. Yeah it's ridiculous and over-the-top but that's the whole point. It really nails the goofy slapstick energy of the original while somehow managing to feel fun and fresh. The cast clearly committed to the bit and it pays off. The cast actually did a great job playing such cartoonish characters, and even if it's cheesy, it's still a fun time. It's dumb in the best way and sometimes that's exactly what you need. This movie is so dumb in the best way possible. It's peak stupid humor and i think that's what makes it so funny. It's just pure nonsense and physical comedy, and that's exactly what it delivers. No regrets here.

This wonderful feature-length adaptation of the stupidly funny Stooges includes colorful visuals, hilarious humor, and is quite kid-friendly! In this film, Moe, Larry, and Curly grew up in an Christian orphanage, but then the orphanage has to be demolished. They wouldn't tolerate it, so they go off on a journey to make some money to save their home. Great movie! Full of good laughs, endearing joy, and a heart of innocent stupidity from the Stooges! I also think that the actors who played the comedic trio did a really authentic job of portraying them. I can't wait until it comes out on DVD! It'll be awesome to watch at home! I give this an 8 out of 10 score! Again, great movie!

The tone is the real star of this Three Stooges movie, as is the case with most Farrely Brothers films. Despite actions that would be considered violent in the real world, the mood is whimsical and cartoonish. Typical of this is a moment where someone in a full body cast is "turtling," hiding from the stooges by impossibly ducking his head and extremities into the cast.

Having been exposed to a few reviews and viewer opinions before seeing the film, I was shocked by one thing. People had repeatedly said that the structure of three short films was a distraction and it should have instead been one single story. This causes me to question the sanity of those people and their most basic comprehension. The movie is merely decorated with a few "short film" title cards in the fashion of the old shorts; the movie is indeed one premise and follows a conventional narrative like any other feature. It's key plot is essentially the same as The Blues Brothers - the orphanage is in financial trouble and the boys have to raise money to save it.

They manage to have some interesting and organic story twists along the way. Most inspired is the idea of a Stooge pulling up a gangster's droopy-drawers.

Now some people might have to adjust to the throw-back terminology that is carried over from the old black and white films. But oddly within the context of the movie what seems anachronistic is a moment where Moe refers to an English butler as "Threepio." Even though it is a contemporary reference, it stands out against the 1930's vaudeville style of most stooges dialogue.

Clearly this movie was made out of love for the stooges and there is a charm found even in less likable characters. This doesn't mean that people under 20 years of age will "get" it. They should, although the fashionable thing to say is WTF. Whatever the case, if you don't get it or don't like it the fault is not that of the filmmakers. Even in parts where I didn't laugh outright I found the groove of the movie fun and engaging. Interesting that the guy who plays Moe also has played Robin Williams and Frank Sinatra.

The one story continuity flaw I noticed had to do with Moe's discovery when he happens to have a fight on stage with the other two. . .and later the producer sees them together again and says "There's three of them?" He had already seen the other two during the unwitting audition scene which Larry and Curly walked out on. But other than that odd speed bump, it's a solid effort.

I won't compare it to James Frawley's biopic The Three Stooges which Mel Gibson produced for pay TV a while back. That had Californication's Evan Handler as Larry and The Shield's Michael Chiklis as Curly, but it got into the sad story of their real lives and the way they were exploited. Performances in both are spot-on.