Stuber is either a film that plays dangerously with the idea of a brand tie-in movie or it’s just a film based around a funny title about a guy called Stu who drives an Uber. It’s had a lot of mixed reviews and while it was never going to bring in billions at the box office, Stuber's got a draw in its two main stars who are both on the up. For a 90-minute buddy cop comedy, it could be a lot worse.
Throughout the movie, Kumail Nanjiani plays Stu, the Uber driver who does everything he can to make sure Dave Bautista’s Vic gives him a five-star review when this Uber journey from hell ends so we wanted to give it the same treatment. Here are ten (spoiler-filled) five-star moments from Stuber.
Stu’s Humor
Dave Bautista is arguably one of the funnier characters when he’s riding around with the Guardians of the Galaxy but Drax’s brand of dry, deadpan humor hasn’t so far translated to anything else he’s been in, Stuber included.
Kumail Nanjiani’s Stu, on the other hand, is extremely funny. He does all the comedic heavy lifting, which the stand-up turned actor can easily do, and while it might not be one singular moment, the way Stu pokes fun at Vic all the way throughout the movie is perhaps the best thing about it.
Fight In The Vets
Vic's inability to see thanks to his laser eye surgery means he can’t drive but it also means he can’t see straight to shoot the bad guys when he and Stu are confronted in the vets-turned-medical center.
For the most part, there aren’t many sequences which rely on Vic’s inability to see but when the script does use it, this plot points makes for some great moments. Here, Stu starts hitting their attackers with cans of dog food so they call out in pain allowing Vic to locate them with some perfectly placed bullets.
Hot Sauce Fight
The end sequence of the movie takes place in a hot sauce factory (which after some googling doesn’t seem to be another brand tie-in) and makes for a pretty spicy final fight. Vic has now regained his sight and can fight to the best of his ability but that doesn’t mean he no longer needs Stu to help him out.
The fight is a scrappy punch for punch and involves Stu throwing a bottle of hot sauce at the big bad, which is underwhelming, to say the least. What’s nice about this sequence is that while it’s the final pivotal moment, it doesn’t let audiences forget that this is a comedy.
The Price Tag
As the end of the movie comes around, everyone watching is expecting the same joke about how much this ridiculously long Uber trip is going to cost and how Vic is going to score Stu for his ride. But that doesn’t make it any less of a funny moment in the film’s final sequence.
They do after all go from Koreatown to Compton all the way to Long Beach, back to Torrance, Venice, and Inglewood all in one journey. That’s going to be expensive, even if he did accidentally select Uber Pool.
Stu Takes A Criminal Hostage
After being dragged out of a house, Bautista dumps a criminal into Stu’s car and gives the Uber driver a gun while he goes back to question other people inside. This is one of the best moments in the film as Stu tries to pretend he is, in fact, an undercover cop and not an Uber driver, needing to act like he’s not absolutely terrified.
The idea of the fish out of water routine is a well-trodden path in comedy movies but the way that Kumail Nanjiani does it here is a great use of the trope and demonstrates his brand of humor perfectly.
Adopting The Pupper
There’s seemingly not a person on the internet who doesn’t love a dog, and this movie is understandably aware of this fact. Dave Bautista’s Vic rescues a pooch from a house full of drug dealers in one of the nicest moments in the movie and you see the pup get taken away to be looked after by the vet.
This is made a five-star moment by the fact that, by the end of the movie, Vic apparently adopts the dog. He really is just a big softy.
Silent But Deadly
Driving around in an electric car - one step further than the typical hybrids you see commonly when using Uber - Stu describes his ride as silent but deadly. Yes, there’s a fart joke but it is just the one at least.
This line is called back to in a really nice moment at the end of the movie when Stu finds the confidence to come back to help Vic, who is about to be framed for helping a drug gang.
The Soundtrack
Again not a specific moment but a collection of several moments throughout, the soundtrack to Stuber is an eclectic mix of songs and works in the movie a lot better than you might expect it to be.
Stu mentions his loaded iPod that’s available to his riders several times and the script uses it to furnish us with tracks like Styx’s come ‘Sail Away’ and 10cc’s ‘I’m Not in Love’. The songs are used cleverly at several points to emphasize the relationship between the two main characters, accentuate Kumail Nanjiani’s jokes or heighten the action.
Stu Takes a Bullet
As soon as Stu finds out that Vic is a cop he wants to know what everyone wants to know: Has he ever taken a bullet for someone? Has Vic ever walked away from an explosion without looking at it or shot out the tires of a vehicle speeding towards him?
These are batted away quickly as jokes but are then all cleverly called back to later on in the film. The best of which doesn’t take a genius to see coming but involves Stu taking a bullet for Vic’s daughter.
The Sporting Goods Fight
At the top of his character arc, Stu finds the confidence in himself to start a fight with Vic while they’re getting supplies in the sporting goods store Stu works at during the day. They inevitably make a mess of the store as they smash through the displays, shelves, and clothes rails.
Other than the fact they’re fighting while Vic can’t see, this is a really funny moment in the movie thanks to Kumail Nanjiani’s great physical comedy as he hits Dave Bautista with everything from a golf club to a children’s bike.