"The Three Stooges (2012)" Review

Fresh from a tour in Development Hell it's The Three Stooges remake!

    I like The Three Stooges. I haven't seen a lot of their films, but what I have seen is really funny. Now, that doesn't mean I was looking forward to the remake. In fact, you could even say the opposite. The trailers made it look incredibly silly and exclusively for the little ones. And I just tend not to trust any movie where the cross-promote in wrestling. But, hey, my Dad is a big fan of the originals, so why not give it a look? And you know, what. Not bad. Not really good, but not bad.
    The film follows (Of course) Larry (Sean Hayes), Moe (Chris Diamantopoulos) and Curly (Will Sasso) are orphans still living in their orphanage under the watch of Mother Superior (Jane Lynch) and Sisters Rosemary (Jennifer Hudson), Sister Bernice (Kate Upton) and Sister Mary-Mengele (Larry David). When they find out that the orphanage is being shutdown, they set off to earn the over 800 thousand dollars needed to keep it open. In the misadventures, they accidentally help Lydia (Sofia Vergara), the murderous wife of the Stooges former friend Teddy (Kirby Heyborne), join the cast of Jersey Shore and crash an expensive party.

This is The Three Stooges movie, right?

    Now, yes, the movie isn't that fantastic. Storywise, the film packs in very few surprises. There is about one twist too many in the film. There is a twist about why the orphanage is being shutdown that is done pretty well and does add a little depth to the film, but it's undone by a out-of-left-field twist involving Teddy and Lydia. And the film does often devolve into the poop and pee jokes that only young boys will find funny (Which, granted, is the main group this movie was meant for).
    But, for a film which features a lengthy scene where urinating babies are used a squirt guns, the movie can be surprisingly clever. Several sight gags stand out and the where I few moment I found myself laughing harder than in some other comedy films from this year. (That right The Dictator, I'm talking to you). Hayes, Sasso and Diamantopoulos are absolutely fantastic as the Stooges, nailing their performances and coming across more as actual characters and not just impressions of the originals. And plus, who doesn't think getting poked in the eyes is at least a little funny? Especially when the person getting poked is Snooki.

Larry, seconds after wondering what
his tongue tasted like.

    So, yes, I did like the movie. The acting was great, the story had a good twist and the movie was surprisingly funny and fairly consistent all through out the movie. I can't say the weren't times where the movie became unfunny and I can't say that I will want to see the film again. But, as bad as it could have been, the 2012 Three Stooges is a solid film that is good for a family night. The Three Stooges (2012) gets 4 stars out of 6.