Review: ‘Fast and Furious’ gets a ribbing in ‘Superfast!’
A send-up of “The Fast and the Furious” action franchise, “Superfast!” pulled in to multiplexes right next to “Furious 7” this weekend.
It aims potshots not only at those films but also at their stars: Vin Serento (Dale Pavinski imitating Vin Diesel) is a meathead whose car-navigation system keeps ribbing him for his baldness. Det. Johnson (Dio Johnson impersonating Dwayne Johnson) primps incessantly with baby oil. Michelle (Andrea Navedo channeling Michelle Rodriguez) is a thinly veiled lesbian on the prowl.
Armed with a litany of “I’m so white” jokes, Lucas White (Alex Ashbaugh) appears to be a Brony — except the licensing fee to “My Little Pony” wasn’t in the budget.
The characters must “audition” to work for crime boss Juan Carlos de la Sol (Omar Chaparro). Whereas the tryout entailed a car race in “2 Fast 2 Furious,” here it’s a synchronized dance routine. The film skimps on the couple of car chases it does have, which seem to be shot in an industrial park after-hours.
As with parodies of this ilk, “Superfast!” exhibits meta awareness of genre conventions and constraints — like how little some “Furious” films have to do with street racing. It breaks that franchise’s lauded diverse casting down to calculated mass appeal, with Rapper Cameo (Rogelio Douglas Jr.), Cool Asian Guy (Chris Pang) and Model Turned Actress (Chanel Celaya). While fans can appreciate all the winks and nudges, the film is a wreck for the uninitiated.
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“Superfast!”
MPAA rating: PG-13, for crude and sexual content, violence and language.
Running time: 1 hour, 39 minutes.
Playing: At AMC Burbank Town Center 8. Also on VOD.
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