CHIPS is Warner Bros.' latest comedic offering and the next in a trend of updating classic comedic properties for a new moviegoing audience. The movie follows Los Angeles Highway Patrol Officers on their misadventures on the job. 21 Jump Street is probably the culprit that started off this trend in 2012, with this summer's Baywatch being another recent example.
CHIPS was first introduced to pop culture in the 1970s as an NBC television show that starred Erik Estrada and Larry Wilcox. For those hoping the big screen interpretation can carry over the sensibilities of the old series, that unfortunately is where the similarities end. It's clear that this modern take on the property is designed with a more adult audience in mind, a fact that is highlighted in a new preview.
Today, Warner Brothers released an official red band trailer for CHIPS and it does its very best to earn that red band rating. This movie is not going to be the classic television show that people know. The trailer opens with a joke about a specific intimate act that becomes a refrain throughout the trailer. The movie appears specifically designed for that post-21 Jump Street moviegoing public as opposed to fans of the original series. Given the success of Deadpool, another movie that had a pretty intense red band trailer, CHIPS is shaping up to capture some of that same raunchy magic.
Dax Shepard (Parenthood) directed CHIPS and stars as former professional motorcyclist Jon Baker (the character originally played by Larry Wilcox). He is joined by Ant-Man's Michael Pena in the role of Frank "Ponch" Poncherello (Erik Estrada's character), an undercover government agent investigating a multi-million dollar heist who is new to the LA Highway Patrol division. They are joined by Shepard's wife actress Kristen Bell (The Good Place), Maya Rudolph (Bridesmaids), and Vincent D'Onofrio (Daredevil).
Shepard has a unique job of straddling the real world and the comedic. California Highway Patrol is a well-known law enforcement organization that will likely provide much material for the filmmaker to lampoon. The more extreme and adult the jokes can be, the more likely it is to capture a large - if very specific - audience. From the trailer, the conflict will come from the clash of personalities between Shepard and Pena's characters, and with two great comedic actors, it is sure to be a great time.
Conversely, there may be fans of CHIPS that were hoping for a movie with a few less dirty jokes than this trailer seems to hint at. The red band trailer is a lot more extreme than the first one that dropped and was very much not-red band. Unfortunately, this latest trailer may do as much to drive certain audience members away as it is to bring in fans of this specific brand of humor. Time will tell how much people respond to this new version of CHIPS.
Source: Warner Bros.
