Dax Shepard’s ‘CHiPS’ Is a Fun Ride Through Los Angeles

Sandra Miska

A classic television gets a 21st-century makeover in the action-comedy “CHiPS.” Dax Shepard wrote, directed and stars in this remake of the series about two motorcycle cops of the California Highway Patrol that ran from 1977-1983. Shepard plays Jon Baker, a former competitive motorcyclist who made his mark on the extreme sports circuit. Despite his age, he sets about becoming a police officer in the hopes that his new career will rejuvenate his failing marriage to wife Karen (Kristen Bell, Shepard’s real-life spouse). Despite the fact that he has had 23 surgeries and relies on a cocktail of pills to get through the day, Jon makes it onto the force, albeit with a probationary period, as his badass motorcycle skills almost make up for his shortcomings.

Just as Jon as earning his place as the oldest rookie on the force, his future partner, FBI Agent Castillo (Michael Pena), who comes to be known as Ponch, is finishing up an undercover operation in Miami. Just as he is arresting the man responsible for killing his beloved partner years earlier, he brags about bedding the man’s wife, even showing off a nude selfie she sent him. This display of toxic masculinity gets him reprimanded by his superior (Isiah Whitlock Jr.), who nevertheless sends him undercover to Los Angeles to hunt down the dirty cops involved in a multi-million dollar robbery. Also heading to Cali is Ponch’s ex-partner Alan (an underused Adam Brody), whom Ponch calls a “clown.” His tendency to get in Ponch’s line of fire becomes a running gag.

Paired with Jon because it is assumed that his rookie status means he won’t ask too many questions and will thus be clueless about Ponch’s real purpose, Ponch finds himself exasperated by his new partner’s attempts to pry into his personal life, psychoanalyzing him as a means to bond. Early on Jon figures out that Ponch is a sex addict, and further complicating things is that fact that Jon is not as stupid as originally thought –  he quickly realizes that his partner is up to something. However, things take a turn after Jon saves Ponch’s life, and the two men get on an equal footing as the work together to uncover the dirty cops.  It’s not long before they begin to suspect Lt. Raymond Kurtz (Vincent D’Onofrio), an old-school S.O.B. who isn’t above making racist comments to Ponch.

Not surprisingly, “CHiPS” isn’t exactly highbrow entertainment. Much of the humor comes from Ponch’s sex addiction – bad guys with guns pose little threat to him, but put an attractive woman in front of him wearing yoga pants and he’s a goner. He’s never sought help for this issue, although he does learn a lesson after accidentally sexting a superior (Jane Kaczmarek). Similarly, Jon’s dependency on prescription pills is mostly played for laughs.

However, “CHiPS” is an entertaining movie, filled with plenty of exciting motorcycle chases and stunts. Shepard highlights parts of Los Angeles not usually showcased in films that will be recognizable to most local moviegoers. In recent years the actor has shown a more serious side of himself in projects like “Parenthood, ”and this ‘guilty pleasure’ film allows him to get back to his comedic roots and have fun, which really shows on-screen. Shepard also gets points for avoiding the lame, wink-at-the-camera clichés often found in 1970s remakes.

“CHiPS” opens March 24 nationwide.