What do you get when you team up the notorious tandem of Owen Wilson (The Royal Tenenbaums) and Ben Stiller (Zoolander), add in Vince Vaughn (Swingers) and Will Ferrell (Old School), and toss in a sprinkle of Snoop Dogg? Clearly, you get Todd Phillips' 2004 version of Starsky and Hutch, an adaptation of the popular 70s TV series which follows the lives of two undercover cops slickly living the single life.The movie focuses on how the dynamic duo met and their pursuit of a cocaine peddling punk named Reese Feldman, played by Vaughn. The content consists of the duo's adventures as Starsky (Stiller) and Hutch (Wilson) enjoy many notable successes and flops along the way. A wild night with two cheerleaders played by Carmen Electra (My Boss' Daughter) and Elizabeth Smart (The Butterfly Effect) is all in a day's work as Starsky and Hutch sniff out clues to bring down the bad guys.

Following Feldman's trail, the two stop at nothing to prevent an illegal cocaine deal of massive proportions. Snoop Dogg weasels his way into the flick as "Huggy Bear," a street informant for the detectives and a downright cool guy. Ferrell's role as a slightly homosexual quirky convict named "Big Earl" rounds out the cast of characters that make this movie worth seeing.

The plot of the movie isn't particularly deep or well thought out, yet it manages to serve its purpose. Through personal turmoil, assassination attempts, undercover missions and taunting from fellow officers, Starsky and Hutch persevere. The determined detectives go incognito as everything from bikers at a sketchy bar, to mimes at a bat mitzvah, to a cowboy and an Italian mobster at a banquet, all in the name of the law. They experience knife-throwing juveniles, bad-ass bikers and Asian snipers. Cracking the case is their only objective, or at least their main objective, as Hutch saves enough time for a wild threesome on the side.
The focus of the movie is kept on the actors and the characters they bring to life. Appreciating the personalities of the characters and allowing the viewer to associate with them is clearly the focal point of the comedy. A diverse and confusing plotline would just clutter the main concept.

The 70s throwback theme displays hairstyles, clothes and music reminiscent of the era. Roaring cars with impressive stunt driving also play a large role in the entertainment value of the movie. Starsky's obsession with his automobile takes center stage during multiple scenes in the movie and it is certainly not uncommon to see his car flying through the air in pursuit of criminals. Huggy Bear's smooth ride is the topic of one of the funnier lines in the movie as he explains how he got the car, which isn't on the market yet. "It's not out 'til next year, but I know some people, who know some people, who robbed some people," he says. Toward the end of the flick, cameos by the original Starsky (Paul Michael Glaser) and Hutch (David Soul) add a sense of history to the recycled series.

In two other noticeable scenes, Starsky engages in a disco dance-off that would leave anyone in stitches, and the duo manages to screw up an undercover stint as two mimes at a bat mitzvah. Most of the comedy is based on the characters' interaction, specifically Wilson and Stiller, who are, once again, comedic geniuses.

Although the movie is silly at times, it is by no means aimed at obtaining cheap laughs. This action-comedy is a feel-good story that will make one wish he lived back in the 70s. The actors, clothes, and cars in the movie are almost too cool and may cause the viewer to leave the theater feeling overconfident in his own abilities to be a crime fighting, smooth-talking undercover detective. Similar to Austin Powers, the duo seems to have an unmatched charm that sometimes seems misplaced as they fall into one folly after another. Starsky and Hutch is a simple yet effective action-packed comedy that will keep one entertained the whole way through.