Stuber

You may remember a film called Collateral, in which hit man Tom Cruise uses a cab, driven by Jamie Foxx, to travel to his assignments. Take that basic premise, reverse the passenger from a bad guy to a good guy, make it a comedy, and then update the mode of transportation from taxi to Uber, and you have Stuber, a bland action-comedy that is instantly forgettable.

I had added this film to my Netflix queue because of Karen Gillan, but she's killed off in the first five minutes. She's the partner of cop Dave Bautista, who is determined to find her killer. On a day in which he gets Lasik surgery, he gets a tip about a drug deal involving the killer he's looking for. He can't see, so he has to get an Uber, driven by the mild-mannered Kumail Nanjiani. So we get another odd couple buddy movie, with each guy teaching the other what it means to be a man.

Stuber doesn't attempt anything big--Nanjiani says that more people should settle, and the film certainly does--and is merely several action scenes with the comedy being Bautista is a brutal man who keeps in his emotions while Nanjiani is a fastidious nervous Nellie who can't stand up for himself. The screenplay never advances beyond the basic concept, and the direction by Michael Dowse is routine. This premise could have been much more interesting, but it settles as a movie that people might see if their first choice was sold out.

It was an interesting career choice for Nanjiani, who leaped from stand-up to movie actor with The Big Sick, in which he was nominated for a screenwriting Oscar (along with his wife, Emily Gordon). They do not have another script in production--instead Nanjiani has gotten a gig in the MCU, so his payday is assured. Not sure about his artistic legacy.