CHiPS is an adaptation of the late 70s/early 80s TV show of the same name about motorcycle cops in the California Highway Patrol. The mostly unfunny movie bears little resemblance to the TV show. In general, it’s a parade of gay panic gags and third-rate gross-out humor surrounding a cursory plot about two mismatched partners (writer-director Dax Shepard and Michael Pena) investigating corrupt cops (led by Vincent D’Onofrio).
There’s a funny bit about Pena’s tendency to shoot his former partner (Adam Brody) and a few scattered chuckles, but that’s about it. Aside from being unfunny, the script is also unfocused and disorganized (a seemingly important supporting character played by Richard T. Jones all but disappears from the film). And yes, crude comedies can and should have tight scripts (The Hangover, Role Models, and There’s Something About Mary all have good screenplays). CHiPS fails to even measure up to the modest standards of 2005’s The Dukes of Hazzard.
