Stuber is a 2019 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Michael Dowse and written by Tripper Clancy. Its plot follows a mild-mannered Uber driver named Stu (Kumail Nanjiani) who picks up a passenger (Dave Bautista) who turns out to be a cop hot on the trail of a brutal killer. Iko Uwais, Natalie Morales, Betty Gilpin, Jimmy Tatro, Mira Sorvino, and Karen Gillan also star.
The film had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 13, 2019 and was theatrically released in the United States on July 12, 2019. Stuber was produced and released by 20th Century Fox. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who criticized it for not taking full advantage of its potential but praised Nanjiani and Bautista’s chemistry.
Plot
Stu Prasad, a meager Uber driver obsessed with getting his first five-star review in the app, is forced by an aggressive Los Angeles Police Department detective Vic Manning to drive him around town to catch notorious drug lord Oka Tedjo. For Vic, it is especially personal, as Tedjo had murdered Sara Morris, Vic’s rookie partner, six months earlier. However, Vic is unable to do the task alone as he recently got a laser eye surgery that prevents him from having good sight.
Along the way, Stu deals with Vic’s deranged behavior while trying to express his feelings to his friend Becca. Stu and Vic confront each other about Stu’s inability to man up while Vic is called out for his toxic masculinity and negligence toward his daughter Nicole as it draws similarities to the attitude that Vic’s own father had shown him.
Clues lead Stu and Vic to travel to various locations in Los Angeles, such as Koreatown, then a male stripper club and a house in Long Beach when Vic detains a key suspect of his investigation and rescues the dog Pico (a Pit Bull Terrier) from being drugged to hide the evidence. However, Stu accidentally shoots the thug in the leg and Vic leads them to an animal hospital where a group of thugs find the two and try to attack them. While Stu is scared, Vic manages to take control of the situation by making Stu throw dog food cans at the thugs and shooting those who got stunned.
Vic, using the phone of one of the thugs, sends a text to their leader to inform of “his” death and then runs to Nicole’s museum exposition to warn her about the impending danger. Meanwhile, Stu struggles to keep his relationship with Becca, a friend and partner of his in an upcoming spin biking gym who is heartbroken due to a fight with another love interest and is wanting him come to her home to get drunk and have casual sex. However, Stu is more interested in dating her instead.
Eventually, Stu and Vic face Tedjo at the location of his drop, where Vic finds that Captain McHenry is a dirty cop who has been working with Tedjo and was planning to frame Vic for murder to get him off their trail. Stu does admit he loves Becca, but then realizes it would not work since he knows she does not feel the same way and that they should not even be friends.
Stu and Vic work together to take down the villains, but Nicole ends up in the mayhem when she finds them and is nearly shot by Tedjo. Stu takes the bullet, and Vic almost kills Tedjo before Nicole stops him, and the cops arrive to bring Tedjo to justice.
As Stu and Vic recover in the hospital, Vic finally gives Stu a five-star Uber review (despite the $5534.95 fare he has to pay him), and Becca has started up a successful spin biking business. Vic arrives at Nicole’s for Christmas with the dog he found earlier, only to discover that Nicole is dating Stu.
Cast
Kumail Nanjiani as Stu Prasad, an Uber driver.
Dave Bautista as Victor “Vic” Manning, Nicole’s father, Sara’s partner, and a grizzled LAPD detective.
Iko Uwais as Oka Tedjo, a ruthless drug trafficker and cop killer.
Natalie Morales as Nicole Manning, Vic’s daughter.
Betty Gilpin as Becca, Stu’s best friend and love interest.
Jimmy Tatro as Richie Sandusky
Mira Sorvino as Captain Angie McHenry, Vic’s boss.
Karen Gillan as Sara Morris, Vic’s late partner.
Steve Howey as Felix
Amin Joseph as Leon
Scott Lawrence as Dr. Branch
Rene Moran as Amo Cortez
Julia Vasi as Sloane
Melody Peng as Brooke
Victoria Anastasi as Melanie
Malachi Malik as Tariq
Patricia French as Grandma Doris
Jay D. Kacho as Detective Kramer
PLK’s TMT Casanova Stroker as Pico the Dog
Reviews
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