The Mod Squad (film)
The Mod Squad is a 1999 American action thriller film directed by Scott Silver and starring Claire Danes, Omar Epps and Giovanni Ribisi. It is based on the popular television show of the same name. Peggy Lipton and Clarence Williams III who played Julie and Linc in the original series, make cameo appearances.
| The Mod Squad | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Scott Silver |
| Produced by |
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| Written by |
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| Based on | The Mod Squad |
| Starring | |
| Music by | BC Smith |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date | March 26, 1999 |
Running time | 92 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $50 million[1] |
| Box office | $15,415,361[1][2] |
Plot
Julie Barnes (Claire Danes), Pete Cochran (Giovanni Ribisi) and Lincoln Hayes (Omar Epps) are three minor delinquents who choose to become undercover cops in place of serving their jail terms. When their superior Capt. Adam Greer (Dennis Farina) is murdered, the trio set out to find the real culprits.
Cast
- Claire Danes as Julie Barnes
- Giovanni Ribisi as Pete Cochran
- Omar Epps as Lincoln "Linc" Hayes
- Dennis Farina as Capt. Adam Greer
- Josh Brolin as Billy
- Steve Harris as Briggs
- Michael Lerner as Howard
- Richard Jenkins as Bob Mothersed
- Larry Brandenburg as Eckford
- Lionel Mark Smith as Lanier
- Sam McMurray as Tricky
- Michael O'Neill as Greene
- Stephen Kay as Bald Dude
- Bodhi Elfman as Gilbert
- Holmes Osborne as Mr. Cochrane
- Dey Young as Mrs. Cochrane
- Eddie Griffin as Sonny
- Clarence Williams III as Linc's Grandfather
- Peggy Lipton as Julie's aunt
Production
Sarah Michelle Gellar, Melissa Joan Hart and Milla Jovovich were considered for the part of Julie Barnes, but they all passed until Claire Danes eventually got cast. Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris were offered the chance to direct the film, but turned it down in order to concentrate on making music videos instead; Scott Silver got the job.
Reception
The Mod Squad received negative reviews by critics.[3] Rotten Tomatoes reported that 3% of critics had given the film positive reviews, based on 63 reviews, with the consensus; "The Mod Squad aims for stylish cool and thrilling adventure, but collapses in an incoherent jumble of dated source material and unintentional hilarity."[4] At Metacritic, which assigns a rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film has received an average score of 16, based on 21 reviews.[3] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C-" on an A+ to F scale.[5]
The film was nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst Screenplay, but lost out to another television show turned movie Wild Wild West. At the 1999 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards, the film was nominated for four awards: Worst Picture, Worst Actress (Danes), Worst Supporting Actress (Ribisi), and Worst Resurrection of a TV Show. It was also a box office bomb, grossing only $15.4 million out of its $50 million budget.
References
- "The Mod Squad (1999)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
- "The Mod Squad". The Numbers. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
- "The Mod Squad (1999): Reviews". Metacritic. CNET Networks, Inc. Retrieved 2009-02-24.
- "The Mod Squad Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. IGN Entertainment, Inc. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
- "CinemaScore". cinemascore.com.