Between the idea and the screen much can go amiss -- and in this case, it has.
The Mod Squad (1999)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:50
Fresh:2
Rotten:48
Average Rating:3/10
Consensus: A sodden, overly stylized mess that’s even less compelling than a TV episode.
Runtime: 2 hrs
Genre: Action/Adventure
US Box Office: $0
Synopsis: A trio of juvenile delinquents are recruited by a cop to help infiltrate an underground drugs ring. When, he is unexpectedly killed, the group go all out to solve his murder and bust the drug... A trio of juvenile delinquents are recruited by a cop to help infiltrate an underground drugs ring. When, he is unexpectedly killed, the group go all out to solve his murder and bust the drug cartel. Their efforts are made harder when they suffer ridicule from fellow officers who are out to blacken their names and that of the the deceased cop. [More]
Starring: Giovanni Ribisi, Claire Danes, Omar Epps, Dennis Farina
Starring: Giovanni Ribisi, Claire Danes, Omar Epps, Dennis Farina, Josh Brolin, Steve Harris, Richard Jenkins, Larry Brandenburg, Sam McMurray
Director: Scott Silver
Director: Scott Silver
Producer: Tony Ludwig, Ben Myron, Alan Riche
Composer: B.C. Smith
Reviews for The Mod Squad
A great-looking picture that zips along with grace, light on its feet but possessed of just enough gravity to allow us to take its people rather than its old TV series premise seriously.
Plays like a 90-minute version of the old television show. That's not necessarily bad.
You want everyone to be cool or at least cheesy-cool, but really, they end up looking waify and overwhelmed, not so much rebellious as fatigued.
Otherwise dependable young actors like Danes, Ribisi and Epps seem lost in one-dimensional and unconvincing characters.
The Mod Squad is: 1. Sexy. 2. Cool. 3. Mod. 4. None of the above. 5. And then some!
Some may call this escapist fare -- I call it escape-as-quickly-as-you-can fare.
The only thing worth watching in this film is Linc’s 1973 Lincoln Continental, a car today that would be hard pressed to fit into any garage in The Woodlands. It’s a reminder of why we had an energy crisis back in the 70’s.
I suspect this trio of actors -- more an Odd Squad than a Mod Squad -- will someday look back on this film as a forgettable footnote in hopefully more substantial careers.
This is the kind of movie that isn't even worth renting when it comes out on video because, with the possible exception of Michael Lerner and Omar Epps dancing to show tunes, you've seen it all before.
The film tries to be funny. It fails. It tries to be cool. It fails at that, too. It tries to be enjoyable. Strike three, you're out.
This is a movie awash in dazzling trimmings but devoid of ideas. ...It's as if the production team dressed up the stage, lined up all the right people and then lost interest in the project once the cameras started to roll.
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