I’m very much excited for CHiPs, starring Dax Shepard and Michael Pena as California policemen Jon Baker and Frank “Ponch” Poncherello. Oh, I’m certain that it’s not going to be a “good” movie, but I’m also certain that it will have its moments. CHiPs is late to the party of ’70s television show remakes hitting the big screen. Charlie’s Angels, Starsky & Hutch, and The Dukes of Hazzard have already received Hollywood remakes. However, CHiPs holds a special place in my heart and I’m more excited for this movie than I was for any of its contemporaries.
Nostalgia is, of course, a tremendous factor in CHiPs’ appeal. As a kid, the show resonated with me for several reasons. First, motorcycles are frickin’ cool. My childhood friend Chris and I would ride our bikes as we pretended to be Ponch and Jon, substituting the bland sidewalks of New York for the exotic highways of California. The show was also the first time I saw a non-white lead. That was huge for me as a kid. All my other favorite TV characters were white (Batman, Buck Rogers, the Dukes, etc.). Sure, I wasn’t Puerto Rican like Erik Estrada (Ponch), but the fact that a non-white person could be the coolest guy on the show was a revelation.
As for the current leads, I’m quite fond of Dax Shepard. He’s a funny man that writes funny things. To be completely honest, the thing I admire him most for is (somehow) marrying the utterly adorable Kristen Bell (also in the movie). Michael Pena totally cracks me up. I absolutely loved him in Ant-Man and there’s something about his comedic delivery that just kills me.
CHiPs will likely be an average comedy that gets slammed by the media (#fakenews), but I’m pretty sure I’m going to love it. The trailer looks silly and dopey, but Michael Pena’s comedic stylings and nostalgia for the television show will likely make CHiPs my favorite bad movie of 2017. Check out the trailer above and let me know what you think of the movie (please!). Any of you excited for it?