Film

Stuber

Name: Stuber
Genre: Action, Comedy
Released: 2019
Cast: Dave Bautista, Kumail Nanjiani, Mira Sorvino, Natalie Morales, Iko Uwais

A bruising action-comedy about a recovering cop and his unwilling Uber driver forced into pursuit of a heroin dealer across the city. It plays like a buddy film written by someone who loved both Hong Kong action cinema and workplace humiliation comedy. Bautista is surprisingly deft at vulnerability; Nanjiani sells every moment of bewildered panic. It's messy fun—crude, violent, and genuinely funny in ways that don't always land smoothly together.

TMDb rating

3.3

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy buddy comedies where the laughs come from two clashing personalities forced into violent chaos, and you don't mind the jokes landing unevenly between the gunfire.

Skip it if you want action that takes itself seriously, since the fights are played for laughs and the comedy leans on crude banter more than on sharp, careful writing.

What it asks of you: Mostly a brisk ninety-odd minutes that moves quickly from one set piece to the next, asking you to go along with a loud, cheerful tone rather than settle into anything slow.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Beverly Hills Cop1984

The DNA is nearly identical: a cop from one world, a civilian from another, forced partnership, spectacular action punctuated by comedy. Eddie Murphy's charm and the action craft set the template that Stuber follows with affection.

But It's from 1984, so the pacing feels glacial if you're used to modern editing. Some of the jokes about Detroiters in Beverly Hills haven't aged particularly well.

Ride Along2014

Ice Cube and Kevin Hart as the mismatched pair—the gruff cop and the nervous civilian who won't shut up. It nails the dynamic Stuber is after, with genuine chemistry and action sequences that aren't afraid to be silly.

But It swings hard at broad comedy, which means some jokes die on screen. The plot is basically a clothesline for set pieces rather than a structure.

Tropic Thunder2008

An action film that knows action films are inherently absurd and commits to that observation. The cast never winks at the camera—they play it straight while everything around them escalates to madness.

But It's satire, so if you're not attuned to what it's mocking, it just looks like a conventional action-comedy. Some of the humor is deliberately uncomfortable.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Stuber

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Night Comes For Us2018

Both films use action comedy to process the collision between ordinary people and extreme circumstances, but where Stuber lightens the load, this one doubles down on the weight. Same engine, opposite temperature.

A shattering action film by a director who learned from John Wick. Joe Taslim and Joel Edgerton move through violence with balletic precision. It's serious, beautifully shot, and treats combat as something consequential rather than cartoonish.

But It's graphically violent in ways that can feel punishing. There is no humor here, and it's slow between action sequences in a way that demands patience rather than offering relief.

21 Jump Street2012

Two cops undercover in a high school, increasing chaos, genuine affection between the leads beneath the destruction. Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum have the same kind of comedic friction as Nanjiani and Bautista.

But The setup is dopier than Stuber's and the humor skews younger. By the end it becomes self-parody, which works for some people and irritates others.

Lethal Weapon1987

The granddad of all buddy cop films: a suicidal cop and a family man forced to partner up. It's got genuine action sequences, real stakes, and the comedy comes from character collision rather than jokes.

But It's slow to modern eyes and Mel Gibson's character is written as genuinely unstable in ways that feel less funny now. The pacing between action beats feels patient to the point of tedium.

The Nice Guys2016

Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe as a con artist and a private detective who despise each other but need each other. Beautifully written, funny, with action sequences that serve character rather than replacing it.

But It's a 1970s noir pastiche set in LA, so if period detail doesn't interest you, entire scenes will feel like setup. The plot is genuinely complex and rewards attention.

Rush Hour1998

Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker: the gold standard for mismatched cop partnerships. The action is inventive, the comedy comes naturally from personality clash, and it's simply entertaining in the most unpretentious way.

But It's a 90s action film, so the editing is frenetic and some of the humor is dated. Tucker's performance is exactly as loud as people remember—if that's not your speed, it's exhausting.

Midnight Run1988

Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin: a bounty hunter and a fugitive accountant forced across the country together. It's the spiritual ancestor of all these films—funny, warm, and genuinely well-made beneath the comedy.

But The middle stretch meanders. It's much more a character piece than an action film, so if you want spectacle, you'll get patience instead.

Central Intelligence2016

Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart reunite as former classmates—one now a jacked CIA agent, one a mild-mannered accountant. It's lighter and sillier than Stuber, but the enthusiasm is genuine and it never pretends to be more than it is.

But It's aggressively, relentlessly cheerful. There's no cynicism here, which for some people means no edge. The plot is thin even by the standards of this genre.

Game Over, Man!2018

Both are low-to-mid-budget action comedies that trust their cast to carry tone instead of relying on franchise weight. Same DNA, but Game Over, Man! swings harder toward the absurd end of the spectrum.

Three out-of-work comedians trapped in a hotel during a siege. It's a heist-action-comedy hybrid made by people who love *Die Hard* and understand that comedy and action both require timing. The cast commits completely.

But It's deeply, aggressively dumb in a way that requires you to surrender to the premise. If you're watching for anything resembling plausibility, you'll spend the film annoyed rather than entertained.

The Man from Nowhere2010

Both films ask what happens when an ordinary person—forced into extraordinary situations—discovers they're capable of things they didn't know about themselves. But where Stuber mines comedy from panic, this one mines tragedy from capability.

Won Park as a quiet man drawn into a criminal underworld to save a child. It's a South Korean action masterpiece with the efficiency of a thriller and the emotional weight of actual stakes. Shot with such clarity you can follow every punch.

But It's serious in a way that might feel grim if you're coming from Stuber's comedy. The violence is consequential and sometimes shocking. Subtitles, which some people find exhausting.