Mod Squad
Official MGM/UA Site

Starring: Claires Danes, Giovanni Ribisi, Omar Epps, Dennis Farina, Josh Brolin
Category: Action
Rating: R
Released: 1999
Available for rental.

Mod Squad was supposed to be a remixed version of the television classic updated for the 1990s. But it lacks much of the spark and wit of the original - not to mention a certain maturity. Not the maturity of age, but of development.

Claire Danes is Julie, in for assault. Ribisi is Pete, one time Beverly Hills resident, in for robbery. Omar Epps plays Linc, in for arson. What are they in for? Being police officers, of course. As "kids" (translate young adults), they can penetrate the Los Angeles club scene like the real police can't. What they find there is where the story begins - or is technically supposed to. Dennis Farina plays Greer, their police sponsor and contact. Brolin plays Billy, who used to know Julie and wants to know her again.


This movie needed to finish "cooking" before its release. Example: the three main players are supposed to be undercover, but - in a police department where a major concern is drugs stolen from the evidence locker - everyone knows who they are. So they're dealing with a blown cover before they even leave the station. Mod Squad would have made a better comedy... if it'd had better writers. (Speaking of writers - is it plagiarism to quote Lethal Weapon's famous "too old for this sh$$" line TWICE and not give proper citation?)

Mod Squad is rated R for language, violence, and some sexuality. If you're interested in seeing the LA club scene (which doesn't look to be all that different from clubs in other major cities), see it. But if you're depending on a fully developed script with reasonable dialogue, look elsewhere.

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