“Super Troopers 3”: A Weaker Sequel That Still Provides Some Good Laughs
- Matt Palmer
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
A couple weeks ago, I revisited the still hilarious 2002 movie “Super Troopers” and finally checked out its 2018 sequel “Super Troopers 2” (which can deliver quite a few decent laughs). After enjoying both of those comedies, I was really looking forward to this new comedy sequel from the Broken Lizard comedy team. Now, even though “Super Troopers 3” is definitely the weakest of the three movies, it can still bring some good laughs.
Everyone’s favorite cops are back with the third installment of the cult comedy classic from the Broken Lizard crew. When Farva’s wildly over the top Indian engagement to Thorny's sister spirals into chaos, the Super Troopers must navigate Thorny’s schemes to break up the relationship, while trying to crack a pernicious new drug ring - all to save the day and maybe the wedding itself.
Just like the previous two movies, “Super Troopers 3” isn’t for everyone. If you enjoy the comedic antics of Broken Lizard and the other movies that they have done together, you’ll likely enjoy the latest crazy antics of the Super Troopers! And, even though the third movie provides some laughs, it’s definitely the weakest.
“Super Troopers 3” delivers Broken Lizard’s signature crude, goofy humor and the cast’s chemistry is definitely still great and it’s good to see them on the big screen again. Sure the movie has received a lot of mixed reactions from critics like the others, yet this comedic sequel is just a simple piece of nostalgic escapism for those who’ve enjoyed the other “Super Trooper” movies and enjoy that kind of comedy.
Unlike the second installment, which while funny did rely quite a bit on fan service, “Super Troopers 3” handled its throwback jokes with a lot of restraint. Classic gags - like the famous “meow” game” - do make subtle references without really slowing the movie down. Actually, come to think of it, I really wouldn’t have minded if they brought back the “meow” game for this movie.
Farva becomes not only the comedic focus of the story, but surprisingly also the core emotional focus as well through his unexpected romance and cross-cultural Indian wedding with Thorny’s sister. Now, while Farva still remains a loud, obnoxious walking disaster, giving him genuine emotional stakes made him surprisingly rootable at times without losing his signature chaotic energy.
“Super Troopers 3” also shows that the comedic chemistry among the Broken Lizard troupe is still seamless. Rather than pretending they haven’t aged for the last quarter-century, the movie leans into the irony of middle-aged men with the exact same maturity levels, particularly Mac’s funny attempts to prove he still has his youthful prankster energy.
Just like the previous movies, this sequel delivers a few moments that really stand out and can easily please Broken Lizard fans. Throughout the movie, we see several attempts from Thorny attempting to sabotage Farva’s wedding and trying to show his parents how Farva actually is.
One of the funniest bits involve the newly promoted captain who accidentally eats Rabbit’s “special” chocolates during Farva’s bachelor party and descends into a hallucination while trying to still be super-serious - definitely one of the biggest laughs of the entire movie. There’s also a hilarious scene where Farva eats an entire lobster despite a severe allergy and everyone tries to jab him with an EpiPen like a wild animal. Of course, Brian Cox comes back as their retired former captain and his dry humor can still easily make you laugh - plus make sure to stay during the first part of the end credits for an extra scene featuring O’Hagen.
Even though the third movie can be funny, the movie can struggle a bit balancing its main wedding story with its side investigations, especially with the latest drug ring subplot. And, honestly, the new drug subplot felt tacked on and kind of rushed. Since the previous two movies also featured a drug ring subplot, it can easily run out of steam and get a little dull.
The overall response to “Super Troopers 3” is heavily mixed, showing a big contrast between critical disdain and warm fan nostalgia. While most critics found the movie’s low-brow routine exhausted, the franchise’s loyal fanbase still embraced the silly antics.
Cast: Jay Chandrasekhar (Thorny); Kevin Hefferman (Farva); Paul Soter (Foster); Steve Lemme (Mac); Erik Stolhanske (Rabbit); Brian Cox (O’Hagen); Marisa Coughlan (Ursula Hansen); Nat Faxon (Captain Markowski); Chace Crawford (Baker Buchanan); Andrew Dismukes (Trooper Coy Burns; Hannah Simone (Sarita McKundan)
Writer/director: Broken Lizard (writers); Jay Chandrasekhar (director)
MPA: Rated R for sexual content, nudity, language throughout and drug content (runtime 104 minutes)
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