Starsky & Hutch

Performer: Original Soundtrack
Producer: Patricia Joseph
Distributor: TVT Records (Dist.)

Notes: Part of the joke of Todd Phillips' big-screen version of Starsky & Hutch is that it's set in the '70s, and it plays with pop culture of the decade with affection. So, it's no surprise that the accompanying soundtrack does the same thing, immersing itself in the sounds and styles of the time, primarily funk, soul, and disco, but dipping into country and soft rock a couple of times. It's also no surprise that there's some send-ups of songs from the time -- there's Dan Finnerty, best known for doing something similar on the Wedding Planner soundtrack, covering "Feel Like Making Love," Brigette Romanek singing "Love Will Keep Us Together," and Owen Wilson doing a faithful version of David Soul's "Don't Give Up on Us," which is also featured in the film. Apart from Leon Haywood's "I Want'a Do Something Freaky to You" -- which was the basis for Dr. Dre's "Nuthin' but a G Thang" (all the better to introduce Snoop Dogg as Huggy Bear, of course) -- those are the only things unusual on this soundtrack, which relies on such common oldies as "Use Me," "Dancing Machine," "That's the Way I Like It," and "Afternoon Delight." That's not a bad thing since it does capture the playful '70s vibe of the film, so it makes for a good souvenir of the movie, but it does mean that only true fans of the film will be that interested in making this part of their collection. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine The soundtrack to Todd Phillips's STARSKY & HUTCH reflects the film's total immersion in the world of 1970s popular culture. Based on the television police drama from that era, which played off of fast-paced exaggeration, the movie version is a slapstick comedy featuring Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson. STARSKY & HUTCH runs the gamut from unimpeachable classics like Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues" and Bill Withers' "Use Me" to fun fluff like KC & the Sunshine Band's "That's the Way I Like It." However, it's the new recordings that make this soundtrack special. Fans of Phillips's earlier film OLD SCHOOL will surely remember Dan Finnerty as the goofy wedding singer who made "Total Eclipse of the Heart" profanely his own; this time, Finnerty makes a scene at a bat mitzvah where he turns "Feel Like Makin' Love" (by Roberta Flack, not Bad Company) infinitely silly and delightfully perverse.

Rolling Stone (4/15/04, p.151) - 3 stars out of 5 - "This Seventies-worshiping soundtrack lays on the period camp without reservation or mercy..."" Entertainment Weekly (3/19/04, p.67) - "The standout is Dazz's funky eminently uplifting 'Brick'..." - Grade: B

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