Tech Specs: Anamorphic widescreen 1.85:1, English 5.1 Dolby Surround, Spanish Dolby Surround, French 5.1 Dolby Surround, English and Spanish subtitles.

Sometimes you run across a movie that you want to dislike, but can't. When Super Troopers made its brief theatrical run last spring, it seemed easy to miss. But that was a mistake. Despite a slightly worn plot that really serves as an excuse to string together bits and sketches, the movie delivers the only thing it needs to: laughs.

Put together by a comedy troupe called Broken Lizard, Super Troopers has a slightly slapdash feel, mainly because you know none of the leads. All five troupe members write and star, using established actors only as support. Unlike the attempts of other comedy groups, the members of Broken Lizard each play only one part, and commit to it completely. The results fall somewhere between Monty Python and The Kids In The Hall. But they hit far more than they miss in a movie that plays like a frathouse comedy after the brothers all had to get real jobs.

Director Jay Chandresekhar stands out most in his role as Ramathorn, the spiritual leader of the troopers. Able to maintain respect for Captain O'Hagen (Brian Cox) while still encouraging pranks within the ranks and toward unsuspecting motorists. He's like a well-mannered Bill Murray (in his younger days). Though I suspect he's loyal to Broken Lizard, he could easily break out.

As a director, he handles everything easily, never wasting jokes nor dwelling too long on them. In a pivotal moment, Chandresekhar employs a split-screen montage right out of the sixties, which earns him extra points in the Fanboy Planet playbook. Only the intentionally serious moments of the film seem out of place.

The story does make a couple of bad turns trying to balance wacky comedy with drug-related murder. Luckily, though, it never drags. But to be honest, the movie had me from the moment it referenced Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory out of nowhere.

Chandresekhar tries to contribute insightful commentary, but for the most part is undone by the familiarity he has with the rest of the troupe. Though split into two groups for separate commentary, listening to the director is the only way to go. In particular, his commentary is helpful over the deleted scenes and alternate takes, providing good insight into comedy construction. The alternate scenes also prove that sometimes your first instinct isn't the best one to follow.

The rest of the extras are fairly pedestrian; this isn't a disc to get for great behind-the-scenes stuff. Focus instead on the movie, which opens with the first original druggie scene in years, and carries through with a crazed energy. Along the way it stops for some animal husbandry in the most embarrassingly funny scene of the year. Let's just say that if Disney's The Country Bears had had a similar scene, well, it still would have sucked, but the jamboree would almost have been worth it.

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Derek McCaw