The Mod Squad (1999)

Director:

Scott Silver

Writers (WGA):

Buddy Ruskin (characters)
Stephen T. Kay (written by) ...

Release Date:

26 March 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Thriller

Tagline:

They did the crime, They paid the time, Now they're...undercover?

Plot:

Three minor delinquints (Danes, Ribisi, and Epps) are recruited by a cop (Farina) working undercover to bust a cop/drug ring...

Plot Keywords:

Drugs | Drug Ring | Undercover | Murder | Police

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Claire Danes	...	Julie
Giovanni Ribisi	...	Pete
Omar Epps	...	Linc
Dennis Farina	...	Greer
Josh Brolin	...	Billy
Steve Harris	...	Briggs
Richard Jenkins	...	Mothershed
Larry Brandenburg	...	Eckford
Lionel Mark Smith	...	Lanier
Sam McMurray	...	Tricky
Michael O'Neill	...	Greene
Stephen T. Kay	...	Bald Dude
Bodhi Elfman	...	Gilbert - Skinny Freak (as Bodhi Pine Elfman)
Holmes Osborne	...	Mr. Cochrane
Dey Young	...	Mrs. Cochrane

MPAA:

Rated R for language, violence and some sexuality.

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS

Certification:

South Korea:18 | Singapore:M18 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:M | Norway:15 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | Argentina:13 | Philippines:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Sarah Michelle Gellar and Milla Jovovich were among the actresses who were considered for the role of Julie Barnes.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Near the end, a car crashes through a warehouse. The walls looked to be made of tin. The vehicle was moving too fast to be stopped by one wall and the items that the vehicle hit on the inside of the warehouse. The vehicle should have crashed through the other wall since no one was in it to apply the brakes.

Quotes:

Pete: Man this job sucks.
Linc: Beats jail.
Julie: A deal's a deal.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Made Men (1999)

Soundtrack:

Collage

A tedious exercise

I'm not one of those folks who bemoans everytime a film based on an old TV show comes out. Rather, I usually run out and see it (If I had watched the show) and try to get nostalgic. But if anyone feels like running down films based on old shows, this is exhibit A (So you can actually say something more than just "McHale's Navy"). "Mod Squad" is dreary, tiring, and lethargic. At least the original series was angst riddled long before anyone knew teens could be so glum, making it groundbreaking. This is just tedious. Claire Danes is nice to look at, but does nothing else but mood swing and sneak around spying on the baddies. Giovanni Ribisi's acting extent in this flick is that Droopy the Dog look for an hour and forty five minutes. And Omar Epps looks like he wants to flee the set, but the script's chlostraphobia has trapped him. Sure, the production is nice, with the now seemingly obligitory "rave" nightclub opening action sequence and shootouts galore. Oh, and the kids yell and get mad at each other and their superiors a lot too. It's kind of like deciding to use the Scooby Doo Mystery Machine to go on a family vacation to Hollywood with your teenage kids who you and your spouse know need heavy therapy and prescription drugs. I really wanted to like this movie, and there were promising moments, but the next scene would suck the life out of it. You can knock another Spelling remake, "Charlie's Angels", all you want, but at least that film knew it wanted to have fun with itself. "The Mod Squad" makes you wonder where the inspiration from the original series went.