The Three Stooges (2012)

Sadly Over-hyped

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

I grew up a fan of the Stooges. I will acknowledge that they can only be imitated and never duplicate, especially Curly. While I didn't want to enjoy this film, I found myself laughing in the beginning at the first gag when an infant's stooge fingers came out of a sack and "doinked" the nun in the eyes. The young stooges were also a treat as they were able to imitate the famous gags and lines. One had to have some familiarity with the Stooges to catch the humor such as when they tried to revive a nun by gently slapping her (Larry David) on the face and saying "Say a few parables" instead of their normal "Say a few syllables" line. Yes, I thought that was funny. I also enjoyed the the way they used their titles and sign names as puns the way the original Stooges did in their famous lawyers "Dewey Cheatam, and Howe" now used in "Car Talk" gag credits.There were scenes that worked and some that didn't work. Sean Hayes as Larry was the weakest of the three, perhaps because his head was too thin. There were some lines that they missed. Instead of "Where are your manners?" they should have used "Where's your Emily Post." When Curly spins around on the floor, that needs to be sped up slightly. It doesn't work in real time. The big to-do about Kate Upton in a hot nun's swim suit last about 3 seconds near the end of the film. If you are not a serious Stooge fan, you should wait for the rental.No f-bombs, sex, or nudity.

Are the Farrellys done? Apparently this is the big project they've been wanting to make ever since they first started, but two decades worth of thought couldn't make it any good. It has to be said though, this movie has some pretty decent gags. When you compare it to their other recent works, like "The Heartbreak Kid", you laugh a lot more. But somehow someway, "The Three Stooges" is still very hard to sit through. I know you can't make a Three Stooges reboot (or whatever the hell they call remakes nowadays) without slapstick, but by the fifth time you see them poke each other in the eye you've seen it. Particularly Will Sasso's Curly gets incredibly tiresome within the first twenty minutes. That's probably why the real guys always stuck to brief sketches, because it's all so repetitive. The old slapstick also doesn't gel at all with all the new stuff involved, particularly with the rather hackneyed idea of bringing in "Jersey Shore". There are actually some laughs in this movie, but it just goes absolutely nowhere so you tend to tune out.

I was entertained. I don't critic a movie from a snobby self righteous point of view. I laughed a lot and thought the actors did a great job. Sofia V. was great too. She is a talent. I thought the gents playing the stooges were great too. EspeciallyLarry as the voice was dead on. They all were goo. including the nuns and priests and villains. I would love to see a sequel. Again I am easily entertained and like most movies unless they are political opinions and propaganda films trying to push an agenda which now a good 10% of movies are today. I have seen this several times and it still makes me laugh. I have the connection as a kid to the stooges.

Believe it or not, this modern adaptation of the Three Stooges does have some absolutely hilarious moments despite a thin plot and an overlong time. An hour and a half is not long, but for this kind of movie it is. I can take the wackiness of the Three Stooges in small bouts, but not for a feature-length film. That being said, the actors really pulled this one off and they are nearly similar to their real-life counterparts.The Farrelly Brother's adaptation of the classic show tells us the tale of Moe, Larry, and Curly from their younger days in the orphanage to the present day where they have to save their old orphanage from foreclosure.The acting is pretty good. The guys playing the Stooges look and really acted like them so that was a pleasure to see. Larry David is really funny as one of the nuns. However about the cast of Jersey Shore.....uh no thanks! Overall, this is a decent adaptation, perhaps the best one you could ask for. The antics do grow old after awhile, but for what it's worth, they are quite funny. I do like the stomach-punching and the eye-gouging the best. There are some moments here that cracked me up big time and that actually surprised me. I thought this would be a total flop, but thankfully it's not. I rate this film 7/10.