In another world, either Dave Bautista or Kumail Nanjiani would be the unlikely pairing with a tough-as-nails cop. Pairing them together is a risk that mostly pays off. Here, Bautista is the straight man Vic, a dedicated detective still trying to hunt down the drug dealer (Iko Uwais) who killed his partner. He's a giant boulder of a man, both in size and stubbornness. When he gets a tip that could bring his arch-nemesis down while recovering from LASIK eye surgery, he commandeers an Uber driven by Stu (Kumail Nanjiani), who defines the title of his stand-up special: Beta Male.
There's nothing particularly special about Stuber, which is as dumb as its title suggests. It's a competent action-comedy that never truly impresses on either front. The film makes an attempt at addressing toxic masculinity and male passivity, but this is mostly an exercise to see Nanjiani squeal while dodging bullets and getting talked into yet another scenario where he could die. While it's a bit repetitive in its brief runtime, I have to say I was never bored and laughed quite a bit, including a one-liner from Stu's on-again/off-again lover Becca (Betty Gilpin) that had me howling.
The film also features supporting roles for Jimmy Tatro, continuing to corner the market on dumb bros; the always delightful Natalie Morales as Vic's neglected daughter; and Oscar winner Mira Sorvino as Vic's boss. None of them get much screen time. Nearly every scene is designed to get in and out as quickly as possible. You'll probably forget about it on your ride home. It's never terrible, but never achieves greatness either.
Stuber is hardly a five-star ride, but with talented folks on-screen caring more about this material than anyone in the audience will, it's not as bumpy as you might imagine.
