THE MOD SQUAD (MGM) Starring: Claire Danes, Giovanni Ribisi, Omar Epps, Dennis Farina, Josh Brolin, Richard Jenkins, Michael Lerner. Screenplay: Buddy Ruskin, Stephen Kay, Kate Lanier and Scott Silver. Producers: Ben Myron, Alan Riche and Tony Ludwig. Director: Scott Silver. MPAA Rating: R (profanity, violence, nudity, sexual situations, drug use) Running Time: 94 minutes. Reviewed by Scott Renshaw.
An opening title in THE MOD SQUAD conscientiously defines "mod" for the viewing audience, then goes the extra mile of defining "squad" as well. It's your first clue that the target audience is that ultra-desirable -- and, apparently, lexically-challenged -- youth demographic, rather than primarily baby boomers familiar with the 1968-1972 television series. Not surprisingly, THE MOD SQUAD is a loud and generally stupid action film with a dose of teen-angst melodrama. Impressively, it even compounds the misery with a ridiculously convoluted plot.
The basic set-up, like that of the series, involves three troubled young people (back in the day, they'd be called "juvenile delinquents") recruited by L.A.P.D. Capt. Adam Greer (Dennis Farina) to be a unique undercover trio. Faced with the alternatives of prison or police work, Julie Barnes (Claire Danes), Pete Cochran (Giovanni Ribisi) and Linc Hayes (Omar Epps) are assigned to "get into places nobody else can." One of the places they still seem adapt at getting into is trouble, trouble which gets particularly nasty when Greer turns up dead and implicated in drug trafficking. For no really good reason other than a continuation of the film, the "Mod Squad" begins its own investigation, uncovering a conspiracy which would baffle "X-Files" creator Chris Carter.
You might think that a dense, multi-layered plot would indicate faith in audience intelligence, but you'd be very mistaken indeed. THE MOD SQUAD uses its innumerable narrative threads like shiny objects to distract an infant, never really caring whether they make for a more interesting or engaging story. Julie spends most of the film getting re-involved with an old flame (Josh Brolin), while Pete and Linc track down leads in a plot line that runs mostly parallel. Meanwhile, Pete has a sensitive moment with his estranged parents, a goofy drug dealer (Michael Lerner) dances with Linc to "My Favorite Things," Pete and Julie almost kinda sorta get together, and Linc's car is the object of ever-wackier damage at Pete's hand. It doesn't even matter that many of the sub-plots drift together by the film's conclusion; its Short Attention Span Theater mentality makes it not at all worth the effort to keep up.
It's also a dim-witted and trite action film that has the nerve to wink ironically at its place in the pantheon of dim-witted and trite action films. Pete (given an off-kilter sensibility by Ribisi, one of the few reasons to keep watching) comments incredulously late in the film about "dirty cops, drug deals...I can't believe this actually happens. I feel like I should be saying 'I'm getting too old for this sh*t.'" Cute gag, only THE MOD SQUAD hasn't earned that level of self-deprecation. It's the kind of film where a guy spills his guts to someone who has chased him down yelling "I'm a cop!" despite the absence of any badge or weapon. It's the kind of film where the villains spell out their plans in more detail than James Bond baddies. And it's the kind of film that truly defines gratuitious sex, violence and profanity. A bad movie can't be a commentary on the state of bad movie-making.
The strange thing is that much of that formulaic foolishness could have worked if THE MOD SQUAD had been played straighter as an homage to formulaic early-70s cop dramas. The only time the film is at all diverting is when B. C. Smith's funky retro-score plays under a dimly lit chase scene, giving it that faux-gritty vibe. Director Scott Silver simply can't maintain that energy, not when he's wasting time on choppy music video editing of his characters' tender personal moments. THE MOD SQUAD is busy and headache-inducing, and rarely even manages to channel that into viscerally effective action. It's just another lousy piece of brand name recycling, so clearly pitched at a dumbed-down audience it's surprising that, when taking the time to define the film's title, they risked spotting us the "the."
On the Renshaw scale of 0 to 10 diddly Squads: 2.
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