Chips got a reboot – you might’ve heard.
But digging into the Dax Shepard/Michael Pena team-up, I was pleasantly surprised given that it was a box office bomb.
Jon Baker (Shepard) and Ponch (Cena) are assigned together when Baker is on probation and Ponch is sent undercover to figure out what’s corrupt about the police officer’s motorcycle division. Vincent D’Onofrio plays the big baddie, Ray Kurtz, the ringleader of corrupt cops. Written and directed by Shepard, audiences can expect that this won’t play straightforwardly – think the reboot of 21 Jump Street.
With its fair share of profanity and goofy sexuality, Chips fits right into the genre that those films have spawned, with a heart that finds Baker trying to rediscover his manhood (Shepard has been neutered by real-life wife Kristen Bell). So there’s plenty to laugh at, but there also solid moments, too – the banter between the two leads about manhood and feelings, the bit roles from D’onofrio, Adam Brody, Maya Rudolph, David Koechner, … and Erik Estrada.
I wouldn’t count on rewatching this one, but it was good for a few laughs – even if it didn’t look anything like ChiPs!
Bonus features on the Blu-ray include Shepard sharing his desire to remake the old television show, and ten deleted scenes thanks to Warner Bros.!
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