Movie review - "Starsky and Hutch" (2004) ** 1/2

One of the secrets to the recent popularity of Ben Stiller-Owen Wilson-Vince Vaughan vehicles is that they seem like your friends, friends who are all in a movie together. So even when the movie isn't very good, it's still fun to see your friends running around. Maybe I would have enjoyed the film more if I'd been familiar with the TV show, but the plot is a bit too much like an average 70s cop show - Starsky and Hutch take down a drug dealer and... that's it. There are some good sequences, like the dance off (what is it with dance off's today? There was one in American Wedding), inspired chemistry from the stars, good turns from Vaughan, Juliette Lewis (as his moll) and Snoop Dog. Amy Smart pops up and does another one of those nice, believably-falls-for-obnoxious-guy parts.