Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Stuber 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 18, 2019

Maybe some of you have what might be called your own “Uber adventures”, since with many of these ride sharing or “taxi” like apps, you can sometimes not know what you’re getting into (in more ways than one) until it’s too late. My wife and I just returned from an excursion in Europe, and we were kind of surprised to discover in at least a couple of cities that there is actually either very little or in some cases no longer any kind of municipal cab service, and that Uber is in fact the only way to figuratively “hitch a ride”. (Lyft doesn’t seem to have made much if any of an impact in Europe, from what I could see, anyway.) Stuber takes place within the confines of the United States, and in fact within the confines (such as they are) of Los Angeles, but one of the kind of cheeky subtexts of the film is that its the driver, not the passenger, who's in for a bit of a surprise in terms of the so-called ride sharing. This is a putative "high concept" film that will still strike many viewers as essentially derivative, revisiting such well remembered efforts as Midnight Run or maybe even in a way something like Planes, Trains & Automobiles, in terms of two mismatched people forced to take a road trip with each other. Stuber coasts quite a considerable way on the combined charisma of headliners Kumail Nanjiani and Dave Bautista, and the supporting cast has some enjoyable turns, too, but the film never really develops into the comedy juggernaut that some might be expecting, given the talents involved.

Stuber is one of those films whose basic set up is mind numbingly simple, but which also needs an almost insane number of supporting elements to make it all “work” (work being a relative term in this instance). Among these arguably over labored plot points is the fact that policeman Vic Manning (Dave Bautista) suffers from some pretty severe eye problems, resulting in the need for corrective surgery, surgery which in turns leaves him half blind for a lot of the film. On the other end of the “partnership” the film is obviously geared (no pun intended) toward Uber driver Stu Prasad (Kumail Nanjiani), a hapless schlub who is desperately trying to make ends meet, not just with his driving job but with a clerk position at a store run by a kind of bantering nemesis named Richie Sandusky (Jimmy Tatro).

Stu’s financial straits are exacerbated by the fact that he’s handed over a huge amount of money in order to help Becca (Betty Gilpin), a woman whom Stu has romantic pinings for, but who has “friend zoned” him, for the most part, anyway (there’s some kind of curious content here about so-called “casual sex” which seems to kind of undercut some elements of this particular subplot). A series of quick vignettes documents Stu’s tribulations as an Uber driver, with a series of horrible passengers, all of whom give him very low ratings, which in turn threatens his “future” (such as it is) with Uber. An underlying plot element is therefore Stu's quest to secure a five star rating from someone (anyone?).

The entire plot hinges, however, on the exploits of a criminal named Tedjo (Iko Uwais), a bad guy who (minor spoiler) kills Vic’s partner in the film’s over the top opening sequence, and who then (of course) escapes. That of course sets Vic out on a quest for revenge, and kind of predictably rumors of Tedjo’s reappearance occur just as Vic is recovering from Lasik surgery. Without “official” police support from his superior Captain McHenry (Mira Sorvino), you can probably guess how Vic decides to chase after Tedjo.

A series of at times patently bizarre situations is doled out as Vic and Stu slowly bond, despite the fact that Stu is of course distressed to be involved in some kind of quasi-undercover operation. Side trips involve a male stripper club and a veterinary hospital, which may be more than enough to indicate the lengths that scenarist Tripper Clancy (perhaps my new favorite name for a screenwriter) goes to in order to wring laughs from this enterprise. That said, the comedy here (and there is comedy, albeit fitful at times) tends to be delivered more from one off throwaway lines than any situational weirdnesses (of which there are plenty).

Not to be too cheeky about it, but one of the problems with Stuber is how many detours it takes off on. These involve not just the aforementioned dysfunctions between Stu and Becca, but also between Vic and his daughter Nicole (Natalie Morales). There’s also a late reveal involving a supporting character this is both completely predictable and just maddeningly cliché ridden, leading to an expected showdown with equally expected outcomes.

While Nanjiani has his kind of awkward sweetness shtick down to a tee here, for some viewers it may be Dave Bautista who is the real surprise in the film. He of course manages the physical side of his role without any problems, but he’s also a surprisingly spry sparring partner for Nanjiani’s character, and he delivers some of the frankly duller expository dialogue with a nicely natural mien. The supporting cast can come across as a slightly desperate for laughs at times (mostly Tatro, who occasionally seems to think he’s making another YouTube video).

Note: My colleague Brian Orndorf liked Stuber even less than I did. You can read Brian's thoughts here.

Stuber 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080p Blu-ray.

Stuber is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment with a 2160p transfer in 2.39:1. I have to say I was rather pleasantly surprised by the upticks in detail and especially palette reproduction in this presentation, as I haven't always been exactly gobsmacked by Arri Alexa captured material finished at a 2K DI when offered on 4K UHD discs. It's especially notable in this instance because Stuber doesn't exactly aim for a "knock your socks off" visual impact. That said, the increase in fine detail in "little" elements like the crosshatched texture on Vic's shirt stuck out to me repeatedly here, and general detail levels, including depth of field in some wide (if sometimes smoggy) Los Angeles vistas was also noticeable. The biggest difference to my eyes was the pop of the palette. The film has some little touches of color in several places, including the peach coloring of the apartment where Stu picks up Vic, or a kind of orangish hue inside Vic's apartment when he finds out Tedjo is out and about again, that have really nicely burnished tones courtesy of HDR. Other moments of pop that struck me included the blue tones of the late sequence in the sporting goods store, and especially some really beautiful teal colorings in an even later outside storm sequence that are different from the 1080p Blu-ray presentation. As is usual with Fox discs, I noticed no compression anomalies of any kind.

Stuber 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Stuber 4K features a nicely bombastic Dolby Atmos track, one that takes the already excellent DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track on the 1080p Blu-ray and ups (literally and figuratively) the ante with noticeable if intermittent engagement of the Atmos channels. Expected cacophony from sequences like the big fight and shootout that start the film, or the later fracas in the vet clinic, provide nice immersive opportunities and at least some clear overhead placement of effects. The outdoor sequences often also bristle with nicely done ambient environmental effects, and the storm sequence toward the end of the film in particular arguably provides more surround activity than even the 7.1 track on the 1080p Blu-ray. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout this enjoyable and nicely rendered track.

Stuber 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The 4K UHD disc offers the Audio Commentary by Michael Dowse and Kumail Nanjiani that is also featured on the 1080p Blu-ray included with this release. For a complete listing of the other supplements on the 1080p Blu-ray, please see our Stuber Blu-ray review.

Stuber 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I actually had a couple of friends share with me how much they enjoyed Stuber when they saw it during its theatrical exhibition, and it's easy to see why, really, since the story is familiar but tweaked just enough to keep it interesting. But I simply found a lot of the comedy decidedly in the meh category, and the film's sudden departures into more graphically violent territory just didn't mesh all that well with whatever comedy was being aimed for. Nanjiani and Bautista make for an amiable enough duo to spend time with, and fans of these performers or of other members of the supporting cast will probably find this an agreeable enough time killer. Technical merits are solid for those considering a purchase, and I personally was rather pleasantly surprised by the uptick in detail levels and palette saturation on this 4K UHD disc, while also enjoying the at least marginally increased activity of the Atmos track.