Stuber

       There have been many great mismatched partner comedies. "Stuber" is not one of them. It's got a good premise with truly opposite stars in Kumail Nanjiani and Dave Bautista but it fails to live up to it's potential. It's an uneven action-comedy that is at once too cute or too violent. The genre mix here is awkward despite a few funny moments.

       Most of the humor is supplied by Mr. Nanjiani's very funny one liners or physical responses to the mayhem happening around him. He plays an Uber driver, named Stu, forced to help Mr. Bautista's rogue cop, Vic, catch a murderous drug dealer. Unable to see due to Laser eye surgery, Vic needs Stu to drive him seemingly through every neighborhood in the Los Angels area to find the dealer. Along the way, there are fights, shootouts, explosions and a cute dog wasted in just two scenes. The poster for the film gives the false impression the dog has a bigger role.

         The film co-stars Natalie Morales as Vic's daughter, Betty Gilpin as Stu's friend and romantic crush, and Mira Sorvino as Vic's police Captain. Iko Uwais plays the drug dealer and Jimmy Tatro plays Stu's boss at his daytime job.Karen Gillan, who co-starred with Mr. Bautista in the "Guardians of the Galaxy" and "Avengers" movies, has an early cameo.

         It's a new setting for a very old concept and while the two leads have good chemistry, the story around them unfortunately, doesn't.