Another Stakeout

Another Stakeout is a fantastic movie. It's funny and the acting is quite good. Richard Dreyfuss and Emilio Estevez were great together-acting like partners. The house exploding at the beginning was more funny than realistic, it was so long that you could just about go and get a drink and still be back before the end of it. I have seen this film so many times and it is still hilarious every time. It is definitely worth watching on the telly or even hiring it from the video shop. The banter between Dreyfuss and Estevez makes the movie what it is, in other words brilliant. Look out for the conversation about Ren and Stimpy, the bit when Dreyfuss deliberately falls over and says to someone "Frank don't go, you can stay and help me eat", it is so funny. If you haven't seen this film it's you who's lost out. 10/10.

Six years after the first "Stakeout" (1987), cameras catch detectives Richard Dreyfuss (as Chris Lecce) and Emilio Estevez (as Bill Reimers) on another mission. It's nowhere near as good as the first. The format is similar. We begin with an action-packed opening. In Las Vegas, mobsters want to kill Cathy Moriarty (as Luella "Lu" Delano) because she's going to testify against them. This leads to the explosion of what appears to be a small town. Police search the rubble, but can't find Ms. Moriarty...

They think the missing woman is going to contact a couple - Dennis Farina and Marcia Strassman (as Brian and Pam O'Hara) - so Mr. Dreyfuss and Mr. Estevez are recruited to pose as neighbors...

Madeline Stowe (as Maria), from the first film, appears only sporadically and her chemistry with Dreyfuss is gone. The crime and criminals being investigated are confusing. To make the ruse more realistic, assistant district attorney Rosie O'Donnell (as Gina Garrett) is added to the mix. Accompanied by her rottweiler "Archie", Ms. O'Donnell pretends to be Dreyfuss' second wife and Estevez' step-mother. It's a funny situation, providing this sequel with a little freshness. Otherwise, the story is stale.

***** Another Stakeout (7/23/93) John Badham ~ Richard Dreyfuss, Emilio Estevez, Rosie O'Donnell, Dennis Farina

Richard Dreyfuss and Emilio Estevez are back on stakeout duty, six years after the original 80's classic "Stakeout" This time though the magic is missing for what I believe is two core reasons.

The first is, this movie does not focus on the natural chemistry between Dreyfuss and Estevez that made the first movie so enjoyable. instead they are teamed up with Rosie O'Donnell. The introduction of Joe Pesci in "Lethal Weapon 2" was great because he thereby became the Third Stooge, and the trio worked well. Unfortunately Estevez is pretty much relegated to supporting character and it becomes the Dreyfuss & O'Donnell show. I'm not saying it is O'Donnell's fault she is OK, and does the best with what she has.

I mention "Lethal Weapon" because the first movie in that franchise was released the same year as "Stakeout" and it's sequel followed two years later. If this movie was made two years after the original, we would have gotten a movie more in tone with the gritty at times, yet funny original. As it is we get a watered down PG version. And that I believe is the second problem.

The first movie had violence, language, nudity, and humour. This has O'Donnell and her naughty dog chasing cats. I'm not saying a movie has to be rated R to be funny. But if you've got a sequel to a classic buddy cop movie coming six years later, you need to get it right. Sadly they don't. If they went down the "Lethal Weapon" route (They dumbed down the third one, but not to this extent) I believe Stakeout could have been a Franchise, unfortunately we, got a great 80's movie, and a disappointing sequel.

If it's on TV on an lazy afternoon, it's worth a watch, but that's about it.

Having just seen "Another Stakeout" for the first time since 1995, I decided to check out the online info about the locations that were used in the movie and, so far, haven't seen any credit given for the island off the BC coast where most of the filming was done. It was filmed on beautiful Bowen Island, a 15 minute ferry trip from Horseshoe Bay, just to the northwest of Vancouver. The initial scenes involving driving off the ferry were done in Snug Cove (they substituted the name 'Bainbridge Island'), and most of the exterior and interior shots were on the south side of the island in an area called Fairweather where, as you saw or will see in the film, the homes are gorgeous and perfectly suited for the plot (however meager you thought it to be). I've seen a number of comments about the filming having been done on an island in Puget Sound. A lot was shot in Seattle, but the majority was on Bowen Island - I should know - I was living there at the time. Just thought I'd set the record straight. (You can see the homes used for filming clearly on Google Earth, if you're interested.)

I've gotta give "Another Stakeout" credit: it started out pretty well. The chemistry between Dreyfuss and Estevez was back, the sense of humor worked alright; but eventually the movie trades in Madeline Stowe for Rosie O'Donnell - which actually isn't the kiss of death you think it'd be (she worked well with the two leads, and a lot of the comedy derived from pushing each other's buttons), but it's a neon warning sign that the movie's about to pull into Dullsville. Like, as soon as they set up camp in the the lakehouse and the actual stakeout is under way, the laughs dry up. I will say that that house is some gorgeous piece of real estate, and one of my favorite movie locations.

Big picture, this movie is a rather unnecessary sequel, but does it have to be stagnant?

5/10