Make no mistake about it—Stuber is a hilarious movie. The pairing of Dave Bautista as Vic and Kumail Nanjiani as Stu was a stroke of good fortune in casting. Vic is a no-nonsense detective and father who has a difficult time showing his feelings for his daughter. He definitely loves her, but his other obligations, especially his job, seem to always get in the way of him spending quality time with her. Stu is an Uber driver, a sensitive man who has been having a relationship with a woman who is dating another man, and he is trying to figure out how to tell her that he loves her. When he is thrust into being Vic’s ride to help him track down a criminal, their two very different personalities make for a fun movie to watch. In fact, Stu gets the nickname “Stuber” due to the fact he is a Uber driver.
Early in the movie, Vic has laser surgery on his eyes. When he gets a call to chase down a criminal, his eyes are not yet healed. His adjustment in dealing with the world with his sorely lacking vision has to be seen (no pun intended) to be appreciated. The people I screened the film with were in stitches as Vic drives on the sidewalk, crashes into some small trees, nearly hits a few people, takes out cars and finally crashes into a construction ditch. He often mistakes objects for something other than what they actually are. And when Vic captures a criminal and insists on him riding in the Uber car, he tells Stu it is a “Uber pool,” (as in a pool of passengers in the vehicle). “This is not a Uber pool!” insists Stuber. It is Vic’s intention to defeat a drug ring, but he sure wreaks havoc in doing so, including the near-destruction of a store where he stops for supplies. One nice element is seeing Stu slowly earn Vic’s respect and the closeness the two actually develop as the film progresses.
Vic constantly bullies Stu. But when Stu has had enough, he begins to stand up to Vic, and Vic seems impressed. Vic gives Stu a bad Uber rating but Stu finds a way to even up the score. There is non-stop action in the movie with a lot of funny lines and physical action. Still, it seems strange at times—a comedy that is genuinely funny but then there’s a scene of a man shot in the head with blood spraying all over, other people shot and killed, graphically and violently, and you stop and realize that although the lines are funny, death is not, and it seems like an odd pairing.
Despite the laughs, the content in this movie is significantly strong. It is R-rated and a family film it is definitely not. There are several scenes of graphic, bloody violence, frank sexual comments, innuendos, very strong language throughout and some bad guys with drugs. This one doesn’t come close to earning the Dove Seal.
The Dove Take:
It is what it is—a funny movie that is R-rated and holds little back in language, violence, and sex.
