My Movie Review on The Three Stooges (2012)
Greetings and salutations, my friends.
This is your top-of-the-line film, TV show, and episode reporter here with another review.
Today, for my fourth movie review, I'm gonna give you guys my take on the 2012 adaption of "The Three Stooges".
Here's the rundown of it:
Left on the doorstep of an orphanage run by nuns, three newborn knuckleheads grow up to be finger-poking, nyuk-nyuking janitors named Larry, Curly, and Moe\. When they learn that financial problems will soon force the only home they've ever known to close, the trio sets out to raise $830,000 in one month. Out in the world for the very first time, the three innocent bumblers additionally become embroiled in a murder plot and find stardom on a TV reality show.
Ladies and gentlemen! I know what you’re thinking.
I'm well aware that many of you had certain experiences where every time someone makes a movie to try to recreate something from the old days, they end up failing miserably due to lack of good looks, storyline, faithfulness to source material, and so much more. But, I would like to tell you that unlike the others, this movie is a winner and comes out on top!
Everything about this film truly honors the Three Stooges filmography from the old days! The comedy! The story! Everything! Especially the filmography of Moe, Larry, and Curly, the most famous of the Stooges trio.
I will admit, the story and plot line likely isn’t the best, but it fits perfectly for our hilarious trio. The reason for it not being perfect is because there are moments in the story that are going to make you say, “Why? Why did this have to happen?”
Examples in particular include these:
At the beginning, it looks like the first couple featured were going to adopt a child named Teddy, but, it’s an immediate jinx when they pick Moe instead. But while they were on the road, Moe didn’t want to leave without Larry and Curly, so they just put him back at the orphanage and take Teddy instead.
When Larry and Curly want to know why Moe came back since they weren’t there to see him get dropped off, he lies to them by saying that they were giving him a list of chores to do and he didn’t want to do it because of being too lazy.
Even though those kind of things happened, I will let them slide by saying that they helped keep the plot going, be unpredictable, as well as create conflict. Those are things that a story needs, and without conflict and unpredictability, or a way to keep a story going, there really wouldn't be much of a movie.
Outside of the questionable plot elements, the direction by the Farrelly Brothers, and the story by them and Mike Cerrone, were terrific.
The Farrelly Brothers did an awesome job at directing the film, and it’s probably their best one yet (depending on what their other films are like, of course). The cinematography was amazing! It was because it gave the feeling that it was a Stooges film just like from the old days, but at the same time, it was something modern. The editing was pretty nifty too.
The decision to separate the film into three 27-minute long segments is also what I’d like to call a really smart move. It helped aid the plot into not making it feel too extended or jumbled.
The jokes and slapstick the film had were executed wonderfully, and the overall comedy it had completely lived up to the original Stooges works. And to top it all off, they took the time to give the story heart and emotion, to help everything not seem too soulless.
The best part of all, though, comes from that of the Stooges themselves!
Sean Hayes, Chris Diamantopoulos, and Will Sasso were awesome at portraying Larry, Moe, and Curly! They way they looked and acted for their roles made it seem like the real deal was in the house. They did themselves and their predecessors proud, and they were not only funny, but they gave their characters surprising depth and emotion. The Stooges themselves had dynamic development throughout the film, and their personalities were spot-on.
Plus, the supporting cast and characters were brilliant to watch. Every performer looked like they were having a great time being part of the project, and they were clearly giving their best with bringing their characters to life. The supporting characters had great development too, that's for sure.
In the end, the film isn’t 100% perfect, mainly because of the questionable moments in the story. But, it’s the best and most faithful of an old-school show by far, and it's honestly an extremely underrated film too.
So, I rate “The Three Stooges (2012)” 4½ out of five stars.