The world surely didn’t need a Three Stooges reboot.
Tell that to Will Sasso, Sean Hayes and Chris Diamantopoulos, the trio charged with bringing Moe, Larry and Curly back this year in “The Three Stooges.”
The film didn’t inspire a second round of Stoogemania, but the ferocity of the homage remains impressive. The long-delayed project may be an odd fit in our modern world, but anyone with even a twinge of affection for the trio’s blunt trauma gags will grin more than a little at these re-imagined bits.
The movie opens with a younger version of the famed trio causing havoc at an orphanage. Flash forward 25 years, and Moe (Diamantopoulos), Larry (Hayes of “Will & Grace” fame) and Curly (“MADtv’s” Sasso) are still beating each other senseless and tormenting the sisters at the orphanage (including Larry David as Sister Mary Mengele). But when the sisters run out of money to keep the center operational, the boys decide to do all they can to save the only home they know.
The Farrelly brothers, the duo who waited … and waited … to stage a Stooges reunion, attempt a fish out of water concept in bringing these old school figures into the modern world. Larry tugs up the pants of a hip hop fan, Moe recoils when an old friend promises to “poke him” on Facebook and the gang runs into those tanned “Jersey Shore” dwellers.
The latter isn’t a calamitous as one might fear, and who wouldn’t want to see The Situation get a Moe eye gouge?
It’s impossible to pick a standout member of the new Stooge review. Sasso’s Curly is uncanny, and Hayes summons the peculiar vocal inflections of Larry in a manner only animation expert Billy West could equal. And Diamantopoulos, the least known member of the cast, makes Moe a force of nature who’s also worthy of some begrudging respect.
The jokes remain corny throughout, but only during the frantic final reel does the film really make its mark. After all, the homage on display would be fine for a “Saturday Night Live” sketch, but movie watchers need something more.
When the boys invade high society, the insanity reaches 11, and the project finally announces its reason to exist. But that’s the problem. Did we really need Snooki and co. as the access point to a new generation of Stooge fans? “The Three Stooges” has its heart in the right place, and it’s impossible to quibble with the level of mimicry on display. What’s missing is that creative spark, similar to the one the original Stooges ignited decades ago.
The Blu-ray extras include a casting segment, deleted/extended scenes and “What’s the Big Idea: A History of the Three Stooges.”
“They were always considered second rate to Abbott and Costello … but they were always number one to us,” Peter Farrelly says. The featurette offers a nice recap of the real Stooges’ early days, from their vaudeville stint to the tragedies that befell Jerome “Curly” Howard and, later, Shemp Howard. We’re also privy to archival footage and stills, all the better to educate modern audiences on the trio’s rich past.
“Did You Hear That” breaks down how the wacky sound effects play such a critical role in the Stooges’ formula. “The sound effects the Stooges had made everything OK,” Peter Farrelly explains.
“Every hit had to have a specific sound effect,” co writer Mike Cerrone adds. The filmmakers ended up cleaning up the original “Stooges” slaps, crashes and bangs for the new film.
Some things shouldn’t be changed.
Follow Christian Toto on Twitter @TotoMovies