A lot of people are hit on the head in the Farrelly brothers’ contemporary update of The Three Stooges. When Moe (Chris Diamantopoulos), Larry (Sean Hayes) and Curly (Will Sasso) learn the orphanage they grew up in is set to be sold, the three morons set out to raise money and buy it back. Diamantopoulos, Hayes and Sasso offer satisfiable impressions of the slapstick trio, but they’re outmatched by the clunky film around them. Larry David shows up as a cantankerous old nun, while Sofia Vergara provides some conflict as a shrieking femme fatale who employs the Stooges to murder her husband. Later, Moe joins the cast of Jersey Shore as “Dyna-Moe.” In a world that so lovingly cherishes the violent slapstick of Jackass, there’s likely a place for a modern-day Stooges film. This isn’t it.
This article appears in Apr 12-18, 2012.