CHiPS movie savaged by critics: ‘A squalid, incoherent catastrophe’

THE soon to be-released movie based on the hit 1970s TV show has been described by critics as “miserable” and “an exercise in stupidity”. Ouch.

WITH the average movie ticket costing around $20, no one wants to waste their cash on an absolute stinker.

And that’s exactly what CHiPS is according to the critics.

Due out in Australia on April 6, the movie is based on the 1970s TV show about two California Highway Patrol motorcycle officers and stars Michael Peña and Dax Shepard as the lead characters.

According to the Warner Bros’ synopsis: “Jon Baker (Dax Shepard) and Frank Ponch Poncherello (Michael Peña) have just joined the California Highway Patrol (CHP) in Los Angeles, but for very different reasons. Baker is a beaten-up former 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 the hardened pro are teamed together, but clash more than click, so kickstarting a real partnership is easier said than done. But with Baker’s unique bike skills and Ponch’s street savvy it might just work ... if they don’t drive each other crazy first.”

Dax Shepard and Michael Pena in CHIPS. Shepard wrote and directed the movie.

That doesn’t sound too bad, right? Wrong.

Here’s just a taste of what the critics have had to say about CHiPS:

“How bad could CHiPS be? There are more references to anilingus than there are motorcycle chases.” — Blu-ray.com

“Often the film resorts to that unforgivable cheat move of having the supporting cast laugh at its leads’ antics on screen, in the hope of prompting us to do likewise. Instead I found myself curling over in such a paralysing cringe, my body had to be rolled out of the cinema afterwards like a dented bicycle wheel.” — The Telegraph

“What better way to celebrate such a quaint series than with a squalid, incoherent catastrophe that makes one yearn for such relatively harmless entertainments as The A Team film?” — Irish Times

“If you’re looking for a whip-smart, hilariously meta-rethink like the 21 Jump Street movies, you’ve made a seriously wrong turn.” — The Wrap

Former Packed to the Rafters star Jessica McNamee (centre) appears in CHiPS.

“CHiPS is a miserable movie, an exercise in stupidity that takes whatever nostalgia one had for the late-1970s television series — this assumes anyone actually had nostalgia for it — and beats it to death on a bed of idiocy.” — Arizona Republic

“Will likely manage the difficult feat of simultaneously alienating fans of the original series and newcomers who will wonder why a buddy cop comedy displays so much homosexual panic.” — Hollywood Reporter

“This movie relies so heavily on tired gay panic tropes, it’s almost a relief when it changes tacks for an extended riff on how hilarious it is to make out with ugly chicks. Almost.” — A.V. Club

Still keen to spend your $20 on a ticket to CHiPS?

Originally published as CHiPS movie savaged by critics: ‘A squalid, incoherent catastrophe’