it is movies like these that make a jaded movie viewer thankful for the invention of the timex indiglo watch .
based on the late 1960 's television show by the same name , the mod squad tells the tale of three reformed criminals under the employ of the police to go undercover .
however , things go wrong as evidence gets stolen and they are immediately under suspicion .
of course , the ads make it seem like so much more .
quick cuts , cool music , claire dane 's nice hair and cute outfits , car chases , stuff blowing up , and the like . sounds like a cool movie ,
does it not ?
after the first fifteen minutes , it quickly becomes apparent that it is not .
the mod squad is certainly a slick looking production , complete with nice hair and costumes , but that simply is n't enough .
the film is best described as a cross between an hour - long cop show and a music video , both stretched out into the span of an hour and a half . and
with it comes every single clich ?
.
it does n't really matter that the film is based on a television show , as most of the plot elements have been recycled from everything we 've already seen .
the characters and acting is nothing spectacular , sometimes even bordering on wooden .
claire danes and omar epps deliver their lines as if they are bored , which really transfers onto the audience .
the only one to escape relatively unscathed is giovanni ribisi , who plays the resident crazy man , ultimately being the only thing worth watching .
unfortunately , even he 's not enough to save this convoluted mess , as
all the characters do n't do much apart from occupying screen time .
with the young cast , cool clothes , nice hair , and hip soundtrack , it appears that the film is geared towards the teenage mindset .
despite an american ' r ' rating ( which the content does not justify ) , the film is way too juvenile for the older mindset .
information on the characters is literally spoon - fed to the audience ( would it be that hard to show us instead of telling us ? ) , dialogue is poorly written , and the plot is extremely predictable .
the way the film progresses , you likely wo n't even care if the heroes are in any jeopardy , because you 'll know they are n't . basing the show on a 1960 's television show that nobody remembers is of questionable wisdom , especially when one considers the target audience and the fact that the number of memorable films based on television shows can be counted on one hand ( even one that 's missing a finger or two ) .
the number of times that i checked my watch ( six ) is a clear indication that this film is not one of them .
it is clear that the film is nothing more than an attempt to cash in on the teenage spending dollar , judging from the rash of really awful teen - flicks that we 've been seeing as of late . avoid this film at all costs .
the characters and acting is nothing spectacular as if they are bored that simply is n't enough bordering on wooden the plot is extremely predictable with it comes every single clich ? all the characters do n't do much apart from occupying screen time avoid this film at all costs dialogue is poorly written nothing more than an attempt to cash in on the teenage spending dollar the film is way too juvenile even he 's not enough to save this convoluted mess it quickly becomes apparent that it is not