Undescribable Perfection

Purely Joyful Movie!

Perfect cast and a good story

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Not as bad as the reputation it has. Sorta odd in the mediocre movie genre really, as it's got entirely good and sometimes very good acting (Giovanni Ribisi is a standout but even many supporting characters are great) with dialogue mostly written to back them up. Good photography, good editing, quite good music and sound editing. But the overall story is a bit thin. Every bad guy has to have an Expository Meeting when the good guys are around, and the cops-or-informants thing was annoyingly vague for something that is at least 20% a police procedural. The whole Mod Squad thing also was mostly pointless. Either should have been free-standing or made into a period piece.

Three delinquents are recruited by a cop working undercover to bust a cop/drug ring. When the officer who recruited them is killed, they go above and beyond the call of duty to solve the murder; and bust the drug ring. Suffering the jibes, and ridicule of fellow officers; they struggle to save their names, and that of their deceased benefactor.....The first two minutes of this film really get you in the mood for something visually stimulating, even if the script may not be the best, and it already gives the main plot point away.Then the visual stimulants go away, and you notice Ribisi is trying to channel Nicolas Cage, and doing a disastrous job (Ribisi = Risible). Then you notice Epps is just standing around with a look of attitude for the entire movie.So this just leaves Danes to save the movie, and while she is good, she cannot do anything with the horrid narrative, and under par performances from seasoned actors like Lerner and Brolin (who may as well wear an 'I'm a Villain' T Shirt on his entrance).The soundtrack is very good though, and some of the camera angles are original, but all In all, it's too boring for its own good.

The Mod Squad is entertaining, fun and stylish film with a subtle tongue in cheek. From the outset it is made clear that this is going to be a stylised, music video esquire experience, focusing on style more than anything else. I have not seen the series on which the film is based, but it appears to me that the film has tried to appeal to a young audience, and as the original series was shown some 35 odd years ago, unless a nostalgia trip occurs, I would expect fans of the original series would miss the point. We get together three very cool young actors in Claire Danes, Giovanni Ribisi and Omar Epps. They look the part for sure and for me, they fit their characters fine. As far as plot details go, the three are young tear aways who work for the cops undercover, instead of doing jail time because as Dennis Farina's character says "They can get into a million places we can't". If you've prepared to accept this, what follows is a bit of a treat, as the three knowingly go through the motions of a clichéd plot, with plenty of close shaves, twists, humour and damage to Omar Epps character's car. I was quite surprised to see how badly it was reviewed on here as I did enjoy the film quite a bit. But I'd recommended it to anyone who likes a good fun undercover cop romp.

THE MOD SQUAD (2+ outta 5 stars)You know, I didn't expect to like this movie at all... so I have to give it some credit for keeping my attention. The cast (Giovanni Ribisi, Claire Danes and Omar Epps) is definitely what makes it work... because the script and direction are absolutely pedestrian. Actually, that was the style of most TV shows and movies from the 60s/70s... so maybe that flat style was intentional? There are a couple of interesting twists (one involving the squad's mentor, Captain Greer, that I won't give away). It was also interesting that the movie is structured like just another episode of the TV series... there is very little "back story"... we don't see how the "mod squad" was first formed... how they met Greer and what their life was like before they became teenage undercover operatives. (You see, they aren't really "cops"... they really aren't anything but glorified "stoolies". They go undercover to places that the older cops can't get into and "fink" on people.) I liked the cheesy, retro 70s generic cop show music that they use for background music. If not for the fact that the F word is thrown around with abandon you'd swear this was an actual episode of the series. Still, the actors give it their best shot and I can't really come down too hard on this movie. It sure beats the heck outta the "Charlie's Angels" movies!