The Mod Squad (1999)

Three problem teens sent to jail are offered a deal to work with an undercover cop, uncover an intricate drug ring and are caught in a deadly set-up. With cops on their trail, they have little time to solve the case and clear their names.

Director:

Scott Silver

Writers:

Buddy Ruskin (characters), Stephen Kay

Stars:

Claire Danes, Omar Epps, Giovanni Ribisi

7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Claire Danes	...	Julie
Giovanni Ribisi	...	Pete
Omar Epps	...	Linc
Dennis Farina	...	Greer
Josh Brolin	...	Billy
Steve Harris	...	Briggs
Richard Jenkins	...	Mothershed
Larry Brandenburg	...	Eckford
Lionel Mark Smith	...	Lanier
Sam McMurray	...	Tricky
Michael O'Neill	...	Greene
Stephen Kay	...	Bald Dude (as Stephen T. Kay)
Bodhi Elfman	...	Gilbert - Skinny Freak (as Bodhi Pine Elfman)
Holmes Osborne	...	Mr. Cochrane
Dey Young	...	Mrs. Cochrane

Storyline

Three minor delinquints (Danes, Ribisi, and Epps) are recruited by a cop (Farina) working undercover to bust a cop/drug ring. When the officer who recruited them is killed, they go above and beyond the call of duty to solve the murder; and bust the drug ring. Suffering the jibes, and ridicule of fellow officers; they struggle to save their names, and that of their deceased benefactor.

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Plot Keywords:

f rated | movie flop | drug ring | drugs | murder | 

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Taglines:

No badge. No gun. No problem.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, violence and some sexuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

Omar Epps mentioned in several interviews that he greatly disliked the denim Levi's clothes he and the cast had to wear because the jeans were very tight. He mentioned that there are several moments captured on screen during film where he wears a frown and grimace facial expression due to his jeans being too tight. The clothing in the film was specifically customized and provided by Levi's. When the film was released, Levi's put out denim commercials featuring Epps, Danes, and Ribisi.

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Goofs

Near the end, a car crashes through a warehouse. The walls looked to be made of tin. The vehicle was moving too fast to be stopped by one wall and the items that the vehicle hit on the inside of the warehouse. The vehicle should have crashed through the other wall since no one was in it to apply the brakes.

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Quotes

Pete: Man this job sucks.
Linc: Beats jail.
Julie: A deal's a deal.

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Connections

References Islands in the Stream (1977)

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Soundtracks

Car Wash
From the Universal Film Car Wash (1976)
Written by Norman Whitfield
Performed by Rose Royce
Courtesy of MCA Records
Under license from Universal Music Special Markets

User Reviews

The lowest expectations are still too high ...

If the writers of a movie don't care about the characters inhabiting the world they create, nor the actors portraying them, or the director ostensibly creating a dynamic, well it doesn't seem realistic the audience will care either.

To call this movie slapdash is an undeserved compliment--it's likely they figured it was a lost cause and that no amount of work would improve it. That's probably true.

Omar Epps isn't a very good actor to begin with, but here he's even worse than usual, mumbling his lines without a clue as to what is going on in the movie. Giovanni Rabisi seems to have fun with his role, but playing one imbecile after another, one gets the feeling he may not be so much acting as giving a glimmer as to his real personality. Claire Danes obviously can act, as she showed in "Little Women", but here she's dreadful. Dennis Farina is good in just about anything, but here he's given absolutely no help by the director or the other actors.

The movie quickly devolves into a series of music videos with bad seventies music intermixed with more modern stuff. And this squad is not very mod--the opening sequence notes that mod means fashionably dressed, and these guys look like they've been shopping by picking up things strewn on the side of an interstate. Go elsewhere for entertainment.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 March 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Mod Squad

Filming Locations:

Sixth Street Viaduct, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$50,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,064,716, 28 March 1999

Gross USA:

$13,263,993

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$13,263,993

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1