Super Troopers

Plot

The film takes place in the fictional town of Spurbury, Vermont, near the Canada–US border. The plot centers on five Vermont state troopers who seem to have more of a knack for pranks than police work. Most of their time is spent devising new ways of messing with the heads of the people they pull over and hazing "Rabbit," a new recruit. They also find time to torment their easily infuriated radio dispatcher, Rodney Farva, who has been exiled from patrol work because he was involved in a fight with several students during a questionable traffic stop of a school bus, which is later revealed during the credits. Their days of pranking and slacking off are cut short when the troopers suddenly find themselves attempting to solve a murder, bust a drug-smuggling ring, and avoid having their post eliminated by the state's impending budget cut — resulting in their transfer, or quitting and opening up a roller disco.

The troopers have an ongoing rivalry with the Spurbury Police Department, Spurbury's local police. They repeatedly enter conflicts with them ("highway cops versus the local cops"); one such dispute breaks out into an all-out fistfight, further increasing the station's chances of being shut down. The rivalry eventually results in the governor's (Lynda Carter) praise for the efforts of the Spurbury PD, who had managed to keep one step ahead of the state police by making their department appear responsible for the confiscation of the smuggled drugs. Defeated, the defrocked troopers unexpectedly stumble upon the scheme in which the local police are running protection for the aforementioned drug smugglers. The film's epilogue finds the highway post still eliminated due to the budget cuts; however, the troopers become the new officers of the Spurbury PD replacing their incarcerated corrupt predecessors and thus free to continue their shenanigans in and around their jurisdiction.

Cast

Production

Broken Lizard member Steve Lemme stated that the idea for the film came from road tripping to various weddings in his friend and fellow BL member Jay Chandraskhar's car and frequently getting pulled over by cops. As they were frequently under the influence of drugs, the gang began to wonder what would happen if the cops were A) aware of the situation and B) "had a sense of humor". Theorizing that if they did that they "could have fucked with us so much."

The syrup chugging scene was filmed in M's Cozy Corner located in Fishkill, NY which has since closed and been replaced by a pharmacy. The pharmacy closed in 2007 due to flooding.

Critical reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 35% "Rotten" rating based on 88 reviews, with an average rating of 5/10, with the critical consensus reading, "A more miss-than-hit affair, Super Troopers will most likely appeal to those looking for something silly". On Metacritic, the film has a score of 48 out of 100, based on 24 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Film critic Roger Ebert awarded the film 2½ stars out of 4, saying "I can't quite recommend it — it's too patched together — but I almost can; it's the kind of movie that makes you want to like it".

Overall, the film grossed $18,492,362 in the United States and $23,182,223 worldwide. The film would eventually become a cult movie with Esquire describing it as "shaggy-dog classic for Generation Y,"

Soundtrack

1. Trooper With an Attitude - 38 Special
2. Geez Louise - The Unband
3. Shoot First, Run Like Hell - Nashville Pussy
4. Pass the Hatchet - Southern Culture on the Skids
5. Big Bear - Steak
6. Cheap Motels - Southern Culture on the Skids
7. Cannot One Night Stand It (Anymore) - Jack Grace Band
8. Bad Apples - Royal Fingerbowl
9. Bidibodi Bidibu - The Bubbles
10. Wrong Side of a Gun - Nashville Pussy
11. Corn Rocket, The - Southern Culture on the Skids
12. King of the Mountain - Southern Culture on the Skids
13. Worm Farm - Jack Grace Band
14. Second to the Bottle - Steak
15. Pink Slip - The Unband
16. Who's the King (You Know That's Me) - Joseph Henry

Awards

In 2001 Super Troopers won the Audience Award at the South By South West Film Competition. The movie tied with Lady Porn (2001) and Wave Twisters (2001).

Sequel

A sequel was funded partly through crowdfunding site Indiegogo and is currently in development.