This latest bigscreen retrofitting of a vintage TV series (1968-73) feels like the most shameless effort yet in the renewed exploitation of the youth market.
The Mod Squad (1999)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:50
Fresh:2
Rotten:48
Average Rating:3/10
Consensus: A sodden, overly stylized mess that’s even less compelling than a TV episode.
Runtime: 2 hrs
Genre: Action/Adventure
Synopsis: A trio of juvenile delinquents are recruited by a cop to help infiltrate an underground drugs ring. When, he is unexpectedly killed, the group go all out to solve his murder and bust the drug... A trio of juvenile delinquents are recruited by a cop to help infiltrate an underground drugs ring. When, he is unexpectedly killed, the group go all out to solve his murder and bust the drug cartel. Their efforts are made harder when they suffer ridicule from fellow officers who are out to blacken their names and that of the the deceased cop. [More]
Starring: Giovanni Ribisi, Claire Danes, Omar Epps, Dennis Farina
Starring: Giovanni Ribisi, Claire Danes, Omar Epps, Dennis Farina, Josh Brolin, Steve Harris, Richard Jenkins, Larry Brandenburg, Sam McMurray
Director: Scott Silver
Director: Scott Silver
Producer: Tony Ludwig, Ben Myron, Alan Riche
Composer: B.C. Smith
Reviews for The Mod Squad
No one expects much from movie adaptations of TV shows but complete incoherence and boredom is a bit too much to bear.
Otherwise dependable young actors like Danes, Ribisi and Epps seem lost in one-dimensional and unconvincing characters.
This is a pristine example of incoherent storyline mixed with poor editing and limp writing.
A flawed fraud, a youth movie so disjointed, witless and condescending that it's painful to watch.
Writer Scott Silver also directed the film, but obviously had no idea how to convey to his actors any sense of enthusiasm or energy.
Add another one to the scrap heap of trendy, nostalgic, 60's and 70's TV shows reduced to cinematic rubble by the inspiration starved minds in Hollywood.
The first big-screen resurrection aimed squarely at a generation that probably never heard of, much less watched, the original TV show.
Yeah, let's make a movie for the kids ... based on a TV show they've never even heard of.
Plays like a 90-minute version of the old television show. That's not necessarily bad.
The film simply doesn't deliver anything sufficiently remarkable to distinguish itself from sturdier competition.
Add another to the scrap heap of hip '60s and '70s TV shows reduced to cinematic rubble by the inspiration-starved minds in Hollywood.
I can scarcely remember a single film which was less enjoyable to watch than The Mod Squad.
A great-looking picture that zips along with grace, light on its feet but possessed of just enough gravity to allow us to take its people rather than its old TV series premise seriously.
Latest News for The Mod Squad
February 07, 2005:
Scary, 10% "Boogeyman" Tops Box Office
What is it with horror films these days? It doesn't matter how badly they are reviewed, or what they're about; they just keep raking in money at the box office.... More...
More DVDs
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 15% 15% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 45% 45% | Shorts |
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Sponsored Links
Around The Network
- The Mod Squad at Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh Links
Featured

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.



Top Critic

