Rantastic: The Three Stooges Trailer

by Kyle Huffman

It would appear that 20th Century Fox is pursuing a bizarre crusade to have every cinephile or citizen with access to the Internet hate them with extreme prejudice. They’ve taken numerous beloved franchises and sank them into the abyss known as cinematic bullshit. Evidence is as follows: Alvin and the Chipmunks, Alien, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Predator, Home Alone, and so on. They nearly wrecked the X-Men series with the abysmal X-Men 3: Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine but swiftly redeemed themselves with X-Men: First Class. Regardless, the record clearly shows a blatant disregard for verisimilitude when it comes to adapting these franchises accordingly.

The Three Stooges is looking to prove the rule next year, with the once respected Farrelly Brothers sinking to new lows, showcased in the above trailer. One of my favorite comedies was directed by them, Dumb and Dumber. Sure it had its dumb, if not insultingly dumb, moments; but it had an ultimate heart to it that slightly raised it above a typical buddy road movie filled with toilet humor. They also wrote one of my favorite episodes of my favorite show, Seinfeld, in The Virgin. Looking at their overall track record, it would seem ideal for them to recreate the Three Stooges, undoubtedly the most beloved comedy team in history, for a modern audience.

Originally, the film was set to cast Sean Penn as Larry, Jim Carrey as Curley, and Benicio Del Toro as Moe. Each had reasons for dropping out of the project. Carrey even went as far as gaining 40 pounds but was worried that an additional gain of another 20-30 pounds could lead to health problems. Anyways, these three high profile names leaving caused quite a bit of concern on the outside looking in. Was it really because of the concept or direction that the characters would be taking?

It now certainly appears to the actors’ leaving had to do with the quality of the product, but that may never be fully known or confirmed. The Three Stooges trailer is full of what a fan may expect: slapstick, funny quips from Moe, stupid questions from Curley, and a general apathy from Larry. But when the cast of The Jersey Shore enters the mix, things become destined for failure. All the elements are beginning to surface for the train-wreck that is more than likely to happen. When half naked nuns, pointless celebrity cameos, modern references that the Stooges are yet to be acclimated to, and a crotch joke show up, there is no cause for optimism. One of the most heartbreaking moments to me is seeing Larry David, a modern comedic genius responsible for two of the best comedic shows in recent years with Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm, associate himself with the film as a nun who finds the baby versions of the Stooges on a doorstep. Maybe he thought the funny part would be to see how unfunny the film could ultimately be. But the realist in me senses that he may have found the whole thing as funny as the audience that this is aimed towards. Hopefully not, but one must also recognize the sadness that accompanies these realizations.

Maybe it’s time to admit that I’ve never been a big Stooge fan myself. The slapstick is great and situations are gut busting. But I’ve always favored the Marx Brothers as the most dynamic team of screen comedy. They had the slapstick of Harpo, the cunning con artist in Chico, and the witty, informal leader in Groucho. Combined, they offered a wide ranging assortment of comedy that the Three Stooges never quite offered me. Having said that, this new remake is downright disrespectful and tragic in the hands of 20th Century Fox and the Brothers Farrelly, offering very little to be positive about. We’ll have to wait and see if the movie’s as bad as the trailer we saw. But more than likely, its serves simply as a glimpse into the horrors set to plague our theaters next April.