The Mod Squad

Three juvie cons get a second chance thanks to one bad-ass cop, Dennis Farina. But can the trouble-making trio overcome their rap sheets to succeed as undercover agents without general issue gear? Badges? Badges? They don’t need no stinkin’ badges? They don’t need handguns either cause they’re crazy/sexy/cool. (Respectively, they’re Giovanni Ribisi, Claire Danes and Omar Epps a.k.a. Mr. Method, Ms. Cast and Missing Linc.) The pic’s plot is a direct descendant of its TVLand counterpart; a shameful sixty minutes of 60′s dealers, dumbbells and dirty cops stretched to feature length. Last-minute attempts to parody the source material belittle audiences who’ve patiently awaited the final reel. (All’s well that … ends!) The flippant effort’s too little, too late and, simply, not funny. Director Scott Silver and composer BC Smith convincingly recreate the feel and formula of flower-power era episodics, but perhaps they’d better serve their brothers and sisters by making love, not movies. THE MOD SQUAD belies Huey Lewis‘ credo. It ain’t hip to be square.