You will laugh in spite of yourself, then you’ll start to get
depressed, then you’ll laugh a couple more times, and ultimately
you’ll wonder why this movie was ever made. This is not a biopic; it
is simply a transfer from the “classic”, roughly 30’s-through-50’s
shorts to a recast, contemporary feature-length version that wants
nothing more than to evoke everything fans of the Stooges like about
the originals. But what’s the point, when those originals are almost
by definition the ones you go to when you want to see Moe, Larry, and
Curly. That said, Will Sasso’s whoop-whoops and barks and growls (and
physical resemblance) are standout. But Sean Hayes is a bit too
serious as Larry: he takes the character down a notch, even as he
nails the New York accent. And as Moe, Chris Diamantopoulos never
seems angry enough, or maybe even old enough. (Actually, he looks like
Fox-11 reporter Phil Shuman in a Moe Howard wig.) As for the
supporting cast, I wish I could report that Larry David as a cranky
nun was as sublime as that sounds, but the performance is a dud. Jane
Lynch is actively bad, and Sofia Vergara mails it in. Two of the
better moments come after the movie ends: the director Farrellys’
don’t-try-this-at-home violence disclaimer and a music video of the
R&B song “It’s a Shame”, sung by the Stooges. — Jeff Schultz