Stuber (2019)

Directed by Michael Dowse. Starring Kumail Nanjiani, Dave Bautista, Natalie Morales, Betty Gilpin, Mira Sorvino, Jimmy Tatro, Iko Uwais, Karen Gillan, Rene Moran, Steve Howey. [R]

Detective Bautista is determined to take down baddie Uwais, but after laser eye surgery leaves him temporarily blind on the day he gets the chance, he recruits mild-mannered Uber driver Nanjiani into transporting him around the city, eventually involving him in the dangerous hijinks. Mildly agreeable but formulaic and forgettable buddy action comedy operates the way most formulaic and forgettable buddy action comedies do: limited interest, disposable action scenes, a few laughs scattered among the duds. The stars are in decent form, squeezing out smiles by virtue of their specific (if trope-reliant) personalities; trouble is, their appeal comes from individual quirks in a vacuum, not as a byproduct of their clash of personalities—their rapport is largely uninspired. It’s a surprise to see Sorvino again in a major studio release, making it clear almost immediately what’s going to become of her character; Uwais is tragically underused, absent for about an hour between the opening and climactic scenes.

47/100