The Three Stooges, 2012.
Directed by Peter Farrelly and Bobby Farrelly.
Starring Chris Diamantopoulos, Sean Hayes, Will Sasso, Jane Lynch, Larry David, Sofía Vergara, Brian Doyle-Murray, Jennifer Hudson and Kate Upton.
SYNOPSIS:
Moe, Larry and Curly get caught up in a series of misadventures as they attempt to save their childhood orphanage.
The Farrelly Brothers had been trying for years to get a Three Stooges movie off the ground. In 2009 they were able to cast Benicio Del Toro, Sean Penn and Jim Carrey but all three eventually dropped out of the project. It seemed The Three Stooges was all but doomed until they cast the likes of Sean Hayes, Will Sasso and Chris Diamantopoulos as Larry, Curly and Moe. How well does the movie hold up after years of casting problems? Well, it could have been better.
Left on the doorstep of a orphanage run by nuns, Moe (Chris Diamantopoulos), Larry (Sean Hayes) and Curly (Will Sasso) grow up eye-poking, face-slapping and head-clunking their way into adulthood. After living in the orphanage for more than 25 years, the boys learn that it will be closed down unless they can come up with $830,000 in 30 days. The Stooges set out into the real world, having never left the orphanage in their lives, hoping they can come up with the money.
Now I have never watched the original Three Stooges before. I’ve seen clips and snippets from the show so I am familiar with who they are and what they’re all about. Having seen those clips and snippets I have to say that they did a great job with the casting in this movie. Chris Diamantopoulos, Sean Hayes and Will Sasso do a great job playing Moe, Larry and Curly and I don’t think they could have got anyone better to play them. The movie could have easily been ruined depending on who was cast as the Stooges but they made a smart move getting these three.
The Three Stooges is divided up into three episodes; it’s an interesting idea to do the movie that way but it makes it feel more like three mini-movies than an actual feature. Some of the subplots I was not a fan of at all. Sofia Vergara plays a woman named Lydia who says she will give the Stooges the money they need if they kill her husband. All the scenes involving that I just didn’t find funny at all and felt like they should have gone with different subplot instead of that one. Another plot I didn’t enjoy is when, at one point, Moe goes on his own separating from Larry and Curly and he accidentally gets cast on Jersey Shore. While Moe being on there is somewhat amusing, it all just feels like they put it in the movie to attract some of the MTV crowd.
There is a supporting cast that are all very game but aren’t given a whole lot to do. Jane Lynch (Glee), Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls) and Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiam) all play nuns at the orphanage where the Stooges grow up. Jennifer Hudson is strictly there just so she can sing at one point, Jane Lynch feels like she’s there just because she’s a very familiar face right now, but Larry David does seem like he’s at least trying. Sofia Vergara’s comedic talents don’t carry over from Modern Family to the big screen very well here. Some cameos from the likes of the Jersey Shore cast, NBA player Dwight Howard and Old Spice enthusiast Isiah Mustafa don’t really add much to the movie either.
While the movie can be humorous at times, it’s strictly for fans of The Three Stooges brand of humor – something that is very hit or miss for me. The Farrelly Brothers made a pretty decent Three Stooges movie, but they didn’t make a good movie overall.
Flickering Myth Rating: Film ★ / Movie ★ ★
Jake Peffer
Originally published August 17, 2012. Updated April 11, 2018.
