The Mod Squad (1999)

Director:

Scott Silver

Writers (WGA):

Buddy Ruskin (characters)
Stephen T. Kay (written by) ...

Release Date:

26 March 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Thriller

Tagline:

They did the crime, They paid the time, Now they're...undercover?

Plot:

Three minor delinquints (Danes, Ribisi, and Epps) are recruited by a cop (Farina) working undercover to bust a cop/drug ring...

Plot Keywords:

Drugs | Drug Ring | Undercover | Murder | Police

Awards:

3 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 T. Kay	...	Bald Dude
Bodhi Elfman	...	Gilbert - Skinny Freak (as Bodhi Pine Elfman)
Holmes Osborne	...	Mr. Cochrane
Dey Young	...	Mrs. Cochrane

Also Known As:

Brigade spéciale (Belgium: French title) (TV title) [fr]
Escuadrón oculto (Spain) [es]
Gli infiltrati (Italy) [it]
La nouvelle équipe (Canada: French title) [fr]
Mod Squad (France) [fr]
Mod Squad - Cops auf Zeit (Germany) [de]
Mod Squad - O Filme (Portugal) [pt]
Teinikytät (Finland) [fi]

MPAA:

Rated R for language, violence and some sexuality.

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS

Certification:

South Korea:18 | Singapore:M18 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:M | Norway:15 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | Argentina:13 | Philippines:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Sarah Michelle Gellar and Milla Jovovich were among the actresses who were considered for the role of Julie Barnes.

Goofs:

Continuity: As Billy Waites drives to the party with his prostitutes, he is driving a Cadillac Seville (4-door). When Julie Barnes leaves and steals the car, they show a Cadillac Eldorado (2-door) driving away. When she lights it on fire, it is back to being a Seville again.

Quotes:

Det. Briggs: So you kids are, what? Some kind of mod squad or something?

Movie Connections:

Spoofs Lethal Weapon (1987)

Soundtrack:

Here But I'm Gone

The Cliche Squad

Young writers, young auteur, young cast, busload of producers, what could go wrong? Everything. Even lame is too good a description, that suggests that three of four legs were functioning, when actually, none of them were. Barely enough recycled plotline for a 48 and a half minute television hour, gratingly stretched to ninety minutes. The audience was talking back to the screen, so bad was the story. Dirty cops steal drugs from the evidence locker. How many thousands of times has this been done on television? Bad cops frame good cops. Again, how many times? There was not an original shred in this entire concoction. Giovanni Ribisi made a valiant effort to prop up the lack of script, drawing the only laughs of the entire movie. And the thought of he and Claire Danes working from a real script with a grown-up director and photographed by an actual cinematographer intrigues me. Note to screenwriters: Buy one of those story generators. It can't possibly be as bad as ripping off bad television. Note to auteur: There are shots available to you other than closeups. Even the lovely and interesting face of Claire Danes eventually grows tiresome in closeup. Note to cinematographer: Apprentice yourself to a professional for a few years--you have much to learn. Note to color timer at the lab: At least try to persuade the auteur and the cinematographer that they don't know what they're talking about. Note to Claire: I hope this paid for your new condo. It's time to get some professional management and start actually reading the scripts before signing on.