The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Making something that is genuinely hilarious is an art, and while the filmmakers of Stuber really did try, the film definitely isn’t The Starry Night.

Stuber follows tough cop Detective Vic (Dave Bautista) as he pursues his obsession to find his partner’s elusive killer. Because of recent laser eye surgery, Vic enlists the help of Uber driver, Stu (Kumail Nanjiani). Stu is too scared to tell the love of his life how he feels, but he soon realises that there are scarier things in life. Stu drives Vic around to track down the killer, holding on for dear life and desperate for a five-star rating.

The setup of the plot is reminiscent of so many films, the most prominently known being Taxi (2004). But the key to these kinds of movies is the dynamic between the pair. Queen Latifa’s dynamic with Jimmy Fallon was undeniably and quirkily hilarious, which wasn’t the case in Stuber. The audience will get what the filmmakers are going for, but they will also understand that they did not get there – even if they did follow the right recipe.

Putting the pair dynamic aside, the surrounding plot had various weak points such as the villain who Detective Vic is supposedly obsessed with. The audience barely gets any information on him and not enough to hate him as much as Detective Vic does. Also, Vic’s partner is killed within minutes of the film starting, so the audience does not have time to get attached enough to sympathise.

Instead, the filmmakers rely on the humour to carry the feature, and there are several funny moments but, it is not enough to have you remember the film and watch again later.

There is also some graphic violence that could be disturbing for the faint-hearted, and the editing, as well as the shooting of the violence, is made to look like a very violent video game.

For the acting, Dave Bautista has the physique to play a role in an action movie, but unfortunately does not have the charisma to play in such an actor-dependent feature. Kumail Nanjiani was very funny, and not just because of how his character was written, but more because of his cartoonish facial expressions and his sincerity in every slam he makes at Bautista’s Vic.

You probably won’t hate watching Stuber just because of Nanjiani’s performance, but it is very doubtful that you will come back and watch this film again.