The film tracks the Stooges through three stages of their life, starting with their young days at the orphanage, then later as they try to raise the money needed to save it. Along the way the boys live in a dumpster, get involved in a murder plot, and somehow become reality television stars. Three dimwits with a casual disregard for their own health, an uncanny ability to absorb violence, and no fear of being foolish in public? Yeah, they’re perfect for reality television. Physically, the actors do a great job at impersonating the Stooges. Chris Diamantopoulos is quite possibly the best Moe they could have dug up. A lot of it is the soup bowl wig, but more of it is his body language. He nails Moe’s mannerisms, his verbal delivery, and even his facial expressions. It’s really quite brilliant, all things considered. Ditto Will Sasso, who takes on Curly. Not only does he resemble Curly physically and get all of Curly’s classic expressions, verbal tics, and mannerisms, the costume department actually dresses Will Sasso like Curly, right down to the too-tight suit jackets, shirts, and high-water pants. Sean Hayes’s take on Larry is also quality, but Larry isn’t as tough to pull off as a good Moe or Curly; Larry is the reactor, not the agent. However, the movie isn’t mean. The Three Stooges were always kind, perhaps not to one another, but certainly to other people. The script, from the Farrellys and Mike Cerrone, is full of sweetly maudlin moments, perhaps too many. When you try to provoke feelings too often, the scenes that need a real punch can be dulled by plucking the heart strings too often. The overall plot reminds me a lot of The Blues Brothers (whose slapstick elements always reminded me of… The Three Stooges, thus bringing everything full circle), what with the saving of the orphanage and raising money and randomly breaking into music/songs. It’s a thin plot, but it’s plot enough. The true intelligent decision by the Farrellys was to break the movie up into three parts. The Stooges work best in shorts, and to have the movie presented in three ‘shorts’ helps keep the story moving without bogging down in details. The camera is static, but there’s a nice flow and the Stooges end up in some great situations for their comedy of violence. The short thing is mostly psychological, but it works.
US Correspondent Ron Hogan was glad to see that The Three Stooges was basically a Three Stooges mini-marathon. Find more by Ron daily at Shaktronics and PopFi. Follow our Twitter feed for faster news and bad jokes right here. And be our Facebook chum here
