Blu-ray Review: ‘The Three Stooges’ Offers Modest Family Fun

CHICAGO – I must admit that I approached the Farrelly Brothers’ long-delayed reboot of “The Three Stooges” with a heavy amount of trepidation. The previews were pretty atrocious and I had serious doubts that the filmmakers and the actors chosen to play the iconic title characters had any chance of capturing the spirit of the original. The fact that “The Three Stooges” works as often as it does is somewhat surprising. It’s a reasonably enjoyable family film. Far from painful but just as far from brilliant.

Rating: 3.0/5.0

It’s a shame really that “The Three Stooges” didn’t come out better because it’s easy to see how it could have worked. I’ll NEVER understand the decisions made to date the film, including working with the entire cast of “Jersey Shore” in multiple parts. Jokes about the iPhone and other modern references — they just don’t work. The material that feels like it could have come directly from an original Stooges short? That’s not bad. Not only do the Farrellys get the timing they needed but the three actors do stellar impressions. If you thought this would bring the Stooges to a new life in the new century, lower your expectations. If you were dreading it, perhaps you should raise them.

The Three Stooges was released on Blu-ray on July 17, 2012
Photo credit: Fox

Synopsis:
Calling all knuckleheads! From the fiercely funny Farrelly Brothers (There’s Something About Mary) comes this contemporary take on the world’s most beloved classic comedy trio… The Three Stooges!

Left on the doorstep of a nun-conventional orphanage as toddlers, Moe, Larry, and Curly grow up eye-poking, face-slapping and head-clunking their way into adulthood. Now the bumbling trio - pure of heart, but dim of wit - find themselves on a madcap mission to save their childhood home from foreclosure. Can the Stooges survive the modern world, raise the money, and ultimately save the day? Why soitenly!

Special Features:
o Deleted / Extended Scenes
o What’s The Big Idea?: A History of The Three Stooges
o Knuckleheads: Behind The Scenes Of The Three Stooges
o Did You Hear That?: The Three Stooges Sound Effects
o Poifect! Casting The Three Stooges
o The Three Stooges Mash-Up
o Original Screen Test

[12]	By BRIAN TALLERICO [13] Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com [12]