Just when I think the idea of a movie based on TV cop show CHiPs is an awful idea, two films come to mind that leave some hope. One is Let's Be Cops, a police comedy that had no business being any good yet was hilarious; the other is 21 Jump Street, which took a silly cop series and turned it into a great pair of flicks. Whether Dax Shepard is the guy who can make this work is still up in the air, but now we can start to decide thanks to the new trailer.
Shepard wrote, directed, and stars in the film alongside Michael Pena as motorcycle cops Baker and "Ponch", who must stop a dirty cop (Vincent D'Onofrio) and his gang from wreaking havoc across Los Angeles. The R-rated film is aiming to be funny and thrilling, sort of like Bad Boys, but I don't think Shepard's humor naturally gels with that approach He seems to be really fond of the crotch humor. Here's the synopsis:
Jon Baker (Shepard) and Frank “Ponch” Poncherello (Peña) have just joined the California Highway Patrol (CHP) in Los Angeles but for very different reasons. Baker is a beaten up pro motorbiker trying to put his life and marriage back together. Poncherello is a cocky undercover Federal agent investigating a multi-million dollar heist that may be an inside job—inside the CHP.
The inexperienced rookie and hardened pro are teamed together, but clash more than click, so kickstarting a partnership is easier said than done. But with Baker’s bike skills combined with Ponch’s street savvy it might just work…if they don’t drive each other crazy along the way.
Also starring Isiah Whitlock, Adam Brody, Rosa Salazar, Maya Rudolph, Kristen Bell, and more, CHiPs opens March 24th.
